Posted by During my weekend trip to Central New York, I stopped into Utica’s newest eye-opening urban additive, Smith Market.
I walked into the Bagg’s Square location and was immediately greeted by the dramatic industrial-style open space with sparsely populated metal shelves of local products. No doubt, like the beautiful historic neighborhood surrounding Smith Market, this was a store that was just beginning its long journey toward success.
The mission is simple for Smith Market… provide healthy, locally sourced edible products in the belief that healthy food builds a healthy community. In a sense, the parallel I made a paragraph ago about the emerging neighborhood and this lovely market are true. The fact is that healthy, sustainable growth starts at home, with the best ingredients, both literal and metaphorical.
And if you want to enjoy all that Smith Market offers in house, there is a community room, perfect for meeting with a friend, a client or just slowing down and enjoying some light fare.
Finally, Smith Market features goods and crafts from local makers for the perfect gift or for your own home. I bought my mother a gorgeous cutting board for her birthday!
Utica’s historic Bagg’s Square is still a relatively blank canvas, but this quiet set of narrow streets is sure to have a bright micro-urban future. The recent completion of The Doyle apartments, Bagg’s Square Cafe and the 421 Broad Street building, as well as the thINCubator are encouraging signs of life in an area that has limitless potential for a quiet but vibrant pocket of city living.
Smith Market is a fantastic addition to Bagg’s Square, and for the city of Utica in general. Healthy, pro-local options for a downtown on the rise? Sounds like a great match to me!