Messiah’s Market Wholistic Center Celebrates Grand Opening with Ribbon Cutting and Community Celebration
In partnership with Launcher, Cornerstone West CDC, and Be Ready CDC, Messiah’s Market Wholistic Center is celebrating their grand opening on Saturday, July 12. This new space, located within Solomon’s Court, serves as a collaborative ‘Launchpad’ for urban agricultural small businesses and an anchor destination in the West Side. The public is welcome to attend the Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, July 12th at 1512 West Fourth Street, Wilmington, DE 19805. Family-friendly activities and light refreshments will be provided. The official ribbon-cutting starts at 12pm. See full schedule below.
Messiah’s Market Wholistic Center is a community-centered hub for food sovereignty, healing, and cultural connection. Founded by urban farmer and wellness advocate Jamie Shanklin-Spencer, Messiah’s Market has become a beacon for holistic health, urban agriculture, and community empowerment in Wilmington and beyond. As a Delaware Master Gardener, permaculture design consultant, and dedicated community educator, Jamie has spent years cultivating spaces that nourish both the land and the spirit. From urban aeroponic gardens to youth Agri-STEM programs and community markets, Messiah’s Market embodies her commitment to building accessible, sustainable systems that honor culture and promote collective wellness.
The new market includes herbal products and seasonal produce for sale, educational workshops, a community healing garden on Delamore Place near the new business. The center will serve as a gathering place for families, wellness seekers, and neighbors interested in reconnecting with food, nature, and each other. Shanklin-Spencer is also firmly committed to using this space to be a Launchpad for other businesses, hosting local farmers and fellow Launcher graduates in the Wholistic Center. Hours of operation will be Thursday through Saturday, 10am - 2pm. More details about the business operation and special events can be found on their website: linktr.ee/messiahsmarket.
Cooperation Breeds Success
Messiah’s Market is a graduate of the Launcher Program, powered by West End Neighborhood House, and participated in their post graduate Business Lab. The new venture has received support from a Build From Within Alliance Grant to renovate the new Solomon’s Court space, which is also home to the offices of Cornerstone West CDC/West Side Grows Together. The Delaware State University Small Farms Program provided technical assistance and operational planning. These partnerships have helped the Messiah’s Market team design and fit-out the new space, build a branding package, and strengthen her business plan and financial feasibility plan.
Shanklin-Spencer shares about her venture, “This is more than a storefront — it’s a living space where we can grow together, heal together, and reclaim our relationship with the land and each other. The Wholistic Center is a testament to our community’s resilience, creativity, and power.”
Messiah’s Market Wholistic Center will be the flagship business located within Phase 1 of the Solomon’s Court Apartment Building, an affordable housing, economic development catalyst developed by Be Ready CDC and consistent with the West Side Revitalization Plan, created by residents and stakeholder members of the West Side Grows Together neighborhood coalition.. Solomon’s Court builds on resident-driven efforts to improve Fourth Street and a vision that Be Ready Church and CDC, located diagonally across from the Market, has had for decades.
"We're excited to see the vision of Solomon's Court for Fourth Street come alive with the addition of Messiah’s Market, and we are looking forward to them having great success,” said Pastor Margaret Moon-Taylor, Executive Director of Be Ready CDC.
This Saturday’s grand opening event is free and open to the public. All are welcome to join in celebrating this new chapter for Messiah’s Market Wholistic Center and Wilmington’s West Side community.
Grand Opening Schedule — July 12, 2025
Messiah’s Market Wholistic Center
1512 W 4th Street, Wilmington, DE 19805
10:30-11:30am: Family-Friendly Activities in the Garden Space (Delamore Place Community Garden, 403 Delamore Place)
12-1pm: Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Remarks (1512 West 4th St)
1-2pm: Store Tour and Shop
RSVP to Alethea Smith-Tucker at asmithtucker@cornerstonewestcdc.org.
For media and accessibility inquiries, contact Jamie Shanklin-Spencer at messiahsmarket@gmail.com.
