Our hearts go out to the Arsenault family whose Portuguese Market was destroyed in a four-alarm fire yesterday in Lowell’s Back Central neighborhood. Maria Arsenault lost her father, who was upstairs doing repair work in an apartment when the blaze started.
It was just about a month ago that a busload of people visited Maria’s Central Market as part of our Lowell Folklife Series‘ ethnic market tour. Maria welcomed us in the to three-room store and served Portuguese sweet bread and hard cheese, as we asked questions, toured the market, and purchased Portuguese delicacies.
Below are a few photos taken earlier this fall.
