The Capital Market

What The Capital Market does

The Capital Market is a community-led nonprofit farmers market organization headquartered at Gethsemane United Methodist Church in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Founded circa 2018–2020 in response to the closure of the last grocery store in Capitol Heights (2016), the organization operates physical farmers markets at two locations — Mary & Main in Capitol Heights and Creative Suitland in Suitland — and runs the Turnip Tour, a mobile market initiative reaching five sites along the Central Avenue–Blue Line Corridor, including the first farmers market on WMATA transit property. Its primary customer segments are residents of food-desert neighborhoods in Prince George's County and Black, minority, and women-owned farmers, food producers, and artisans seeking market access and distribution channels; secondary segments include community food-justice advocates and health-conscious consumers.

The organization's core offerings are physical market operations, the Turnip Tour mobile program, community workshops and events (Juneteenth, Black History Month, bike safety, soilSHOP screenings), and an online vendor directory. Supporting revenue products include tiered community sponsorships ($10–$2,000), vendor memberships across categories (Agricultural Producers, Value-Added, Prepared Food, Artisan, Healthy Living), branded merchandise ($20 T-shirts), and tent rentals ($15/day). The Capital Market holds no proprietary technology; its distribution is built on physical venue partnerships, and its online presence is a standard website with social media channels.

The business model blends philanthropic and commercial mechanics. Revenue sources are community sponsorships, donations, vendor membership fees, merchandise sales, and small grants (including a $10,000 EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator award in February 2024), while a strategic funder relationship with LISC DC supports the Blue Line Corridor Civic Leadership Institute. Strategic partners include Gethsemane UMC (co-location and campus master plan), the 20743 Coalition (municipal co-convening), Prince George's County Soil Conservation District, CDC's ATSDR (soilSHOP), and Prince George's Arts & Humanities Council. The organization is governed by a seven-member Executive Board and supported by ~14 purpose-driven staff and ambassadors as of 2025.

Name

The Capital Market

Legal name

The Capital Market

Website

https://thecapitalmarketmd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Capital Market is a nonprofit community farmers market in Prince George's County, Maryland, operating physical markets, a mobile market (the Turnip Tour), and vendor support programs to deliver healthy food access and economic opportunity to food-desert neighborhoods and Black-owned food businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Farmers Market / Food Justice Services

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (44523)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops) (CRAHAGAO), Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores (CRAHALAB)

Keywords

• Farmers market operations
• Food access programs
• Mobile food distribution
• Community supported agriculture
• Local food sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Capitol Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships: Community sponsors support operating costs that provide platform for local agribusinesses and food artisans. Sponsorship tiers range from Sprouting to Tilling levels, with amounts from $10 to $2,000.
2. Vendor Memberships: Fees for vendors to participate in the farmers market, including vendor membership categories for Agricultural Producers, Value-Added/Cottage Food Vendors, Prepared Food Vendors, Artisan Vendors, and Healthy Living Vendors.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including TCM T-shirts ($20) and tent rentals ($15/day) for vendors.
4. Donations: Community donations accepted to support the organization's mission of food justice and supporting local farmers and minority-owned businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Capital Market operates a community farmers market at two physical locations (Mary & Main in Capitol Heights and Creative Suitland in Suitland) plus a mobile market program (The Turnip Tour) that brings fresh produce to underserved neighborhoods along the Blue Line Corridor. The organization also runs a vendor directory, sponsorships, vendor memberships, and community workshops, providing a platform for Black farmers and minority-owned food businesses to reach local customers in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Product overview

The Capital Market is a community-focused farmers' market operating as a unified platform that combines in-person market operations with online tools and community programs. The core offerings include the Farmers Market at two physical locations (Mary & Main in Capitol Heights and Creative Suitland in Suitland), the Turnip Tour mobile market, and a Vendor Directory for community discovery. Supporting services include Sponsorships, Vendor Memberships, Tent Rental, and branded merchandise (TCM T-Shirt). The organization also runs Community Events and Workshops as part of its food justice mission to support local farmers of color and improve healthy food access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farmers Market Operations A community farmers' market providing healthy, affordable food to residents and supporting the growth of local businesses owned and operated by people of color. Operates weekly at Mary & Main in Capitol Heights and Creative Suitland in Suitland.
• Turnip Tour Mobile Market A mobile farmers' market initiative connecting cultural heritage, food, and local businesses to address the lack of healthy food access in marginalized neighborhoods. Brings fresh produce and community events to multiple sites along the Blue Line Corridor.
• Online Vendor Directory

Quantifiable outcome

• 165+ events, workshops, and activations bringing people together around food, culture, and justice
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Prince George's County Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2025Stakeholder engagement for Prince George's County Food as Medicine Health Program Act of 2025, advocating for grant awards to expand medically supportive food interventions.
• 20743 Coalition (Town of Capitol Heights, Town of Fairmount Heights, City of Seat Pleasant)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2025Groundbreaking partnership for coordinated economic development, housing initiatives, and shared services along Blue Line Corridor. The Capital Market serves as co-convener providing quarterly financial reports tracking fund use.
• Prince George's County Soil Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Partnership to host Farmer and Food Producer Roundtable addressing impacts of federal and state funding shifts on local agriculture. Over 40 participants from 20+ farms represented.
• Prince George's Arts & Humanities CouncilminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2024Co-host of Imagine Seat Pleasant: Addison Road-Seat Pleasant Creative Placemaking Festival celebrating creativity, culture, and community engagement.
• CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Soil lead screening initiative (soilSHOP) providing free soil testing for urban farmers, gardeners, and families in Prince George's County.
• Gethsemane United Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-location partnership at 910 Addison Road South, Capitol Heights. Joint community programs including school supply drives, visioning sessions, and produce distribution to seniors. 17-acre campus master plan development for community food and culture hub.
• Prince George's County Office of the Neighborhood Design CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed 18-month community visioning and master plan development for Gethsemane UMC's 17-acre campus. Conducted community visioning sessions, asset mapping, and surveys.
• Access Granted Youth Exploration (AGYE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth development partnership conducting Healthy Food Community Walk Audits and urban planning education using StreetMix platform.
• Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for bicycling advocacy including inaugural Prince George's County Bike Summit and Bike to Work Day events promoting safe cycling infrastructure.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FRESHFARM Markets: FRESHFARM operates producer-only farmers markets across the DC region, including in low-food-access neighborhoods. It is the closest direct peer to TCM given overlapping geography (DC metro), farmers market model, and food justice mission focus.
• Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture: Arcadia runs mobile farm stands, a farm, and food access programming in the DC region targeting underserved communities. Highly comparable to TCM's Turnip Tour model and food desert focus in adjacent Virginia suburbs.
• Crossroads Farmers Market: Crossroads operates a farmers market in Takoma Park, Maryland serving immigrant and low-income communities with culturally appropriate produce. Comparable to TCM given nearby geography, mission alignment, and acceptance of federal nutrition benefits.
• Community Foodworks: Community Foodworks operates farmers markets and food access programs in the DC region, including accepting SNAP/EBT and federal nutrition benefits. Direct comparable to TCM in market model, geography, and food access mission.

Broad incumbents

• Martha's Table: Martha's Table is a larger, established DC-based nonprofit addressing food insecurity through healthy food distribution, nutrition education, and community programming. A broader incumbent operating in TCM's same food access space with more resources and reach.
• DC Central Kitchen: DC Central Kitchen is a large DC nonprofit that combats hunger through job training, healthy school meals, and food distribution. Larger and broader than TCM but operating in the same DC-metro food justice space.
• The Food Trust: The Food Trust is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit operating farmers markets, nutrition programming, and policy advocacy to improve food access. Comparable to TCM's combination of market operations, food justice advocacy, and health-focused partnerships, at significantly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Black Farmer Fund: Black Farmer Fund is a regional fund and ecosystem builder supporting Black farmers and food businesses in the Northeast. Shares TCM's explicit focus on supporting Black farmers and food producers of color, but operates as a capital intermediary rather than a market.
• Wholesome Wave: Wholesome Wave operates nutrition incentive programs (e.g., doubling SNAP at farmers markets) and food access initiatives nationally. Comparable to TCM's mission of making healthy food affordable, though Wholesome Wave operates as a programmatic intermediary rather than a market operator.

Regional players

• Southeast Ministry: Southeast Ministry runs food access and nutrition programs in Washington, DC's Ward 8 food desert — geographically adjacent to TCM's Capitol Heights footprint. Comparable mission and target community, though operating as a faith-based social services organization rather than a farmers market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TCM20743
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJUwP3BykSLfKJ2mNybvQvw
• Facebookfacebook.com/thecapitalmarket20743
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-capital-market-md
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecapitalmarket20743

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Capital Market