Cermak Fresh Market

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One morning, a delivery driver arrived early with a mysterious crate marked ‘special order.’ As he unloaded it into the backroom, a regular noticed an odd smell wafting through the store—something sweet yet slightly sour, like fermented bananas. Curious, the regular followed the scent and found the crate half-open. Inside were rows of glowing, neon-green bananas that seemed to pulse softly. The manager shrugged, saying they were 'experimental' produce from some exotic farm. By closing time, everyone in the neighborhood had tried one—and the next day, Cermak Fresh Market became famous for its ‘magic bananas’ that tasted exactly like banana bread.

2. A neighborhood kid was helping himself to apples from the bulk bin one day when he noticed something strange: every apple had been carefully arranged in alphabetical order. Curious, the boy asked an elderly lady who was shopping nearby if she knew why the apples were sorted that way. She winked and replied, ‘Oh, they’re not really in alphabetical order—just ask any delivery driver or janitor here, and they’ll tell you it’s actually a secret code for keeping track of which apples are freshest!’

3. In the produce section of Cermak Fresh Market, a regular noticed something peculiar one afternoon. Among the neatly arranged boxes of oranges, there was an unlabeled bag, its contents hidden in plain sight. Curious, he picked up the bag and gave it a gentle shake—nothing but rustling air inside. Just as he was about to ask someone for help, a delivery driver walked by with another identical bag under his arm. With a shrug, our regular shrugged too and went back to shopping. Later that evening, while comparing notes over coffee, neighbors agreed on one thing: maybe the market had started selling invisible oranges.

4. A few days ago, an employee was restocking the cheese counter when she heard a strange noise coming from behind the display case. Curious, she peered inside and found a wheel of cheese slowly rolling towards her, as if guided by invisible hands. As she watched in amazement, the cheese stopped just inches away, then gently rolled back into place. Startled but amused, she quickly told no one, until one day a regular asked why she always smiled so mysteriously while stocking cheeses. From then on, whenever someone mentioned ghostly activity, she’d wink and say, ‘Oh, that old wheel of prankster’s cheese!’