Christy Shi speaks at Tuesday's opening ceremony for 7th Street Public Market in Charlotte. (Katie Lovett/DavidsonNews.net)

By KATIE LOVETT
DavidsonNews.net

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte’s newest downtown attraction, the 7th Street Public Market, opened its doors on Tuesday morning, Dec. 6, with a ceremony that celebrated both local food and its potential as a catalyst for small businesses.

The market is the work of organizers intent on rebuilding the region’s local food system and increasing access to locally grown meats, dairy products and produce. At least two people with Davidson ties had prominent roles: Market chair Dan Murrey is a 1987 Davidson College grad and former Mecklenburg County Commissioner. Executive director Christy Shi graduated from Davidson in 1996 and co-founded Davidson-based Know Your Farms LLC, a local food distribution start-up.

Ms. Shi has been hands-on in revitalizing the local food system in and around Mecklenburg County in recent years. Her experience and expertise in the “farm to table” movement led to her appointment last June as the 7th Street Public Market’s first executive director. She was chosen from a field of more than 50 applicants. Her experience with organic and sustainable food systems and valuable relationships forged with markets and farmers in the area made her the ideal candidate.

Produce from local farms is the focus of the new market. (Katie Lovett/DavidsonNews.net)

The market lives in the former home of Reid’s Fine Foods, on the ground floor of the Seventh Street Station parking garage at 224 Seventh St. With about 25 stalls, the market incorporates a mixture of daily, monthly, and annual vendors. The space also will accommodate bakery, produce, dairy, butcher, deli, café/restaurant, ice cream, and beverage sections in order to highlight a variety of local producers.

In remarks Tuesday, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx called the 7th Street Public Market, “our way of creating a little catalyst for small businesses to grow.” Bringing the marketplace back to downtown Charlotte will help small businesses gain recognition and eventually expand into storefronts. Located right next to the 7th Street Lynx Blue Line light rail stop, the space also could increase community access to fruits and vegetables, as well as health and wellness education programs.

The market’s philosophy is three-fold: to ensure it includes all people, to foster a shared vision about local food, and to collaborate to bring about that vision.

By celebrating and promoting the diverse regional food culture of the Carolinas, the market will create another outlet for local and regional farmers and food artisans seeking to promote their businesses, organizers said. The access provided by the space will also help mitigate the presence of food deserts in the surrounding area. As one sponsor said, the market is a place where “people with big ideas can come together and plant those big ideas.”

The initial list of vendors includes Meat & Fish Co., Not Just Coffee, Tasty-Yo, Cloud 9 Confections & Bakery, Nelly’s Naturals, Bond Street Wines, Hyssoap, and Ohh-lio Express, with many more on the way.

The space will serve as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, a personal shopping service (call in your order; they’ll shop for you), delivery service (within Charlotte), and an event venue showcasing different flavors and tastes on a seasonal basis.

“The vision is to find connections to our food,” Ms. Shi said Tuesday.

The market’s lead sponsor is Carolinas Medical Center, which will have a part-time dietitian at a CMC LiveWell Health Center in the market.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina sponsors the Farm Stand, with produce from area farmers. Participating farms at the start include: ABC Farms, Penny Farms, Beam Family Farms, Rivendell Farms of Huntersville, Windcrest Farm, Scallys Natural Beef, Jane Henderson, T&D Farms, Gilcrest Farm, Big Oak Farm, Commonwealth Farms, Barbee Farms, The Specialty Farmer, Homeland Creamery, and Davis & Son Orchard.

WANT TO GO?

The 7th Street Public Market is at 224 Seventh St., downtown Charlotte. Market hours be Wednesdays to Fridays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More info: http://7thstreetpublicmarket.com/

RELATED LINKS

Dec. 5, 2011, “New 7th St. Public Market in Charlotte to cut ribbon Dec. 6.”

June 15, 2011, “Christy Shi brings her local food mission to a new role.”

Some of the produce that was available on opening day Tuesday. (Katie Lovett/DavidsonNews.net)