It’s acronym city on the west side of Asheville these days. The Asheville Public, also known as TAP, is welcoming the Paris of the South Flea Market back to the RAD beginning Saturday, May 19, running every following Saturday and Sunday through mid-October.
What to expect? Beginning at 8 a.m. on the restaurant’s lawn (aka TAP on the Green), shop upwards of 30 vendor booths for antiques, collectibles of all types, repurposed furniture, plants, vintage clothing, jewelry and local art and crafts while being serenaded by local music that leans toward the soulful Southern. And, for more fun, there will be live music from Caroline Pond on Saturday and Jake Wolf on Sunday.
Gone are the flea-market food trucks, but TAP offers a full breakfast, as well as a bloody mary bar which you may take full advantage of all day Saturday. This being North Carolina, however, remember you can’t have liquor until noon on Sunday.
In the meantime, you may also choose to grab one of the to-go coffees or continental breakfast-style offerings the restaurant will have for sale and meander through the rows of antiques while noshing on a flaky, buttery croissant. Sounds good, no? “I won’t sell croissants if they’re not good — I’m kind of picky about my croissants,” says Jenny Henegan, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Mark. “We’ll also have muffins and little mini-quiches that we can sell — little things people can eat while they’re walking around.”
Audrey McMurry, founder of the market, is looking forward to its revival in a new location, she says. “It’s been great to keep in touch with the vendors from last year who are excited to come back, and there’s a lot of new people coming out of the woodwork. It’s awesome — it was like a big, weird family last year, and it really worked.”
TAP is located at 175 Clingman Ave., across from the Grey Eagle. For more information, call 505-1720 or visit http://www.theashevillepublic.com. If you’d like to apply to vend, visit http://www.parisofthesouth.net or call 774-0827.
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