Maxwell Street Market, an iconic and vibrant marketplace, played a important role in the cultural and economic landscape of Chicago from the late 19th century until its closure in 1994.
Established by newly arrived Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, this impromptu ghetto market blossomed into a bustling Sunday-only affair that laid the groundwork for Chicago’s flea market culture.
The city officially recognized Maxwell Street Market in 1912, and by the time it ceased operations, the market spanned approximately nine square blocks.
In the late nineteenth century, Jewish immigrants started a produce market on Maxwell Street where it crosses Halsted Street. Over the years, Maxwell Street, shown here in about 1905, grew into a vast Sunday-morning flea market. The market moved east to Canal Street in 1994, when the Maxwell Street area was bought by the University of Illinois at Chicago. — Barnes-Crosby, Chicago History Museum
Centered at the intersection of Maxwell and Halsted Streets, it extended from Roosevelt Road to 16th Street.
Despite the presence of numerous reputable stationary department stores in the vicinity, the open-air market remained its most notable feature.
At Maxwell Street Market, one could find a wide array of goods, both new and secondhand, and even items of dubious legality—all available within sight of the old Chicago Police Academy on O’Brien Street.
An undated photo of the Maxwell Street market.
In need of jobs and quick cash, fledgling entrepreneurs flocked to Maxwell Street to earn their livelihood. Many regarded it as the largest open-air market in the nation.
From clothes and produce to cars, appliances, tools, and virtually anything anyone might want, Maxwell Street offered discounted items to consumers and served as an economic hub for those looking to get ahead.
The merchandise often came from hijacked or pirated railcars, railyards, and transport rigs, leading to quick resale and widespread distribution.
Few questions were asked about the origins of a vendor’s items for sale, particularly if the price was “right.”
Joe Kaplan sells dishes to Mrs. Freida Sawyer at Maxwell and Peoria Streets, circa April 1927.
Maxwell Street Market represented a significant shift in American retail and economic history.
It emerged as a response to, and rejection of, traditional standalone retail establishments and their pricing structures.
This vibrant commercial hub capitalized on the influx of Asian and global imports from countries such as Taiwan, Japan, China, and Mexico, which were priced significantly lower than American-produced goods.
The business carts and stalls were ready for a brisk day of business during the springtime on Maxwell Street on March 19, 1926.
Wholesalers lined Roosevelt Road with merchandise from around the world, and astute vendors would purchase these items to resell at the market, often achieving a 100% markup.
Despite this markup, the final prices remained well below those of goods available elsewhere, thanks to the market’s low overhead.
The marketplace also recognized and catered to the spending power of immigrants and minorities, providing a space where they felt welcomed and accepted.
A springtime crowd shops at Maxwell and Halsted Streets at the market in the early 1920s. Note the striking garment workers picketing in the background.
Each culture and group within Maxwell Street Market respected and honored one another, largely setting aside contemporary national issues.
This blend of cultures and ethnicities was a uniquely American phenomenon, earning Maxwell Street the nickname “Ellis Island of the Midwest.”
Local politics found a keen interest in the market’s diverse audience, especially during election time, when placards and signs, some as large as billboards, were prominently displayed.
King Levinsky, seen here in 1931, worked in his family’s fish market on Maxwell Street in 1931 even as he was achieving fame as a professional heavyweight boxer.
The market operated like a well-oiled machine, with “spot-holders,” often rumored to have mob connections, roaming the streets to ensure regular vendors maintained their prime locations through discreet cash payments.
Vendors who failed to pay these informal fees would often find their spots occupied by others upon arrival.
In 1994, the City of Chicago relocated the Maxwell Street Market to make way for the expansion of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The market was shifted a few blocks east to Canal Street and rebranded as the New Maxwell Street Market. In September 2008, it was moved once more, this time to Des Plaines Avenue.
The Maxwell Street market, looking toward Halsted Street, on Nov. 21, 1935, after city officials forced merchants to clear the sidewalks of their wares. They were still allowed to use the street.
While record breaking throngs were buying luxury gifts in Loop stores in Dec. 1936, Maxwell Street merchants applied their usual tactics to shoppers in their district. Many placed their merchandise on stands, but some heaped their toys on the sidewalk to lure purchasers.
Sarah Neiman, from left, and George Cohen weigh fish and chat with customers Bertha Bluestein, Sophie Paletz and Olive Greenburg at Maxwell Street Market, circa May 18, 1934.
A Maxwell Street vegetable merchant in May 1939.
Soroka Rayfield, 70, grinds horseradish at Maxwell Street Market in 1938. Rayfield had made a living on Maxwell Street for 20 years grinding and selling horseradish. According to the original caption, Rayfield is not worried “about the suggestion that the Maxwell St. market be wiped out. This is his only livelihood and he may be seen any Thursday at the Ghetto market.”
A Maxwell Street vendor tries to entice late Christmas shoppers with ornaments and dolls on Dec. 24, 1944. — Swain Scalf, Chicago Tribune
In June 1944, the Chicago Maternity Center on the corner of Maxwell Street and Newberry Avenue was surrounded by the open-air market. — Josepf Szalay, Chicago Tribune historical photo
An undated photo of the Maxwell Street Market at the height of its popularity.
Not too long ago the four-block Maxwell Street, shown here in April 1965, attracted up to 10,000 customers on a Sunday afternoon and was described by a writer as being as “dazzling as a merry-go-round.” When this photo was published in 1965, the open-air market’s future was in doubt. — Robert MacKay, Chicago Tribune
Maxwell Street had its share of characters, including Margo, who sold pinwheels at the corner of Maxwell and Halsted Streets in August 1963. The original caption said this: “This is our world, old but good. We won’t be wanted when the new University of Illinois is built,” said Margo. About six blocks of the market was eliminated because of expressway construction. — Ed Wagner Sr., Chicago Tribune
Crowds gather at the Maxwell Street market, circa March 24, 1964. — Robert MacKay, Chicago Tribune
The scene at 14th Street shows the size of a Sunday crowd at Maxwell Street Market in Feb. 1965.
Just because the sign says bananas are 50 cents for 4 pounds doesn’t mean a purchase on the Maxwell Street open market will be without its bargaining on Sept. 20, 1966. Editors note: The sign in this print has been partially hand painted.
Bernard Pinsker stands outside his shop on Maxwell Street, east of Halsted Street, on April 17, 1970. — Jack Mulcahy, Chicago Tribune
A merchant sells insect spray at Maxwell Street market on Aug. 3, 1969. — James Mayo, Chicago Tribune
A fishmonger tries to catch the attention of shoppers on a cold Sunday at Maxwell Street Market on Feb. 3, 1974. — James Mayo, Chicago Tribune
A typical food stand on Maxwell Street on Sunday, Feb. 3, 1974. — Walter Kale, Chicago Tribune
Hubcaps, rakes, brooms, shovels and more can be found at Maxwell Street’s open-air market on Feb. 3, 1974. — Walter Kale, Chicago Tribune
Joe Caldwell sells string beans for 45 cents a pound, tomatoes for 25 cents and onions for 20 cents from his cart in the Maxwell Street area on Sept. 25, 1975. The produce is “seconds,” but Caldwell says his customers don’t mind. “Poor folks can’t afford to pay more,” he declares. — Carl Hugare, Chicago Tribune
A jazz band plays while shoppers mingle on Maxwell Street on March 16, 1975. — Edward Feeney/Chicago Tribune
The once thriving Maxwell Street, reduced by a new freeway and a university expansion, was a ghost of a neighborhood when this photo was taken in January of 1982. — Sally Good, Chicago Tribune
Radios beckon to shoppers along Maxwell Street on Nov. 30, 1986. “You have to know what you’re looking for,” says a frequent visitor to the area. “That’s the secret down here.” — George Thompson, Chicago Tribune
Sunday, Oct. 30, 1988, proved to be a typically busy day at the Maxwell Street market. “It’s one of the most fascinating real estate submarkets in the city right now,” said Greg Longhini of the city planning department in 1988. The view is looking north on Peoria Street. — Gerald West, Chicago Tribune
(Photo credit: Monovision / via Chicago Tribune).