Baltimore Traditions: Arabbers, Living Folk Art

If you’re not from Baltimore, you’ve probably never heard the term A-rab or Arabber, pronounced AY-rabbers. That’s a shame. Just like the terms Coney Island and Philly Cheesesteak conjure up delightful, nostalgic images for many, so does the term Arabber to Baltimoreans.

They’re rare today, but back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, it wasn’t unusual to hear the clippity clop of horses, decked out in large jingling bells, pulling a colorful carriage, that was in essence a produce cart on wheels.

Along with the sound of the horses making their way down asphalt streets, you’d hear the croon of the Arabber: “STRAW-By-rees, Cherrrr-EES” in a trademark style. Part of the tradition of the Arabber involves his personal call to the public. Each has a special chant that comes out more like a song, weaving the various items for sale into the call.

The term Arabber is said to come from a 19-century London term used for homeless urchins and street peddlars. For a good visual, check out some YouTube clips. One gives interviews of local Arabbers, while another shows the Arabber in action.

The legend of the Arabber was made famous when the show Homicide hit the airwaves. In one of the initial episodes, Det. Baliss (Kyle Secor) hunted a killer of a young girl, Adena Watson. All signs pointed to an Arabber, Rissley Tucker. That story line carried over several episodes. Homicide made a point of highlighting Baltimore traditions and the Baltimore that we who live here see, not the tourist points most people read about. Homicide's creator, David Simon, featured Arabbers on The Wire, another Baltimore-based show he created.

Arabbers are part of the real Baltimore.

Arabbers, an endangered species and a tradition almost exclusive to Baltimore, are early-day entrepreneurs, known more as hucksters back then. It’s primarily a Black male tradition, almost a living folk tradition. While New York and Philadelphia once had Arabbers, both have ceased allowing Arabbers to market, so Baltimore is the last remaining city allowing Arabbers to make a living.

Baltimore almost lost this tradition as well, its last remaining bastion, because in 1994 the stables that housed the horses were condemned. In stepped the Arabber Preservation Society. It’s a pride thing for Baltimore Arabbers. Their carts are painted, just so, and the horses wear special harnesses. According to the Arabber Preservation Society, this harness has black with gold trim and bone rings, which are white plastic rings. They also have red tassels and red plume with bell drops.

Because of the help of the Preservation Society, another generation of Baltimoreans gets to hear the call of the Arabber, a sight and sound that belongs solely to Baltimore. The heritage continues, and that’s good. In the ‘90s, Richard Kurin, director of the Smithsonian Institution's folk-life program said: "In the end, when we lose the Arabbers. . . I think a bit of the city's soul is lost." For now, the tradition is safe.