River Arts District relocation: Farmers market on the move, finds new home

ASHEVILLE - A community market is moving to a new home.

Nearly 20 years ago, the River Arts District Farmers Market began at the French Broad Food Co-op. Three years ago, the market series became a part of Foundy Street, a complex off Lyman Street that includes brick-and-mortar businesses Pleb Urban Winery, The Wedge Brewing, 12 Bones and Summit Coffee Co. On June 29, the RAD Farmers Market will host its final event there, thenrelocate down the road to greener pastures.

“We are one of the older markets in town and one of the only year-round markets in town providing both vendors and customers a year-round source of fresh, local food really sets us apart,” executive director Lyric Antio said.

Beginning July 6, RAD Farmers Market will be hosted from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays on the lawn of Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr. Weekly, between 25-35 vendors participate in the open-air summer market selling an array of items such as fresh produce, fruit, baked goods, sauces, herbal products, crafts, seafood, eggs and beverages.

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“We have great vendor retention. Some of our vendors have been with us since the beginning,” Antio said. “As a mid-week market, we are really convenient for people looking to purchase local foods to prep for the weekend. We work with a lot of chefs who work over the weekend and they’re not able to make it to a Saturday morning market, so a mid-week market works really well for scheduling.

“The reclamation of that space from an overused, polluted industrial area to somewhere that fosters creative space for the community, it feels really vital to be a part of,” Antio said. “It’s been such a supportive space. The vendors we have, it feels like a vibrant community hub that’s growing all the time with artists and local businesses, and now that the greenway is there, we have multimodal transportation to the market and that makes it really special.”

Seven years ago, Antio served as the market assistant and returned as executive director in March. Immediately, she began to receive negative comments from guests and vendors about other issues, including the dust, heat, puddles and uneven surfaces in the lot that made mobility challenging, she said.

On-site construction and improvement projects led to debris and garbage piles, according to Antio.

“The lot was challenging logistically for the layout of the market and posed safety issues for vendors and customers. It’s not a space that’s cared for for public events. It boils down to there was a lot of safety concerns about the way that the space is maintained,” Antio said.

“As soon as I came into the role that was the main feedback I was getting. It became clear that we should explore some other options,” she said.

Foundy Street is managed by a private company, Dewey Property Advisors, which didn't respond to Citizen Times' requests for comment.

Smoky Park Supper Club is a member-based restaurant made of shipping containers. It opened in 2015 and was constructed on 2 acres of land off the French Broad River with the Wilma Dykeman Greenway cutting through.

“Since the very beginning when the restaurant was built my business partner, Matt Logan, has always really wanted to be a community hub,” Kristie Quinn, owner of Smoky Park Supper Club, said. “We’ve done stuff with nonprofits in town, and we have events all the time and fundraisers… but we didn’t have a good interactive community situation, for the most part.”

The tailgate market is the “perfect fit” for the restaurant and an ideal space for the market organizers, vendors and customers, she said.

“A lot of the community that’s never supported it will hopefully come out, as well,” Quinn said. “The restaurant hopes to develop new inroads with farmers that maybe we aren’t working with currently.”

There are pros and cons to the new site, and adjustments will be necessary.

The layout will allow for vendors to tailgate in the venue’s parking lot facing Riverside Drive. However, it’s less space for the tailgating vehicles than the market previously had.

A perk is the supper club’s open-air pavilion, called The Boathouse, which will provide covered space — ideal in inclement weather — and Smoky Park Supper Club will provide tables for vendor booths.

“The setup that they will have to carry in is very minimal so that’s kind of the trade-off,” Antio said. “While they can’t go right out the back of their vehicles, they will be sheltered from the weather and have less to carry in. It will be a switch, but I think overall vendors will be happier.”

Additional uncovered vendor stations will be set up across the lawn.

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“It’s a huge upgrade for us,” Antio said.

Smoky Park’s ample space for guests to hang out on the grass and picnic tables overlooking the river.

“People can buy food from the market and enjoy it right there,” Antio said.

Also, Smoky Park will be serving adult beverages in its airstream bar during market hours. Parking is free for guests in the venue’s lot and in the surrounding public lots and along Riverside Drive.

“The greenway does run straight through the market location so folks can access it via bike or walking or rollerblading… I’m hoping to encourage people that live locally to use other means of transportation to get to the market,” Antio said.

The RAD Farmers Market’s summer season will continue into November before switching to its winter season format.

River Arts District Farmers Market

Where: Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr.

When: 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, beginning July 6

Info: For details, visit radfarmersmarket.com and follow on Instagram at @radfarmersmarket. 

Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times. 

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: River Arts District Farmers Market's new location: What to know