From a distance, you might think it’s a church. The tower that rises nearly 140 feet above this huge, yellow brick building at West 25th and Lorain serves as a marker that draws the faithful from across Greater Cleveland. But, these congregants aren’t as interested in spiritual sustenance…as they are in a good deal for their dinner table.
VENDOR SOUND: Two for three dollars, I give you one free. How many do you want, six? Have a free sample.
For nearly a century, shoppers have flocked to the West Side Market for fresh produce, meat, cheese, and baked goods, sold by vendors like Ricky Calabrese, whose family has a long history hawking fruits and vegetables.
CALABRESE: It was 1919 when my grandmother started here.
It was a time before grocery stores, when thousands of immigrants from Italy, Germany, Hungary and elsewhere were flooding into this near west side community, just up the hill from the steel mills. Writer Marilou Suszko says there was a big demand for the food they had left behind in Europe.
SUSZKO: The West Side Market became a place where they would set-up businesses. They would serve people from their own ethnicity who were able to find the products that they wanted here.
Suszko and ethnic food expert Laura Taxel are collaborating on a new book that documents Market history. Taxel says this building was part of a national movement to create municipal markets.
TAXEL: The idea was that people living in cities would have a source of good, affordable food. The fact that it was provided by city government was meant to be a service to the citizens.
And the city didn’t skimp when it came to building the market. The architects were Dominic Benes and Benjamin Hubbell, who designed the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cutting edge construction techniques were used to create the immense vaulted ceiling that floats above the din of vendors offering strudel samples and advice on how to prepare a beef brisket like grandma used to make.
TAXEL: These days, even though many people are multiple generations away from their ethnic immigrant past, they come here to find things that bring back a taste that perhaps is their only link to their ethnic identity.
And as Northeast Ohio’s immigrant mix has changed, the market continues to reflect the food needs of the newcomers. Hispanic vendors offer varieties of chili peppers and cilantro, as well as tamales that you can eat on the spot. Other stands have foods from Cambodia, Thailand, and various Middle Eastern countries.
XENOS: We came here seven years ago. I start with the dried dates and figs; American people doesn’t know them.
When Irene Xenos and her husband arrived from Eqypt, in 2000, they first found work at a gas station. Four years later, they opened the Mena Dried Fruit stand at the Market. Xenos says there was a steep learning curve.
XENOS : First time I came here, I cried, because I didn’t sell that good; I make very, very low money. And my husband talked to the guy that he bought the stand from and said, “I want to return it. I want to go to the gas station again. At least I know what I made every week.”
But Irene wasn’t so easily defeated. After drying her eyes, she convinced her husband to stick with the stand and try again. An expanded product line and a slightly more aggressive selling style proved more successful. She says they’ve done well ever since.
XENOS: Seven years --- that’s not bad.
For long-time vendor Ricky Calabrese there’s more to the Market than picking up a paycheck.
CALABRESE: The money has to be there, obviously. But, to see your customers grow-up, go to school, get married, go to college. You know everyone in the family, you know when they’re sick. We go to a lot of funerals of our customers. It’s like one big family.
Jerry Czuchraj’s family has been selling smoked meats at the Market for over 50 years. His immigrant father was proud to be able to put his American born son through college. But, Jerry’s dad was not happy when he came back from college and offered to take over the stand.
JERRY CZUCHRAJ: It was my idea. My dad didn’t want me to have anything to do with the business. He wanted me to have a better life than he had --- just like any other dad.
But, Czuchraj says he felt the call to continue the family tradition. He’s fiddled with it a bit --- even added a candy stand on the side. But, sausages and beef jerky remain the big sellers. And a new sales staff may be just around the corner.
JERRY CZUCHRAJ: Both of my kids have both graduated from college. One is getting her Master’s in engineering, so I hope she’ll stay with that. And the other one’s going to be a math teacher. They say they want to try going it on their own, if they don’t like it. They’ll come back to the business.
In Part Two of our story, you’ll hear whether Jerry’s daughter is willing to step up to the plate. Also some critics --- including a famous TV star --- are calling for changes. Those voices are coming up as we look at the future of the West Side Market.
