3-minute read
If you love trying new foods and supporting locally-owned businesses, check out Market on Kentucky. It’s in downtown Lakeland, at 132 S. Kentucky Ave., next to Frescos Southern Kitchen & Bar. Both have the same co-owners: Tina Calhoon and her husband, Tim.
Since opening on Jan. 9, the market has had a steady flow of customers, Tina said.
“In here on a Saturday, it looks like a madhouse. It’s absolutely insane between people shopping, getting charcuteries, getting pastries.”
What’s inside: Walk in and you’ll see a modern, minimalist aesthetic, seating for about a dozen people, and charcuterie and iced coffee bar offerings on the back-wall menu. To the sides of the entrance there are shelves with items for sale ranging from luxury soy candles from local candle-making bar Tienda Studio, to fresh beef in the refrigerator, sold by Pine House Farm and Cattle, to bakery items from Meraki Bakehouse and Lakeland-themed stationery.
“It’s exciting because we’ve only sold at the farmer’s market and this is the first introduction to a storefront. We’re excited to see new customers who aren’t able to visit the market on the weekends,” said Rachael Clements, co-owner of Pine House Farm and Cattle. “It can be difficult to find locally raised, dry-aged beef … that’s not from out West or from overseas.”
The items for sale inside the market are created by an assortment of mostly local small business vendors, many of whom are members of Catapult, a business incubator located a few blocks away. Tina Calhoon said she’s working with 10 vendors out of Catapult currently.
“What we are is kind of a community collective of young entrepreneurs … It’s kind of designed to teach them how to scale up and get to that next step of their own brick-and-mortar,” Calhoon explained, adding that some of the vendors also sell their products at the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market.
Longtime restaurateurs: The Calhoons opened Frescos in 2009, and according to their website, the restaurant has undergone three expansions since opening, converting “from a small bistro to a downtown destination.” Tina Calhoon said they were attracted to the property next-door to their restaurant, which formerly housed Taco Bus, because of its commercial kitchen. The Calhoons wanted to use it to expand Frescos catering operations.
“The market basically was our brainchild to make sure that we didn’t block off two storefronts downtown,” Tina said.
Operating the storefront as a market with a catering kitchen in the back has also allowed Calhoon’s daughter, Jordan, to grow her build-your-own charcuterie business, “Style Me Grazee.” Jordan also runs the market.
How to become a vendor: Calhoon plans to occasionally swap out products. She said she is still looking for a few more vendors and they don’t have to be members of Catapult to have their items sold inside the store. She prefers not to have more than one company selling the same item.
“We review and see whether it’s a good fit. If we’re doing food items, they have to be agricultural-licensed for resale. We can’t (work with) anybody that is doing the cottage law or that has a restaurant license. Some of our potential vendors are working on … their next step of licensing so they can retail,” Calhoon explained.
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