If you’ve lived in West Baltimore for more than five minutes, you know that the Edmondson Village Shopping Center is a place with a lot of ghosts. It used to be the crown jewel of the area. Think back to the 1940s—this place was modeled after Colonial Williamsburg. It had a bowling alley, a movie theater, and these legendary live monkeys in the window of Hess Shoes. Fast forward to 2023, and it felt more like a cautionary tale. Crime was up, windows were boarded, and when Giant Food packed its bags in June of that year, the neighborhood basically became a food desert overnight.
People were angry. Honestly, can you blame them? Taking a bus for an hour just to buy a gallon of milk is exhausting. But things finally shifted. In mid-2025, La Mart Edmondson Village officially opened its doors, taking over that vacant Giant space. It wasn’t just another store opening; it was a signal that the $17 million redevelopment led by Chicago TREND might actually be the real deal.
Why La Mart Edmondson Village is a Different Kind of Grocery Store
Most big-box grocery chains are, well, boring. You get your standard cereal, your middle-of-the-road produce, and maybe some rotisserie chicken. La Mart is a whole different vibe. It’s a DMV-based international market that doesn't just cater to one demographic. You walk in and you've got Korean pepper tuna, West African staples, Caribbean spices, and fresh seafood all in the same aisle.
For the residents of Edmondson Village, this variety matters. The neighborhood isn't a monolith, and having a store that understands the "international" part of international food is huge.
- The Produce Section: It’s massive. We’re talking three hundred types of produce. If you need something exotic that you won't find at a standard Safeway, this is where you go.
- The Meat and Seafood: They have full-service counters. It’s fresh, it’s often cheaper than the bigger chains, and it’s tailored to what people in the community actually cook.
- Pricing: Kinda surprisingly, their prices on authentic international goods are often lower because they specialize in those supply chains.
The store is located at 4624 Edmondson Avenue. It’s the anchor that the shopping center desperately needed to survive the transition while the rest of the site gets its facelift.
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The Struggle to Fix a "Historic" Landmark
You can't talk about La Mart Edmondson Village without talking about the mess that was the shopping center’s ownership. For years, the property was held back by these weird, "restrictive historic covenants." Basically, legal red tape that made it nearly impossible to modernize or sell the place.
It took Mayor Brandon Scott’s office and Lyneir Richardson of Chicago TREND to basically go to war with that red tape. They finally closed the deal in August 2023. What makes this cool is the ownership model. It’s not just some faceless corporation. Over 200 people from the community actually invested their own money—some as little as $1,000 or $2,000—into the #WeOwnThis campaign.
When you shop at La Mart, you're literally supporting a project that your neighbor might own a piece of. That’s a massive shift from the old days of outside developers just extraction wealth from the neighborhood.
Safety and the "Elephant in the Room"
Let’s be real for a second. Safety has been the biggest hurdle for this area. After the mass shooting in early 2023 that targeted high schoolers at the center, a lot of people were scared to come back.
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The new management didn't just ignore it. They've poured money into:
- High-tech camera systems that link directly with the Baltimore Police Department.
- Private security patrols that are actually present on the lot, not just sitting in a car.
- Better lighting so the parking lot doesn't feel like a horror movie set after 5:00 PM.
The goal is to attract middle-income shoppers who might have started driving out to the county to do their groceries. If they don't feel safe, they won't come. It’s that simple.
What's Next for the Village?
La Mart is the anchor, but it isn't the whole story. Construction is already moving on an Aldi that’s supposed to sit right nearby. Having both a discount leader like Aldi and a specialty international giant like La Mart Edmondson Village gives the community something they haven't had in decades: actual choices.
There’s also talk of bringing back the "fun" stuff. Residents have been vocal about wanting a return to the center's roots—maybe not live monkeys (it’s 2026, let’s be humane), but definitely things like a bowling alley or a sit-down restaurant where you don't have to eat through a plexiglass window.
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Actionable Tips for Shopping at La Mart
If you’re planning a trip, keep these things in mind to make the most of it:
- Check the Weekly Circulars: They print them in English, Korean, Vietnamese, and Hindi. The deals are legit, especially on bulk rice and oils.
- Go for the Seafood: The turnover is high because of the volume they do, so the fish is generally fresher than what sits in the back of a standard supermarket.
- WIC and EBT: Yes, they accept them. They are very community-focused in that regard, though sometimes the lines can get long during peak hours on the weekends.
- Parking: Use the main terraced lot. It’s been recently repaved and is much better for your tires than it was two years ago.
The "food desert" label is finally starting to peel off West Baltimore. It’s not a perfect situation yet, and there’s still a lot of construction dust to settle, but seeing a packed parking lot at La Mart Edmondson Village is the most hopeful the area has looked in a long time.
Next Steps for Residents:
- Support the local vendors: Check out the smaller stalls and businesses that are starting to pop up around the La Mart anchor.
- Stay updated on Phase II: Watch for the Aldi grand opening dates and the new retail pad sites that are currently for lease to see what’s coming next.
- Provide Feedback: The Chicago TREND team has been pretty open to community input; if the store is missing something you need, let the management know.