BIG MARKET TEST
Construction Begins On Elaborate Food Emporium In Parkville
HARTFORD — The long vacant warehouse at 1400 Park St., less than a mile from the city’s western gateway, showed signs of life Thursday as the developer behind an ambitious effort to build a food hall plunged a golden shovel into the ground, marking the start of construction on the 20,000-square-foot facility.
Carlos Mouta envisions two floors of food vendors and other retail outlets in the building he purchased at the turn of the century. A produce section, a test kitchen and an entertainment space complete with a wet bar are in the carefully laid plans for the venture, dubbed the Parkville Market.
Construction will run through the winter, and an opening is scheduled for April.
“Where I came from in Mozambique, there were markets everywhere. They come alive,” Mouta said. “And people gather there for many things, not just to buy stuff. They go there to get together. When I go away, I always end up at a market.”
The project calls for 22 vendors on the ground level selling freshly cooked food that represents the city and its many flavors. Everything from Vietnamese fare to Mexican cuisine is to be served.
Along with the permanent fixtures,
there will be space for new entrepreneurs to try their hand at the food business. The plans include five booths whose tenants will rotate throughout the year.
The market’s second floor would feature a blend of other retail, such as a coffee shop, a bar or tavern, an ice cream parlor and kiosks selling jewelry, flowers, stationery and spices. Mouta said he is hoping for 35 vendors on the upper level.
So far, he said, he’s received inquiries from more than 40 business owners in charge of restaurants, food trucks and coffee bars across the Hartford region. Applicants include Hartford Baking Co., The Rocking Chicken, Taco Tequila, NoRA Cupcake, Karobean Kitchen and Hartford Prints. Story and Soil, a cafe that opened last summer on Capitol Avenue, is looking to expand with a new space in the market.
The development is estimated at $3 million to $3.5 million and is backed in part by a $300,000 loan and $100,000 grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development. Mouta said the rest will be covered by a bank loan.
The market would run seven days a week, year-round.
A throng of politicians and community leaders gathered at the site Thursday to acknowledge the latest enterprise in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Parkville. A brewery, recording studio and screen printing company have opened there in recent years.
“This is the combination of a great building, great development, great ideas, a new system of transportation and the ability to make some timely investments,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said, with a nod to his CTfastrak bus line. “It couldn’t happen at a better place or a better time.”
Mouta, who owns several properties in Parkville, called the area “vibrant” and “unique.”
“I believe if you build it, they will come,” he said. “I’ve seen it with the 170-plus new market-rate units in Parkville, over 1,000-plus units in downtown Hartford, the Convention Center, Front Street and the Yard Goats.”
Once the market opens, Mouta wants to expand it into the neighboring buildings at 1390 and 1420 Park St. He is hoping for an “urban winery” and other unexpected tenants.