Auction Day

Outside the Baltimore County courthouse, bidders and onlookers gathered for the auction of Catonsville’s 818 Market.

Yesterday, I drove to the Baltimore County Circuit Courthouse for the foreclosure auction of the former 818 Market, a gourmet grocer and food market.

The roughly 16,000-square-foot building off Frederick Road in Catonsville has remained dark since the business closed in 2022. Before the bidding began, a small crowd gathered outside. I overheard talk of a new restaurant, an office space, a wellness studio. Some people had a vision for the property, while a few, like me, were simply curious to see what it might become.

We formed a loose circle around the auctioneer as he stood at the center, rattling through the legal notice at a rapid-fire pace. Then came the disclosures: the liquor license had already been renewed for 2026, and outstanding Baltimore County taxes as of April 24 totaled $1,934.90.

Though the property sits in Baltimore County, its water service is billed through Baltimore City. As of April 27, the unpaid water bill had ballooned to $41,877.63 — an unpaid balance the winning bidder would be responsible for paying.

The auctioneer also relayed a message from the lender: the water bill was believed to be inaccurate, and the lender promised to work with the winning bidder to review the charges.

Then, the bidding opened at $2.5 million.

“Any more? Any other bids?” the auctioneer called.

For a moment, it was silent—people looked at one another, waiting for someone to say something.

Finally, a woman in a light-colored floral dress, speaking into her phone, raised her hand and said, “One thousand.”

The auctioneer paused. “Huh?”

“One thousand over,” she repeated.

He shook his head. “We’re bidding in hundred-thousand-dollar increments. The next bid is $2.6 million. We’re not doing one thousand.”

After a brief pause, someone spoke up with a $2.6 million bid.

“We have $2.7 million. Any more?”

“Whose bid is that?” the woman asked.

“It’s not your bid,” the auctioneer replied. “$2.7 million. Do I have $2.8 million?”

The woman raised her hand again.

“Thank you. $2.9 million.” This was not the best time to raise your hand for questions.

Eventually, the bidding climbed to $3.1 million before stopping. It remained unclear who she was bidding against.

After the sale, the auctioneer disclosed that the bidder was the mortgage holder itself, bidding through the auctioneer with instructions not to exceed $3.1 million. With no higher bids, the property sold to the note holder.

At the time of writing this, the future of 818 Market remained uncertain.

A Note on Last Week’s Article: I missed a crucial detail in the timeline of events in the original Lawyers Hill Overlook article. I’ve since added additional reporting and substantially amended the piece online and in the Substack app. You can find the updated version here: Lawyers Hill Overlook

On another note, I had been planning to write an article about the subsurface tanks Baltimore County proposed installing in Catonsville to help capture, store, and manage stormwater runoff. I was in the process of setting up an interview with the project engineer when I learned from the Department of Public Works and Transportation that the project has been put on hold.

The county began exploring the project after receiving ARPA funding, but the chief communications officer for the Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation said it was “determined we could not complete the project under the spending schedule laid out by ARPA guidelines.”

The county hopes to revisit the plan in the future, and if the project moves forward, I’ll be sure to cover it then.

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