Community members, business owners and government leaders celebrated the grand opening of Lexington Market in downtown Baltimore on Tuesday.

The remodeled 60,000-square-foot space features restaurants, bookstores, a flower shop and more. Officials say revitalizing the historic market, founded in 1782 and the nation’s longest operating public market, cost $45 million.

Within that figure, the state has invested more than $12 million across four different programs. One goal for the redevelopment was a focus on diversity and inclusion among vendors.

“Today’s Lexington market not only looks better, but it’s also more diverse,” said Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott. “We all can be proud of over 50% of the businesses being Black-owned and 50% of them being women-owned.”

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