Anderson Market Building Today

David Anderson (Dave “Andy” Anderson’s son) and his wife, Karen, are the fourth generation of the family to run a business in the Anderson Market building. They bought the building in the late 1990s and started Main Streets Market & Café. Beginning as small eatery at the back, they later expanded into the present restaurant and bar.

The appearance of the building has not changed much over the course of nearly two centuries. It retains its original basic configuration and brick surface. The façade designed by Harry Little around 1930 still graces the exterior, while the interior is made warm by walls constructed of locally-produced brick. The original Anderson Market sign—reading “L. Anderson and Son”—is prominently displayed, but now hangs inside the building, above walls decorated with vintage photographs from the days when Lars and Leslie Anderson ran their market. The millstones remain in the basement walls, romanticized by local lore for their fabled connection with the Underground Railroad. A busy restaurant by day, by night the sounds of folk, blues, and rock music spills out onto the sidewalk, enticing locals and tourists alike. Nearing almost a century of ownership by the Anderson family, this graceful old building is still a vital business venue as well as a Concord landmark.