Asheville City Market moves to North Market Street

FRESH VEGGIES: Ten Mile Farm is among the participants at the Asheville City Market. Photo courtesy of ASAP

“The intention was to always be downtown,” says Mike McCreary, Asheville City Market manager. And while its taken nearly a decade for that vision to come to fruition, McCreary says that the “stars have finally aligned.”

Beginning April 1, the Asheville City Market will move from its previous home in the parking lot of the Public Works building on South Charlotte Street to the heart of downtown on North Market Street between Woodfin and East Walnut streets. It will operate 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays.

As a program of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, the market seeks to support economically sustainable agriculture, as well as enhance market access for farmers. McCreary notes the new location will average between 50 to 60 vendors per week. Fresh fruits, vegetables and speciality food products such as homemade pasta, eggs, artisan breads, honey and baked goods will be among the items sold. “There will be a mix of vendors that customers are used to seeing, as well as some new vendors joining us downtown,” he says.

McCreary points out that one of the ongoing responsibilities of the market is to remain a good neighbor to nearby businesses and residents. “We want to avoid stepping on toes,” he says.

One of these new neighbors, Sovereign Remedies, will partner with Asheville City Market. Owner Charlie Hodge says the restaurant, which is at 29 N. Market St., will have a table offering an ever-changing menu of creative breakfast menu items, such as a Cuban sandwich on a waffle. Sovereign Remedies will share its table with Patchwork Urban Farms, which supplies the restaurant with much of its produce.

In addition to participating as a market vendor, Hodge says he’s excited about the convenience of the market’s new location. “Not to sound lazy, but we can’t wait to be able to just walk out our door and shop and pick up stuff,” he says.

McCreary is also excited about the upcoming launch. “This is going to be what the market was always intended to be,” he says. “A Saturday morning event that folks can drive to or walk to or bike to. This is when markets are at their best — when they’re right in the center of downtown; right in the center of a growing community.”

WHAT
 Asheville City Market

WHERE
 North Market Street between Woodfin and East Walnut streets

WHEN
8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, April-October

MORE DETAILS
Free parking for Asheville City Market is available at the HomeTrust Bank lot as well as the lot across from the YMCA at 35 Woodfin St. Paid parking is also available at the Buncombe County parking deck off of College Street for $1 per hour. For more, visit asapconnections.org.

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About Thomas Calder
Thomas Calder received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. His writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, the Miracle Monocle, Juked and elsewhere. His debut novel, The Wind Under the Door, is now available.

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