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MRKT on the Square opened on Main Street recently. The gift shop and toy store has a cafe with Sandra D's Fried pies.
Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Several businesses have opened recently in Bryson City or will be opening soon. MRKT on the Square opened a couple weekends ago across from their other outdoor gear and brewery. The new addition features a cafe with Sandra D’s Fried Pies, baked goods, sweet treats, and coffee as well as a gift shop and toy store.
Co-owner Ben King said the reason they opened the weekend before Memorial Day is because they wanted to test out their strengths and weaknesses before the big holiday weekend.
“Opening weekend went really well. We had a great showing with a lot of locals and got a great response,” King said. “Going into Memorial Day weekend we didn’t really know what to expect with high gas prices and recession talk, but we were pleasantly surprised at how much traffic we had.”
King said they are still working out their hours and distributing staff properly and are currently hiring.
“Our hours have been a little weird while we’re working out staffing, but we plan on opening 7 days a week in the future,” King said.
Another business opening soon in town is Fullers Farmhouse Kitchen, located beside Hallmark on Everett Street.
Owners Jeff and Paula Fuller are the current owners of the Boxcar Cafe and are looking forward to hopefully opening their new endeavor this weekend.
“We are ready to open and are currently waiting on the health department to give us the approval,” Jeff Fuller said last week. “We would love to open for the holiday weekend but if not then, hopefully next weekend.” As of Tuesday, their Facebook page said opening soon.
Fuller said they will serve 4 to 5 meat entrees daily with a choice between three vegetables.
“We are going to have country cooking like fried chicken, meatloaf, catfish, ham, pork chops, and turkey and dressing and vegetables like green beans, cream corn, and mashed potatoes.” The Fuller’s said they currently have enough employees to open but are still hiring more people. For more information and updates find them on Facebooks at Fullers Farmhouse Kitchen.
Work on Honey Bear Cupcakery, the previous Clothes Connection building on Everett Street, is making more progress every day and owner Kim Johner said that they will be ready to open soon.
“We are going to open July 1st,” owner Kim Johner said by email. “It's still far from being done but we are pushing and hoping it goes smooth!”
Honey Bear Cupcakery will have many sweet treats with fresh, homemade ingredients.
Bryson City is buzzing with new options for tourists and locals alike.