9th Street Curbside Market Historical Marker
Welcome to the 9th Street Curbside Market. At 100 years old, this is one of the oldest outdoor immigrant produce markets in the United States. While the market is popularly known as the Italian Market, due to the Italian families being here the longest, the Market is also home to Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Latine communities such as Mexican, Central American, Puerto Rican, Jewish, and Black communities. Some people today call it the Italian Market, others call it the Mexican Market. We prefer to use Ninth Street Market because it is all-encompassing of the groups who are here.
Market Marker: Cappuccio's Meats
Domenico Cappuccio was born in Messina, Sicily, and immigrated to America in 1910. Domenico eventually opened Cappuccio’s Meats, which was passed onto his daughter, Antoinette and her husband Harry Crimi. Harry was the first president of the Ninth Street Business Men’s Association that fought against the federal government’s attempt to raze the market. Now it is called the United 9th Street Business Association, it is the oldest business association in the 9th Street Market. The association’s charter document is pictured on the window.
Market Marker: Villa Di Roma and Pip DeLuca
Pip Deluca refers to the market as his backyard. Resilience of working in the market through rough conditions, early mornings. He says that, “If he and his siblings didn’t work together, they probably wouldn’t see each other.” Working in the market is how he stays connected to the family. He also said, “No matter what kind of work you do… whatever way you’re involved with the market it’s definitely a tough life. Like you said you have to deal with the elements that definitely take a toll on your body… But the atmosphere is what keeps you going. It’s all about the atmosphere in the street.”
Our Market Ancestor: Betty Ann Mongelluzzo
Our Market Ancestor: Elizabeth “Betty Ann” Mongelluzzo a.k.a. Aunt Betty Ann owned a florist in the Market for 30 years. Her niece Patricia Ciliberti Becker a.k.a. Cookie is a descendant of Italian and Irish immigrants. Her Italian father worked on the stands in the Market. Cookie worked with her aunt and continues the tradition of weaving palms for Palm Sunday. Aunt Betty Ann and Cookie provided the flowers for the procession of Saints, church events, and special occasions for the community.
Our Market Ancestors: DiBruno Brothers
Our Market Ancestor Mural- Danny and Joe Di Bruno: Danny and Joe Di Bruno who immigrated from Italy to Philadelphia in the 1930's. With only a 3rd grade education, their willingness to work endless hours, and their entrepreneurial spirit, the brothers put everything on the line--which wasn't much--and opened up the Di Bruno Bros. Grocery Store at 930 S. 9th Street. Danny would often say, "We didn't have much money, but a smile doesn't cost you anything!" The evolution of the market shows that some people leave and some come back. Emilio Mignucci continues their family business. They left the market for an education and returned to invest back into the market and expand.
Our Market Mural: "An Ode to 9th Street"
Lee and Mariella Esposito’s love story is honored in the recent Our Market mural (located above Alma de Mar) created by local artist Martha Rich with assistance by Andromeda Cook. As a child, Andromeda used to sell shopping bags with her family at Gargano’s Produce. This mural takes from the spaces, moments, conversations, and stories of the market and combines them into a burst of images, color, words and energy in hopes of capturing what it feels like to be part of this special place. Fate plays a role in the mural; words and pictures are randomly placed. This is what the market is about; connecting people and family, hopes, dreams, and hard work. The artist drew upon stories from our work at Our Market Project and by spending time in the market observing and listening.
Revitalized Stand: Gargano Produce
John Gargano is the 3rd generation descendant of Italian immigrants working in the Market. The design on his stands is inspired by Sicilian paintings from pushcarts. The color red and the painted image of the “cornicello” is significant to ward off the evil eye. In the panels above, you can view the two painted portraits of John as a child and his maternal grandfather Giovanni Grassi who started working in the Market in the late 1800s.
Revitalized Stand: Ramos Produce
The produce vendors are the most under-resourced group in the market. Vendors work on hottest and coldest days year round. Revitalizing the produce stands free of cost to each vendor is a way to preserve this 100 year old tradition in the Market.Ramos Produce is one of several revitalized vendor stands. All of the public art as part of the Our Market Project is intended to maximize function alongside beauty. All of the revitalized produce stands were designed and hand painted by artist Michelle Angela Ortiz. She worked closely with fabricators, like sculptress Melanie Serkes, to build the stands. Lidia Méndez and Joel Ramos came from Puebla over 12 years ago. “My people are the ones that tend to the land” is a reference to the memories both Lidia and Joel have of cultivating the land in Mexico. Lidia worked in El Mercado Sonora in Mexico selling medicinal herbs. The colors and patterns are inspired by the festivities in San Lucas, her hometown.You can see her continuing the tradition of vending at an outdoor market here in Philadelphia.
Revitalized Stands: Tran's Produce
Mr. Be and Hoa Tran crossed the ocean and lived through refugee camps to get here in 1985. You can see a Vietnamese folk saying here as well as imagery inspired by the ocean. The two sayings are: “When drinking water, remember the source” “When eating fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.”This is in homage to the land worker and the people who cultivate the fruit and vegetables that are purchased here. Blue was selected because it’s Mr.Be’s favorite color. Additionally, it represents the ocean which they crossed to arrive in the United States.
About the Our Market Project
About the Project: Our Market is a community-centered, multi-layered, multi-year public art project created and led by local artist Michelle Angela Ortiz. The project was developed in April 2019. Our Market is focused on supporting the (im)migrant vendors, business owners, and neighbors who work and reside in the 9th Street Market, the artist’s home for 40+ years. The Project invests in the 9th Street Market by offering creative community strategies to tackle the issues of gentrification, racism, displacement, and erasure. About the Tours: The Our Market Tours is part of expanding the narrative of the 9th Street Market, one of the oldest outdoor markets in the United States. Our community tours, operated by Beyond the Bell Tours, were built through conversations with select community connectors in the Market. Instead of focusing on stories of labor, the tours focus on sharing the living breathing layered histories centered on our emotional and spiritual connection and contributions to the Market.About the Tour Operator: Beyond the Bell Tours is a social enterprise committed to putting the people back in people’s history. They create inclusive historical tours of Philadelphia, highlighting marginalized communities, peoples, and histories. They tell stories of people they love and admire, individuals who have shaped the city through movements, activism, and resistance.About the Funders: Lead support for Our Market is provided by the William Penn Foundation in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia, with additional support from National Endowment for the Arts, Philadelphia250, Visit Philadelphia, and the Leeway Foundation.
Lightbox: Adelita Restaurant
In 2021, the Mexican Business Association was established which includes businesses outside of the market. Their goals are similar to the other business association, building a collective voice and advocating for immigrant owned businesses for their community. One issue presented by community members was the lack of lighting on this end of the market. In response to this need, we provided nine sets of lightboxes along different businesses. Each lightbox provides a function and represents messages of hope from each business owner. All of these public artworks were offered free of cost to the business owners.Look up! This is the first set of the lightboxes. Andres Hernandez, the owner of Adelita Restaurant remembers the woman in his family here. In this lightbox designed by Michelle Angela Ortiz, you see his words, “I am from women that are strong, hardworking, and empowered." paired with the image of an Adelita, a woman soldier who cooked and cared for the wounded and fought in battles during the Mexican Revolution. The stories collected are seen on the signage of the poles along with QR codes that lead viewers to each story.Design created by artist: Michelle Angela OrtizFunding provided through the Art is PHL Grant
Lightbox: Arepa Restaurant
Julio Cesar Rivas, owner of Arepa, immigrated from Venezuela. He has only been in the Market for a few years. The lightbox design,created by artist Alfono Pérez Acosta, was inspired by conversations with Julio. They had conversations about the power of history, culture, and food, as well as understanding more about Julio’s courageous political activism in Venezuela. This piece concentrates on the democratic nature of Arepas, where elements from Julio's past in Caracas are actively and joyfully weaving his present and his future in Philadelphia. Design created by artist: Alfonso Pérez Acosta
Our Market Ancestor: Carl Redel
Jeff and Barbara Redel are the owners of Carl’s Eggs. Both are children of Holocaust survivors. Jeff grew up between the farm in New Jersey and on this street in the Market. The mural design represents their family history and the lessons he has learned from his father Carl.
Lightbox: Casa Mexico
Cristina Martinez is a James Beard award-winning chef and the owner of Casa Mexico. She and her son, Isaias, brought the unique tradition of Barbacoa from Capulhuac and neighboring Toluca, Mexico to the Market. Her lightbox reads, “Oh Philadelphia! My flesh and blood run through your veins like the waters of your rivers that flow around you” which is an excerpt from a longer poem that she wrote. Her words are about Philadelphia and her son, Isaias, who is buried here. Here you can see her hands depicted. Additionally, as well as embroidery that you commonly see on Mexican women’s clothes. Design created by artist: Michelle Angela OrtizFunding provided by Art is PHL
Lightbox: King Video Games
This lightbox tells the story of King Video Games owner Oscar. Oscar shared stories from growing up in Brooklyn and sharing a love of games with his brother, to owning his own video game store in the Market. Although Oscar sells all eras of video games he fondly remembers the era of 8-bit games which heavily influenced the final artwork. The saying “La vida es un juego tienes que jugar para ganar.” (“Life is like a game and you have to know how to play it to win.”) came from the struggles Oscar has overcome as a small business owner to get where he is today. Design created by artist: James Olstein
Lightbox: Novedades Marisol
The design for Novedades Marisol was created with the phrase "No Hay Limites, Todo es Posible," (“There are no limits, everything is possible.”) a quote from Jenny the store owner. The design for the lightbox shows two dresses wrapped in a ribbon to indicate a young girl's coming of age. The images surrounding the dresses are reminiscent of girlhood into womanhood as it is celebrated in quinceañeras. Design created by artist: Madeleine Conover
Our Market Mural: "Be a Friend to Me" by Calo Rosa
This mural was created by artist Calo Rosa who is an immigrant from El Salvador and lives in South Philadelphia. This mural is at the former site of Connie’s Ric Rac, a performance space in the market that had open mic nights, comedy and local performances. This mural honors the artistic and creative lives of Joseph and Frankie Tartaglia, who grew up on 9th street. This mural is inspired by glimpses into the young creatives’ scrapbooks and diaries, and hopes to capture their vibrant spirit via stories shared by Connie and Joe. We honor their lives and legacy, nodding to the future generation with a portrait of Connie’s great-granddaughter.
Lightbox: B&J Estampados
“I owe my life to God and I owe my food to Tepito.”Brenda Méndez worked alongside her mother in the open air market in her neighborhood of Tepito in Mexico City. She became a young mother and had to work hard to support her child. In the artwork, Brenda’s son is looking upwards along with the phrase that she remembers spray painted on the walls while working in Tepito everyday. Her father was here in Philadelphia and she came here to join him. There is also a phrase that says “let’s continue to dream awake” which plays on coming to America with new dreams and the hopes of opportunities. Design created by artist: Michelle Angela OrtizFunding provided by Art is PHL grant
Lightbox: Mexibike
Maria Lozano is a mother and business owner of Mexibike. She shared in her interview memories of riding her bike with her children. She identified the monarch as a powerful symbol of migration and how arduous the journey is. Maria’s phrase, “Cuando trabajas por tus sueños, se convierte en realidad” (“When you work hard for your dreams, they come true.”), is representative of her journey and pursuing her dreams in the Market. Design created by artist: Cindy Lozito
Lightbox: Mole Poblano
“There is always a light on your path.”A mother’s embrace is what Javier Ríos Sandoval from Mole Poblano described as an expression of love. A mother is always searching for ways to fight for their children. Javier and his brother, Pedro, took over the family business. He shares the importance of honoring your parents and being at peace with oneself. His wife and children give him hope and light.Design created by artist: Michelle Angela OrtizFunding provided by Art is PHL grant
Lightbox: Chocolate Arts and Crafts
Eva Hernández Cruz, owner of Choco-arte, sells art made by artisans in Mexico. See depicted here, the Tree of Life, which has to do with the act of creating, joy, and her good wishes. "May all hearts bloom" is a reference to the Tree of Life, which are clay sculptures made in Mexico. There are two birds for her two children. Design created by artist: Michelle Angela OrtizFunding provided by Art is PHL grant
