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After hearing about the D.C. Grey Market from several foodie friends, checking out the event was high on my list of adventures this weekend.

The market is located at 14th and Kennedy streets NW in the Brightwood neighborhood and all I can say is thank goodness for cars. Without my trusty Civic, it would have taken close to an hour to reach the venue by public transportation.

Though the Grey Market is an above-ground operation, the bazaar’s location, in the basement of a corner store, gives the exact opposite feeling. If it weren’t for the line of hipsters outside the store, I would have felt a little shady paying my $2 and entering the space.

Maya Robinson started the small-business incubator last year because she saw a gap in the prospects for small food businesses owned by non-specific populations. “The D.C. Grey Market is an opportunity for people with a small business or just an idea to reach customers without having to compete in the very competitive farmers market and grocery store scene,” Robinson said. “The market gives everyone a chance.”

Inside, the Grey Market was filled with vendors selling mostly sweet treats. There was frushi, peanut butter buckeyes, fudge and preciously decorated cakes. The “booths” were all folding tables with menus composed in Microsoft Word. Though the market is low rent for all the right reasons, all the food I tried was tasty.

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At the booth for BakeHouse, I sampled a Chinese spice sugar cookie and bought a handful of melt-in-your-mouth salted caramels. It was BakeHouse’s first go at the Grey Market and in the third hour of operations they were selling out of many of their cupcakes and sweets including a bacon scone I certainly would have liked to have tried.

Though a generally jovial environment, the market’s space was literally packed with shoppers, making it difficult to survey all the available items, let alone purchase them. The line for bánh mi and bubble tea was prohibitively long and a good indicator that the Grey Market is outgrowing the space.

But Robinson notes the location has been the most welcoming to the incubator, “I feel the Brightwood neighborhood is still defining its culture and therefore, is more open to trying new things.”

Grey Market was a good time. I was a little disappointed that there weren’t any pickled goods and that the venue was so crowded, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t return. Next time, I’ll hit the market a little earlier with an appetite for lunch.