Anthony Duncan has worked for Apple in California and for two big Washington law firms as a patent attorney specializing in technology. Now, working initially from his home near McMechen and Bolton streets, he is running a startup company that will produce YourPatentAI –software for clients, patent law firms and other tech entrepreneurs.
And while he has a couple of paying clients, his passion project is an app he created called Row and Wagon – that promises to streamline the way Baltimore’s historic street vendors, known as Arabbers, sell fruit and vegetables from their brightly colored, horse-drawn wagons. These low-tech, cash-only peddlers have plied their trade since the 19th century, mostly solitary black men working out of a stable in West Baltimore with no website or smart phones. Each wagon is independent of the others, “free-standing,” Duncan says.
“Now that it’s up, they’re using the app pretty frequently, four wagons so far and probably two trucks during the summer,” Duncan said. “I think there will be more.” The app makes it possible for would-be customers to see where the vendors are, to be alerted when they approach the neighborhood, and to pre-order and pre-pay for specific products. It allows the vendors to keep a running inventory and account for sales. It also makes EBT (food stamp) purchases possible. It’s not Amazon-style logistics, exactly, but it’s a step into the 21st Century for Arabbers.
“They really like it,” Duncan said. “They just needed someone to bring it to them.“ As he tells it, the inspiration was personal. Working from home one day he heard the clopping sound of an Arabber wagon near his house and ran out to buy fruit for smoothies. When he finally located the vendor, he realized he had no money and the vendor didn’t use credit cards, Venmo, CashApp or any electronic payments system.
Now, he also is teaming up with some Arabber preservation folks in hopes of rejuvenating the wagon sales tradition to reach into more neighborhoods and enlist more vendors. Duncan is in touch with the West North Avenue Development Authority, helping to find an additional stable location.
Arabbers are infrequent visitors to Bolton Hill, eschewing fixed schedules. There is some talk of creating a scheduled spot where neighbors can gather at a designated day and hour to buy produce, perhaps at Memorial Episcopal Church. At dusk in the summertime, bells from one or more wagons frequently can be heard heading west on Lafayette Avenue, toward the stables. Occasionally one sees an Arabber horse tied outside Mount Royal Tavern.
Duncan thinks technology might lure more younger men into Arabbing, “for example some of these guys who are squeegeeing on the streets.” At one time there were dozens of horse-drawn wagons on city streets.
Duncan has initiated other apps. One, Black Card, is a vehicle for black history trivia games. Another, Trust Circle, digitally stores a driver’s license and registration and alerts emergency contacts if the user is pulled over by police. All three apps are available for free at Apple and Google app stores. A native of D.C., Duncan studied mechanical engineering at Howard University, then, after a spell in the tech industry, returned there to law school.
He and his wife, Daun, have two young sons, Dallas and Trey, iPad users at school and home. “It’s fun talking to them about creating things and services, instead of just consuming them. I like to think of them as creators.”
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