Arabber
Encyclopedia
An arabber is a street merchant
who sells fruits and vegetables from a colorful, horse-drawn cart. Once a common sight in American East Coast
cities, only a handful of arabbers still walk the streets of Baltimore.
". Arabbing began in the early 19th century, when access to ships and stables made it an accessible form of entrepreneurship
. African American
men entered the trade following the Civil War
. Brightly painted and artfully arranged, arabber carts became a common sight on the streets of Baltimore. To alert city dwellers to their arrival, arabbers developed distinctive calls:
During World War II
, factory jobs opened to white laborers, leaving arabbing an almost all African American vocation. By then arabbing was already in decline, threatened by the expansion of supermarket
s and the dearth of public stables. In the later 20th century, arabbers faced additional challenges from city zoning
and vending regulations, and from animal rights
advocates concerned about the health and welfare of the horses.
In 1994, the Arabber Preservation Society was founded to help bring the Retreat Street stable, which had been condemned, up to city building codes. The society continues to renovate and promote the preservation of the stables serving the remaining arabbers, who number fewer than a dozen. Besides providing a nostalgic glimpse of the past, arabbers still serve a practical purpose, bringing fresh produce and other goods to urban neighborhoods that are underserved by grocery stores.
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
who sells fruits and vegetables from a colorful, horse-drawn cart. Once a common sight in American East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
cities, only a handful of arabbers still walk the streets of Baltimore.
Arabbing
The term arabber is believed to derive from the 19th century slang term "street arabsStreet children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
". Arabbing began in the early 19th century, when access to ships and stables made it an accessible form of entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
. African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
men entered the trade following the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Brightly painted and artfully arranged, arabber carts became a common sight on the streets of Baltimore. To alert city dwellers to their arrival, arabbers developed distinctive calls:
Holler, holler, holler, till my throat get sore.
If it wasn't for the pretty girls, I wouldn't have to holler no more.
I say, Watermelon! Watermelon!
Got 'em red to the rind, lady.
Strawwwwwberrieeeees make rain rotten.
Rank Rotton Fish!
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, factory jobs opened to white laborers, leaving arabbing an almost all African American vocation. By then arabbing was already in decline, threatened by the expansion of supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s and the dearth of public stables. In the later 20th century, arabbers faced additional challenges from city zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
and vending regulations, and from animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
advocates concerned about the health and welfare of the horses.
In 1994, the Arabber Preservation Society was founded to help bring the Retreat Street stable, which had been condemned, up to city building codes. The society continues to renovate and promote the preservation of the stables serving the remaining arabbers, who number fewer than a dozen. Besides providing a nostalgic glimpse of the past, arabbers still serve a practical purpose, bringing fresh produce and other goods to urban neighborhoods that are underserved by grocery stores.
In media
- The documentary We Are Arabbers (2004) by filmmakers Scott Kecken and Joy Lusco KeckenJoy LuscoJoy Lusco, also known as Joy Kecken and Joy Lusco Kecken, is an American film and television director and writer. She often works with her husband, Scott Kecken. She has worked on the HBO drama series The Wire as a writer on the show's first three seasons....
profiles contemporary arabbers. - Arabbers appear in the first, fourth and fifth seasons of the television series The WireThe Wire (TV series)The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
, partly written by the documentary filmmaker Joy Lusco Kecken. - The first season of the television series Homicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
featured a plotline about an arabber suspected of murdering a little girl. - The Arabz led by Skarr Akbar are a Baltimore rap group named after the practice in honor of their hometown.
- On the May 5, 2009 episode of the television show Ace of CakesAce of CakesAce of Cakes is an American reality television show which airs on the Food Network. The show focuses on the daily operations of Duff Goldman's custom cake shop, Charm City Cakes, in Baltimore, Maryland; including small-business ownership, working with various vendors, tasting with customers,...
, reference was made to an "arabber" carrying a customer around Baltimore in a coffin as part of a living funeralLiving funeralA living funeral is a gathering centered around someone who will soon die. One of the more famous living funerals was that for Morrie Schwartz which was documented in both the book and film Tuesdays with Morrie and feature Detroit Free Press sports columnist Mitch Albom as one of the central...
.
External links
- Arabber Preservation Society Home Page, retrieved December 27, 2006.
- "The Wanderers' Songs", Catherine Finn, Preservation Online, May 30, 2009.
- "Baltimore: No Harbor for Entrepreneurs" Scott G. Bullock, retrieved May 30, 2009.