Jacqueline Glassmyer said people "just rave'' over her trademark caramel corn and her fresh-made salads.

Oscar York believes his "catch of the day'' will be what everyone's having for dinner.

Optimism and ebullience, mixed with a pinch of nerves and self-doubt, were brewing at Central Market Thursday when Stoltzfus, Glassmyer and York, along with two others, successfully bid on five of the seven stands that were vacant.

"I'm going to cry,'' said Stoltzfus after acquiring the former Minnich's Farm Bakery stand for her Upper Crust bakery at a cost of $2,650. "I'm ecstatic.''

"I was so worried that people would bid against me,'' said Glassmyer, who picked up the deli portion of the former C.Z. Martin Sons stand for $1,688.40. "This is great, I'm so excited.''

Although the C.H. Thomas & Sons meat stand and the meat and cheese stand of C.Z. Martin Sons did not receive bids, a city official said there are several candidates for those two spots.

The other five stands in the hallowed halls of Central Market, however, were in high demand at Thursday's auction.

The House of Clarendon Bakery, with its elegant and ornate cakes, placed the winning bid of $5,800 for a large corner stand.

Wendy Hess outlasted other bidders for another Minnichs Farm Bakery stand, paying $3,100 for the spot. She will make all her own goodies for Wendy Jo's Homemade.

"Pies, cakes, cookies,'' Hess said of her stand.

The cost of the stand, which will be each successful bidder's first year's rent, was a little more than Hess had planned to pay.

"But I don't have to worry about help, it's just me baking and selling,'' she said.

The legacy of standholders was apparent as the auction proceeded.

Glassmyer and her husband, Jeremy Glassmyer, who will open The Movable Feast deli, got an immediate guided tour of their stand from former owner Carol Hottenstein, whose family has been in the meat and cheese business at market for 85 years.

Hottenstein showed the couple how to open the glass cases and where the keys were kept.

"It's bittersweet for me,'' said Hottenstein. "I'll miss the market and the people but I won't miss getting up at 4 a.m.''

City Public Works Director Charlotte Katzenmoyer said the appeal of Central Market is magical.

"It's the whole ambience,'' said Katzenmoyer, who is spearheading the effort to replace the market's aging furnace and leaky roof and make cleanliness a top priority.

"It's been here for so long, it's like a social club,'' Katzenmoyer said. "People see friends and neighbors at Central Market that they haven't seen in weeks. It's a great place.''

Stoltzfus agreed.

"It's a great atmosphere,'' she said, leaning over the shelves of Meck's produce stand. "It's historic and people are friendly here.''

When Stoltzfus, of Lititz, was a little girl living in Goshen, Ind., she would bake for her mother and then pedal down the street on her bicycle and bake for her aunt.

"You never had a lemon sponge pie like I make,'' she said, "or a vanilla crumb or lemon meringue.''

Although she has been selling her baked goods on a wholesale basis, she said she was excited about the potential of selling retail at Central Market.

"No one leaves here empty-handed,'' noted her husband, David Stoltzfus.

"That's right,'' said Nina Stoltzfus. "People will buy their vegetables for their dinner here and then come to me for their dessert.''

Like the Glassmyers and the Stoltzfus', most of the new entrepreneurs were family partnerships.

York, a Mount Joy resident, said:"I think I have a partner. But if not, my wife, Alice, will work together with me.''

York has been licensed for his mobile Fish Express unit in Chester County and is looking forward to selling at the market, which originated in the 1700s.

New standholders must begin operating within 30 days of the auction.

York, who placed the only bid for his fish stand, for $3,376.80, is excited about his new venture.

"Yes, ma'am,'' he said after acquiring the stand. "This is a good thing.''

York said he never gets tired of eating seafood.

"There's so many different types,'' he said. "I used to eat a lot of red meat but since I've gotten older, it gets between my teeth.''

The House of Clarendon's owner, Julie Bashore, and her daughter, Kerri Lee, plan to offer more of their sophisticated creations at market on top of their full service bakery on West Walnut Street.

Katzenmoyer said she was pleased with the mix of new tenants at market.

"We have several people in mind to pursue for the butcher shops,'' said Katzenmoyer. "We wanted to keep those stands open for meats and deli because they have sinks and a place to wash up.''


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