A head-and-shoulders illustrated portrait of Emiko. She has light skin, and long wavy brown hair. She is wearing a necklace and a dark tank top.

concord market is finally here!!!!! by Emiko P. '25

feasting at MIT's on-campus grocery store

The day I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.

For over 20 years, the Student Center housed an MIT treasure: LaVerde’s, our beloved on-campus grocery store. 01 The earliest mention of LaVerde's I could find was 1999, so who knows how long it had been around before it closed. Maybe it's existed since the beginning of time.  Sadly, in the winter of my sophomore year, LaVerde’s permanently closed its doors.

The months passed. Students who had loved LaVerde’s graduated, and new freshman arrived to MIT, never having felt the warmth and tenderness (and blow to the wallet) of an on-campus grocery store.

With LaVerde’s closure, the bustling grocery store on the first floor of the Stud turned into a boarded up, blank wall of plaster. It was sad, but the heartbreak was eased because we were promised a new store: Concord Market.

Since then, over two years passed. To tell you the truth, it seemed as if all hope was lost. I thought I would graduate and never get to lay eyes on Concord Market. I thought my on-campus grocery store dreams were over: no more quick lunches in between classes, no more much-needed energy drinks on test day, no more yummy snacks to gift my soccer teammates. I had accepted that this would just have to be my reality.

Until…

The grand opening of Concord Market on March 11, 2025!

I walked into the Stud one morning, over two years after I had last eyes on LaVerde’s, to see a beautiful sight in front of me: a crowd of students coming in and out of a bustling grocery store with a huge CONCORD MARKET sign. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes – Concord Market was finally, miraculously here!

We

are

so

back

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I knew instantly that I would have to explore this new grocery store, so here I am, a week or so later, ready to see what Concord Market has in store for us!

Three girls showing off the outside of a grocery store with the sign Concord Market
the crew ready to explore concord market
Girl stepping over an entranceway into a grocery store.
my very first step inside of concord market!!!!
An aisle of a gorcery store.
for some reason, i feel like this is bigger than LaVerde's was
Girl walking down an aisle of a gorcery store.
so many aisles!!

After walking around through every single aisle and getting our bearings, we decided to start collecting items for a Concord Market feast. There were so many things to choose from, but we all ended up grabbing some lunch as well as some materials for a charcuterie board!

Girl looking at a sushi options in a grocery store.
lauren and i got sushi
Giant kombucha that appears to be the size of a girl because of some perspective shifts.
we found these gigantic kombucha bottles that were all like a gallon each. here's a natalie side-by-side comparison for reference.
Three girls holding coconuts and smiling in front of the fruit section.
concord market is famous for its coconuts. not exactly sure why they sell these but it's definitely tempting to buy one.
Girl pretending to eat cheese in the cheese section of a grocery store.
there were literally so many cheese options we didn't know how to choose

After we selected all of our items, we went up to the register, and we got to take an extra-special VIP picture with the head of Concord Market behind the register!

Four people posing behind a grocery store register with Concord Market in the background.

With our food purchased, we set about preparing our Concord Market feast. Maddie L. ’26 came over to sit with us, where she revealed that she had actually just won the Concord Market raffle! She got 50 bucks and a freezer bag of food that must’ve weighed 15 pounds.

Three girls smiling in front of cheese, crackers, and fruit.
our charcuterie board!! so scrumptious.
Girl holding up two bags and posing in front of food, all labeled with Concord Market.
maddie posing with her free food, concord market t-shirt, concord market freezer bag, and concord market tote.
Two girls smiling and eating a cracker and cheese together in front of more food.
our charcuterie board got very good reviews, such as: "i have to say that it is very possible to make a balanced bite at concord market. i'd smash." - simdi (right)

After we absolutely demolished our charcuterie board and lunch, we reflected on our Concord Market experience together. Here are some thoughts:

“I’ve been waiting for this since sophomore year, and it didn’t disappoint. The staff is lovely and very friendly. Lots of good charcuterie options. 9/10.” – Lauren D. ’25.

“Concord Market has a lot of good cheese. I’m from Wisconsin. I love cheese so much.” – Lauren again.

“The next two years are about to be a movie. 8/10.” – Maddie S. ’27 (a sophomore, who is lucky to be able to enjoy Concord Market for many years to come).

“I think Concord Market lived up to the expectations. While the wait was long, dare I say it was worth it? 8/10.” – Natalie B. ’25.

“Lowkey expensive tho.” – Nat again.

“It was baller. There is much pain in the world, but not in Concord Market.” – Maddie L. ’26

Meme of a girl looking away with the words saying "There is much pain in the world but not in Concord Market."

Thank you for opening before I graduate. I love you, Concord Market. <3

  1. The earliest mention of LaVerde's I could find was 1999, so who knows how long it had been around before it closed. Maybe it's existed since the beginning of time.⁠ ↑