Edible Food Find: Concord Market on Campus
Photos by Michael Piazza
Since it opened in 2018, Concord Market has been attuned to what its customers want and what’s trending, carefully curating everything from products on the shelves to in-store events.
“It’s like coming into a new store all the time,” says Elizabeth Akehurst-Moore, owner and brand director. “We put a lot of care into it; we keep investigating. That’s the fun part for us—the creativity.”
Akehurst-Moore is applying the same innovative and adaptable sensibility to her second location less than 20 miles away: Concord Market on Campus at MIT. Open since March, the market is located in the recently renovated Stratton Student Center, where LaVerde’s Market operated for more than 30 years until 2023.
It seemed like an unlikely pairing—high-end suburban market meets urban college setting, even to Akehurst-Moore when the idea was first pitched to her by real estate consultants for MIT.
“At first I thought, ‘I’m not interested in going to MIT; students aren’t our thing,’” she recalls.
But ultimately she realized the idea made perfect sense.
“I think what appealed to them is that we are very hands-on with how we adapt to our customers. Our team decides to change things, and we do it instantly,” rather than wade through a zillion layers of corporate structure.
Concord Market’s focus on sustainable, high-quality, healthy food was also a draw, as well as its prepared foods and robust catering arm (Nosh by Concord Market)—all components that have translated to the MIT space. In the vein of its suburban counterpart, the campus market will also host regular events like ramen and taco nights.
Concord Market on Campus’s in-house catering (operating out of an on-site 4,000-square-foot kitchen) is poised to make up a large component of the business, with more than 500 student groups on campus. And like the market, the catering will be available to the general public. Meanwhile, “Nosh Box,” a small space outside the market featuring vending machines with beverages, snacks and prepared foods, as well as a smoothie machine, will provide students 24/7 access to healthy fare.
On a recent visit to Concord Market on Campus, the shelves and cases were stocked with a mix of items—from in-house specialties like Mediterranean hummus bowls to charcuterie board fixings to a hearty array of fruits and vegetables—at a ratio of 70% specialty/high-end and 30% commodity. Based on data gleaned from shoppers—an average of more than 1,000 per day—that will ultimately shift closer to 60-40.
“We’re getting a sense of what the students want,” says Akehurst-Moore, noting that is a nuanced equation.
While students requested fresh produce, they are favoring more grab-and-go produce like cut fruit. They are price-sensitive but still enjoy expensive crackers and Dubai chocolate.
Throughout the store, higher-end products are juxtaposed with brands more associated with college diets: Yerba Mate alongside Arizona iced tea, Oreos and Quadratini cookies.
Like its counterpart to the west, Concord Market on Campus features many local brands such as El Nacho tortilla chips, New City ice cream, Sophia’s yogurt, Mei Mei and Dumpling Daughter. There’s a nod to comfort food, recognizing that these students are away from home.
“I have never had the absolutist view that the store needed to be all ‘organic’ or ‘specialty,’ so adjusting to meet their needs is right in our wheelhouse,” says Akehurst-Moore, noting that the needs of the MIT faculty/staff and the general public customer bases are also top of mind.
“The only constant for us is going to be change,” she says.
For someone who isn’t afraid of change, that’s exciting.
Akehurst-Moore earned a degree in art history, worked at art institutions and in architectural preservation, earned a master’s degree in architectural conservation studies, earned a law degree, worked in big law, all before pivoting to help develop her family’s Millbrook Tarry property in Concord with her father. She went on to open the former Trail’s End Café and ultimately launch Concord Market, with the café segueing to events and catering.
Now with just a glimpse of how Concord Market on Campus is performing, she’s already seeing potential for bringing the concept to other campuses.
“It’s a really exciting time,” says Akehurst-Moore.
Concord Market on Campus is open to the MIT community every day 7am–10pm. and to the public 7am–7pm.
This story appeared in the Summer 2025 issue.
