Dec 16, 2020

Dairy Market in Charlottesville Opens

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Photos courtesy of Alan Karchmer / OTTO

A project years in the making is finally open. The long-anticipated debut of Dairy Market, Charlottesville’s newest market hall and the first in Virginia’s Central Piedmont region, had its soft opening on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Located in the historic Monticello Dairy building in downtown Charlottesville and just steps away from the University of Virginia, Dairy Market revives a local community treasure and hometown favorite by bringing together a diverse variety of food and beverage, agriculture, Southern culture, history and arts, all under one roof.

“We are so excited and grateful to open Dairy Market’s doors to our incredible community and showcase our amazing merchants who will be serving up their diverse, hand crafted, locally sourced cuisine,” said Stony Point president Chris Henry in a press release.

Featuring a variety of different global cuisines with flavors and inspiration from around the world, Dairy Market’s merchants showcase the best of what Charlottesville’s expansive culinary scene has to offer. Several merchants are open now, with staggered openings for the remaining merchants set throughout the first quarter of 2021. With 16 confirmed merchants, the market is almost at full capacity.

Earlier this year, Dairy Market announced that The Milkman’s Bar, a hip and playful bar with creative craft cocktails, would be one of the market hall’s merchants. Additional vendors include:

Angelic’s Kitchen and Catering: An extension of owner Angelic Jenkin’s popular food truck serves up Southern soul food including signature specialties.
Bee Conscious Baking Company: This sustainable community bakery serves up delicious baked goods made with fresh ingredients coming straight from the Strassers’ local farm.
CHIMM St.: CHIMM St. will feature a menu which integrates the regional foods and flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine.
Dino’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Rotisserie Chicken: Dino’s will offer a selection of wood-fired artisan pizzas and rotisserie chicken with flavors from around the world, along with a wide variety of gluten-free and vegan options.
Eleva Coffee: Brooklyn-based Eleva Coffee is committed to bringing together coffee farmers and coffee drinkers by providing the most delicious, sustainable coffee direct from carefully selected farmers in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Ethiopia at the best price possible.
Manila Street: Manila Street will sell delicious homemade Flipino fare including the chef’s signature lumpia (Filipino spring rolls) as well as recipes that have been handed down in his family for generations.
Moo Thru: The beloved Virginia family-owned-and-operated creamery and ice cream store will serve handcrafted, slow churned ice cream, shakes, pasteurized milk and more.
Springhouse Sundries: As part of Dairy Market’s retail corner, Springhouse Sundries will sell a curated selection of wine and beer, along with local and specialized food items, that are affordable and accessible to the everyday consumer.
Starr Hill Brewery: Starr Hill will open their new pilot brewery and taproom as the cornerstone of Dairy Market, serving up a variety of unique craft brews.
Take it Away Sandwich Shop: Take it Away will continue to serve their original sandwiches and famous House Dressing to the Charlottesville community at Dairy market.
The Milkman’s Bar: The Milkman’s Bar will serve creative recreations of classic cocktails with whimsical, awe-inspiring presentations in a welcoming space that pays homage to classic 1950’s and 60’s Americana drugstore soda fountains.

In addition to its diverse roster of vendors, Dairy Market will also 11,500 square feet of retail space and flexible ground level meeting space for special events, which will open in 2021.

Following health protocols issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the State of Virginia, Dairy Market will open with 50% capacity. Seating has been reconfigured and spread out with two of the market hall’s retail spaces repurposed to include additional seating, six feet separation between tables and limited party sizes. High-contact areas and touch points around the hall and within each merchant’s individual stall will be frequently cleaned and disinfected, and tables, chairs and trays will be cleaned and sanitized after every use. Merchants are required to provide appropriate barriers between teams and customers and use no-touch menus, contactless payment systems, automated ordering and mobile ordering apps and texts to reduce the need for close customer contact. Face coverings are required for all guests and staff while inside the building and employees will be monitored for any symptoms between each work shift.