RIP Rafals-Detroit Eastern Market

[coney with everything]

it's official, they're closed but may reopen...
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...

[foody1906]

was down today and Rafal is closed permanently. Building is for sale. Talked to people at Rocky Peanut and the rumor is that the suppliers went getting paid and stopped delivering. Looked in the window and nothing there. Sign says "re-organizin" but they closed 2 weeks before Christmas 2008.

[Mplove]

I was in there probably only days before they closed. It was almost eerie, because they only had about 30% of their stock. I asked the owner if they were closing, and he said the weekend had been busy, and they were waiting to get new stock. I knew there was NO WAY they could have gone through ALL those spices over a weekend. But, how sad they have fallen during these tough times.

Also while I was there at the EMarket, I priced some butter in bulk. I was shocked at how expensive they were, compared to just Meijer & Costco. I fully expected to find a supplier there who would have been able to provide me with prices that would have been much less than the grocery store. Such was not the case. Even when I was pricing flour, I found I could get it cheaper in the 'burbs. The romantical side of me wants to support the independent vendors there. Maybe I didn't know the "right' ones to talk to. Any suggestions for a good source for bulk baking supplies there, or, in the metro area?

[berkleybabe]

Wow, that's really depressing. This was the source for years of all my bulk spices, esp. peppercorns and loose teas. One more great family biz hits the bricks. It was always a treat to walk in and be surrounded by all kinds of scents/aromas.

[GoalieJeff]

Hope they can somehow re-open , the world will be a lesser place without them . Gotta admit though , with things being the way they are , I haven't been down to Eastern Market since before Thanksgiving.,. no extra cash .

[Jim M]

The end of that article gave the real scoop (so to speak). The place was on the rocks well before the economy was--there was nothing to buy there. Not sure what went wrong.

In the meantime, what's the best place to get a really exotic spice in metro Detroit? I had a recipe once that called for aleppo peppers, and they were the only ones that had it.

[coney with everything]

Penzeys has aleppo pepper...it's become a must have in my cupboard.

[JanPrimus]

I love Aleppo on Red Haven Peaches.

God I can't wait for the Red Havens to come back to the farmers markets....

[suredave]

Joe and Ed's in Dearborn on Chase at Ford Rd. has all kinds. The spice aromas wafting through the store like Rafals.

[46137]

this is a bummer - Though I do my best to shop local, I get all of my spices from http://www.worldspice.com -- excellent customer service and "old school", no credit cards necessary!