Market House Soft Opening This Weekend, Grand Opening Sept. 7

It's official—the Market House will finally open its doors this weekend for a soft launch, with a grand opening set for the first weekend in September.

The long-delayed opening of the Market House in downtown Annapolis has  been a frustrating ride for many Annapolis residents. Mayor Josh Cohen had hoped the site would be open by October 2012, but a series of delays made that impossible.

To make up for that missed opportunity, Cohen has committed to "walking the plank," into Spa Creek on Sept. 7, culminating in the site's grand reopening at 10 a.m.

The soft launch of the Market House will begin Friday, with all new vendors running on special hours at their discretion, according to city spokeswoman Rhonda Wardlaw.

"With the soft opening, we wanted to ensure they have plenty of time to train staff, and perfect their service prior to the actual opening," Wardlaw said. "Also, it's Labor Day weekend, and we didn't want them to miss out on having that kind of crowd."

Amsterdam Falafelshop, the first of the new tenants for the newly renovated Market House, opened on June 20. 

The full list of Market House tenants includes:

• Firenze Gelateria
• Hard Bean Cafe
• Carl's Corned Beef & Deli
• Annapolis Organic Market
• Yellowfin Seafood
• Midship Fresh Bar
• Amsterdam Falafelshop
• Good Life Smoothie Bar