Shoppers market in Mondawmin Mall reopened Thursday night after a health code violation shuttered the store for eight days.

The temporary closure left many in the Baltimore neighborhood without a supermarket in a 2-mileradius. The city’s Department of Planning considers the Mondawmin area a Healthy Food Priority Area, which is defined by factors including low household incomes, a lack of transportation and a distance of more than a quarter mile from the nearest grocer, according to data published in 2024.

Market spokeswoman Grace Turiano said in a statement Friday that the business had been working quickly to resolve a mechanical issue with the store’s hot water system and is currently open.

“We thought it would only be closed for a few days,” said District 7 Councilman James Torrence, who was told by Mayor Brandon Scott’s office that the business passed reinspection Thursday afternoon.

He said his team has been working on attracting more grocery stores to West Baltimore “for a while,” and Shoppers’ sudden closure underscores why increasing food access is so important for residents. He worked to make sure SNAP users in the neighborhood understood that they could use their benefits to pay for grocery orders online if they were too far from a store.

The Baltimore City Health Department posted the market’s closure to their website on Aug. 13 after an inspection found there was no hot water throughout the facility. The inspector wrote that the assistant store director attributed the issue to a faulty water heater.

The lack of hot water meant employees were not able to properly wash their hands, according to the investigator’s report. Contamination-prevention practices in areas where food was being prepared did not meet the health code.

There were also violations on the cleanliness of surfaces not in contact with food clean, including brown build-up on top of the ice machine, a clogged floor drain and stains on some walls, among other issues, the report said.

The inspector discovered evidence of insect infestation, including roaches in the backroom. Some violations were repeat occurrences for the business, such as missing ceiling tiles, and floors and vents that needed cleaning.

The report said all violations had to be corrected and the facility needed to pass reinspection before reopening.

Health Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said in a statement Friday that as of Thursday night, Shoppers “management has successfully addressed the hot water issue.”