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For years, the North Market has served up quality meats and seafood through merchants including Bluescreek Farm, North Market Poultry and Game and The Fish Guys, but customers haven’t had a good place to buy seasonings, spices and rubs for those meats… until now. “North Market Spices” will be opening their their doors on August 1st and will offer over eighty varieties of spices, herbs, blends and rubs from all over the world.
“North Market Spices will fill an important niche for our shoppers,” said North Market Executive Director David Wible.
The new shop will be owned and operated by Ben Walters, a long time foodie and fan of the market, with the support of his parents Randy and Cindy. After recently spotting a vacant stall in the North Market and proclaiming that he hoped a spice store would fill the space, he decided to pursue the venture himself and applied to open his business there. Offerings will cater specifically to the seasonality of products in the market.
“In the summer we’ll see a lot of chicken and ribs cooked using our own specially blended barbeque rub,” explained Ben. “In the fall we expect to see turkeys smoked using different rubs and in the winter we can help with traditional roasts and savory stews. It’s amazing how trying a different spice or two can completely change the flavor of a dish.”
Certain specialty items should help to draw customers from all around the region.
“Salts are really in right now,” said Ben. “We have an Applewood Smoked Salt that we think will sell really well during BBQ season. We also have some great Chipotle Flakes that are hotter than your standard Red Pepper Flakes for anyone who likes adding some heat to their dishes.”
Additionally, North Market Spices hopes to form partnerships with area restaurants looking to purchase bulk orders on spices, and help support the local restaurant industry.
More information can be found online at www.northmarket.com.
In other North Market news, Grapes of Mirth is temporarily closed.
awesome, can’t wait to til it opens!
I hope this place is up to par with the spice shop in Cincinnati’s Findlay market. That joint rocks! I think this will be a perfect addition to the North Market.
Looking forward to August 1st.
I am so excited for this. While I am looking forward to the unique items, I see it as a practical addition to the market. We are often making a second grocery run b/c none of the vendors were carrying an herb or spice we needed.
Really looking forward to this! I love Penzey’s but I hate having to drive out there.
Wow. If you had asked what NM should add, I would have suggested a bunch of ideas that weren’t as good as this. I’m excited.
I remember an old thread where people talked about wanting exactly this. This is great news and the North market just keeps getting better.
I hope this is similar to Urban Herbs at Cleveland’s West Side Market. They have a variety of beans and grains along with other bulk needs. This will definitely fill a giant void and lessen my need for items at the supermarket.
http://www.westsidemarket.org/vendor.aspx?id=36
It’s interesting that Ben talks about salts being hot right now. I totally agree (smoked salt rocks!) and Penzy’s is cutting their salt line to the bone – the most recent Penzy’s catalog talked about how unhealthy it is… Bah.
Ben Walters rocks. I used his pork rub recently… lovely mix.
Ann stopped selling spices at Touch of Earth about the same time Penzey’s came to town. Her quality, prices and service were top notch. Glad someone is filling the void!
A real local spice shop will generally have better prices than the chain stores and definitely fresher spices than you get in the grocery. Anybody remember Jacqueline’s at the North Market? She closed when the market wanted vendor’s open on Sundays/Mondays. She had a wonderful spice and tea selection. Her shop was the first place in town I could get annato seed. That was abotu 15 years ago.
I am very excited for this opening!
BTW: what happened to Grapes of Mirth?
Grapes of Mirth is temporarily closed.
Very happy to hear this is coming! Penzey’s is nice, but a local place like this is just what the North Market needs. As for salts being unhealthy–anything is out of moderation. Salting a meat heavily for a meal or two a week isn’t going to do much damage to most people. Meats and poultry are naturally high in potassium, which helps to balance the sodium content of salt. Sounds like a match made on a heavenly grill to me!
@jenlauren – What spices and or herbs were you looking for?
@ELBarnes – I’ll order some annato seeds. Do you like them ground or whole?
Ben, you sound like you know your stuff, and have a flair for giving your (future) customers what they want… Thanks for filling the void! Great to have the much needed addition to the North Market, and look forward to supporting a local foodie, rather than the supermarket or Penzey’s.
@Muswell Hillbilly – We will be very similar to that. At first we’ll just be doing herbs, rubs, and blends but will be expanding our inventory to include other items.
Another great addition to our fantastic North Market. Good luck Ben and Cindy.