In this day and age, if you are to be considered a true Chicagoan, then you must have experienced a true windy-city deep-dish pizza, walked along the breezy lakefront trail, and visited the forever-famous Maxwell Street Market, now located at 800 S. Desplaines St. Commonly known as the birthplace of the Chicago Blues or one of the oldest parts of the city of Chicago, Maxwell Street Market continues to satisfy our food cravings, fill our homes with fresh and colorful produce, and keep that extra money in our pockets with the exceptional bargains you can find in books, tools, toys, clocks, and rare items you would not be able to find anywhere else in the city.
Dating way back to the mid-1800s, the Maxwell Street market was a thriving cosmopolitan place in the city. Immigrants who were once scattered across the globe traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and into the mid-west region of the country. German, Polish, Russian, Bohemian, Greek, Italian and various other ethnicities crowded into what is considered today’s near west-side of the city. In the 1930’s and 1940’s the sweet aroma of generations-old family recipes filled the market’s air while on the other side, the smell of freshly caught fish brought people from various backgrounds together.
Maxwell Street Market has a rich history of immigrants selling their goods, but it’s roots go so much deeper than just that. Yes, the colorful items, food, and people create an atmosphere where a person could shop for produce, clothing, and various other useful materials both old and new. Many of those same immigrants provided an opportunity for the next generation. Although in the shadow of Chicago’s core city with its’ skyscrapers, big-chain coffee shops, and million-dollar lake-front apartments, the tradition of Maxwell Street Market from great-grandparents to their sons and daughters, greets today’s visitors as they walk past the barricades blocking the street to enter the lively market itself.
One person we recently met described to us the tradition that remains in her family today, not only taking part in the market as a vendor but also as a fellow shopper. Yescenia Moto, now the Coordinator for the Chicago City Markets, started working first as an intern for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). She describes her own rich family Maxwell Street Market history:
“We would go Sunday mornings, when it was at Canal Street. Our father would pull up at about 4 a.m. Sometimes my brother and I were with him, sometimes we weren’t. I remember him buying socks, and these boxes of lipstick and stuff. If you go early enough in the morning vendors buy from each other. He’d buy packets of lipstick for like twelve bucks and resell them individually. That’s how he would get his kids through school. I started at Maxwell street selling goods from the trunk of our car, then going to school, getting a job, and now going back to make sure Maxwell Street Market is not just a viable place for vendors but also for customers.”
Her colleague, Ron Salazar, Coordinator for Maxwell Street Market since the Spring of 2017 and also working for DCASE, often visits markets whenever traveling because he feels markets are the heart and soul of anyplace.
“The natural change that consumers experience in purchasing their goods has affected markets, but the atmosphere on today’s Desplaines Street location includes the rich history of the original Maxwell Street Market. All the pleasant smells, sights, and everything else which touch one’s senses and blast them to a high, is an irreplaceable experience one cannot get while simply browsing through the pages about a market whether traveling or sitting at home. Maxwell Street Market is filled with a rich mix of cultures. While some children have grown up simply attending the market with their parents, others were helping to prepare the goods to sell on those early Sunday mornings. Both groups have learned the valuable lessons of exchanging goods and the art of entrepreneurship. Every Sunday of the year the Maxwell Street Market is a celebration of different cultures. While it is still very diverse, it now has this Latin flavor to it.”
The food further exemplifies this. There are many foods uncommon to non-natives of Mexico such as Birria, which is essentially a stew made of goat meat, or Pozole (another stew with pork and chile peppers). You also have your more commonly known tacos, of many types, as well as churros, tamales from various regions, and so much more for one’s taste buds to experience. Coordinator Salazar believes:
“The importance of preserving such a historic market lies in the connection and familiarity from foods, and also with creating those links through the experience and interactions of visiting such a place as Maxwell Street Market.”
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Hristo K. Bojilov
- Photography
- Hristo K. Bojilov
