Update: See below for more on Uptown Market’s planned offerings.
The people bringing Uptown Market to 4465 Connecticut Avenue introduced themselves to the crowd at the April 26th Van Ness Main Street annual meeting with the announcement that they intend to open the store in August. Santi Zabaleta (owner) and Lauren Durkee (marketing) said they recognized the neighborhood’s impatience to fill the void left by Soapstone Market’s end-of-2018 closure.
The exact product mix is still to be determined, but they said Uptown Market will be a mashup of Zabaleta’s other properties, Butchers Alley and Pescadeli in Bethesda. They are thinking of a marketplace with stalls featuring different types of food, such as fresh fish and meats, cheeses, and prepared foods to take home or eat there. They hope to establish ties with local farmers markets. There will be a bar serving wine and beer.
Mary Beth Ray, former president of Van Ness Main Street, said Soapstone Market’s evening specials were a draw for the neighbors. She suggested that a paella special (a Pescadeli specialty) on occasion would be very welcomed. Many in the audience nodded in agreement.
Update: Lauren Durkee sent FHC a more detailed description and list of items to be sold at Uptown Market:
Uptown Market will feature several stalls, each with different offerings – for example our full service butcher counter, fresh seafood counter and catering counter.
You can expect to find the following at Uptown Market:
Full service butcher offering locally sourced poultry, beef and pork, house made sausages, local bacon, locally made sausages
Fresh seafood including fish and shellfish, house made crab cakes
Artisan and locally produced charcuterie, house made pates
Artisan and imported cheeses
Artisan and imported olive oils, vinegars, unique and hard-to-find gourmet foods, and house made bottled sauces
Coffee bar
Donuts
Prepared foods to go
Breakfast, lunch and dinner to go and dine in
Beer and wine (available for purchase and at the bar)
CateringI hope this helps clarify what the neighborhood can expect from Uptown Market.