RouteMonrovia

Waterside Market & Monrovia's Commercial Soul

The Waterside Market on the St. Paul River estuary is Monrovia's oldest trading hub — women in lappa cloth sell everything from palm butter to secondhand clothing in the city's most authentic market

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1
Waterside Market Main Hall
The waterside covered market hall has served as Monrovia's commercial center since the 19th century - a dense maze of stalls where Liberian market queens control the trade
2
St. Paul River Estuary View
The market's riverside offers views of St. Paul River Estuary — fishing pirogues, small ferries and lumber merchant boats moving through the brown water
3
Patch Fabric Seller
Traditional Liberian patchwork — colorful printed cotton worn as wrap skirts by Liberian women — sold in all patterns and colors in the fabric section
4
Section for dried fish and pepper
Smoked and dried fish from the Atlantic and rivers within rivers, ground dried pepper and palm kernels — the flavor bases of Liberian cooking available in bulk
5
Second hand clothes 'Bend Down Boutique'
The famous "bend down store" - imported used clothing from the US sorted on the ground - supplies much of Liberia's clothing needs at minimal cost
6
Market Food: Cassava Leaf and Rice
Female vendors serve bowls of cassava leaf soup with rice — Liberia's national dish, cooked with palm oil and meat, eaten from enamel bowls at market tables