Urban Discoveries Baltimore

You’ve certainly heard them holler, and chances are you got a good deal on that apricot. For the first couple years I lived in Baltimore, I didn’t even know what they were called, and I suspected that the guys hawking fruits and vegetables from elaborate horse-drawn carts were part of an anachronistic MICA thesis project. Anyway, the produce was fresh and cheap as could be. The vendors are, of course, called Arabbers (derived either from the traditional ethnicity of their equine partners or from old street slang) and lately, they’ve been having a rough ride.

Fifteen years ago, their Retreat Street stable was condemned by the city. In response to this threat of nonexistence, the Arabber Preservation Society formed. Over the next few years, the stable was repaired and reopened and the Arabbers made several other advancements, including a pasture (ish) in Bongo Square, a farrier (horseshoe blacksmith) apprenticeship program, and several studies and a documentary dedicated to the Arabbing tradition.

Recently, however, following a two-year old truce with the city and a promise of help from Mayor Dixon, the Arabbers have suffered another reversal. On November 10, the Baltimore City Health Department with support from the Humane Society, shut down the temporary stable at Fulton Street and confiscated nineteen horses. The move has predictable gotten people of various sympathies talking, and Dan Rodricks’ radio show and newspaper column have nurtured this debate. Rodricks demands that the city find a way to preserve what he characterizes as a unique local tradition––a last charm against the curse of national homogeneity. The Arabbers hope to reclaim their horses and find a new place to house them. Race, class, animal rights, entrepreneurship, and local identity are all concerns. As things stand, there may only be one or two Arabbers hitting the street with goods this week.
When did you last buy something from an Arabber?

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