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Crafteria is a foodie shopper’s delight and a lunch destination in the making. (Be sure to check their social media for CV-19 schedule updates.)
Layla Khoury-Hanold
Allegheny Treenware’s handmade wooden kitchen utensils embody Appalachia’s craft heritage.
If you’re a BreadCraft regular, you’ve likely noticed the bold letters spelling out ‘Crafteria’ along the façade of the building a couple doors down at 16 West Church Avenue. Or perhaps spotted the sidewalk sandwich board heralding Crafteria as a maker’s market with goods from 60 craftspeople. Some of those goods include locally made food.
Mark Ferguson, who co-founded Crafteria with Alex Dykes, explains that the building was previously an S&W Cafeteria, but that subsequent restaurants had failed to maximize the dining room’s large footprint. He knew that their concept would need to complement existing businesses, including Little Green Hive, a coffee shop, Wok n Roll Kitchen, an Asian-inspired fast-casual eatery, and The Vintage Vault, a record shop.
Ferguson had an inkling that locals would be receptive to a maker’s market given popular independent craft events such as Early Bird and RIOT Rooster.
“Roanoke has a farmer’s market that’s been there since the city’s inception. It’s in the DNA of Roanoke to buy locally grown food, locally crafted goods,” Ferguson adds. “We are part of Appalachia, which was an isolated region for centuries. People had to make things. So, it’s really part of our heritage.”
The first booth you’ll encounter embodies that spirit wholly. It’s inspired by Ferguson’s blog, “The Revivalist: Word from the Appalachian South.” The products range in style from traditional to contemporary, but each item tells a story. Stick Candles’ beeswax candles are made in Highlands, North Carolina using molds fashioned from twigs. A Mason jar filled with handmade wooden utensils are from a company called Allegheny Treenware, which was founded by a West Virginia couple who met in the coal mines. A whimsical tea towel depicting an apple stack cake reads “Mamaw’s got stacks, on stacks, on stacks.”
“It’s a layered cake that has to set for at least 24 hours, so the layers get moist,” Ferguson explains. “It’s an old Appalachian recipe that’s finding a new life.”
The movement toward celebrating Appalachian foodways is underscored in the booth’s array of cookbooks, including titles such as Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong and Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest.
Just past the Appalachian Revival booth is ‘The Pantry,’ with displays of small-batch Southern goods. From Asheville, you’ll find bags of Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn (beware: the pimento cheese flavor is habit-forming), bean-to-bar chocolate from French Broad Chocolate and tins of Spicewalla’s freshly ground spices, which flew off Crafteria’s shelves when it was named to Oprah’s 2019 Favorite Things List.
Stock up on nut butters from Big Spoon Roasters in Durham, North Carolina; cocktail bitters from Raleigh’s Crude Bitters; ramp vinegar from Lindera Farms in Marshall, Virginia; and AR’s Hot Southern Honey from Richmond. From Roanoke food artisans, look for Storied Goods’ flavored sugar cubes and LilyHemp’s hemp and CBD products, all of which are made in Crafteria’s commercial kitchen in the back of the space.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, but I just discovered [Crafteria] at Christmas,” one shopper says. “[It’s] my new Saturday-afternoon-go-get some-cool-stuff-store.”
Crafteria is creating a hub for local craftspeople and food artisans, but Ferguson and Dykes’ vision is also centered on building community.
Crafteria hosts quarterly “Meet the Makers” events and taps makers to host workshops. Susan Cromer of LilyHemp plans to offer cooking-with-hemp classes featuring local chefs, and Martha Bourlakas of Storied Goods hosted a Champagne cocktail tasting with her sugar cubes.
“Shoppers could taste and then shop in the market. Everybody wins with those kinds of events,” Bourlakas says.
A sunny area upstairs is outfitted with coffee tables and chairs and local artwork (for sale, naturally) hanging on picture rails.
“We want this to be Roanoke’s biggest community of makers,” Ferguson says, reflecting on Crafteria’s one-year anniversary in April. “I think we were there the day we opened.”
What next, then? Part of the vision for Crafteria is evolving its role as a food business incubator by building out its community kitchen membership.
Along with access to Crafteria’s commercial kitchen, members receive a startup guide designed to help entrepreneurs navigate complex processes such as establishing a corporation and city permitting. Ferguson, who has a background in marketing, and Dykes, whose expertise is finance, also help with branding and strategy.
“Alex worked with me on marketing and was always available to consult on strategy,” Bourlakas says. “Small businesses, especially food businesses, are tough and when you do everything yourself, it’s important to get feedback.”
One of Crafteria’s newest members, Clarence Hilton, opened Scoony’s Seafood in March. He prepares Eastern Virginia-style seafood, including lightly battered, seasoned fried fish and shrimp, then dishes it up from a walk-up window inside Crafteria.
“That’s going to be a great new addition and really help make this a lunch hub,” Ferguson says. “Adding it to Wok n Roll and [Little Green Hive], which sells amazing burritos, makes it more of a food destination.”
Made in Roanoke - Our picks for Crafteria's locally made food crafts
Storied Goods’ Sugar Cubes are equally at home in a coupe or coffee mug. Upgrade your bar cart and try the rose petal sugar cubes in a floral champagne cocktail.
Stock your pantry with LilyHemp products. Try scattering hemp hearts and seeds on oatmeal and salads, whiz hemp protein into smoothies and add a CBD honey stick to tea or enjoy it straight up from its biodegradable straw.
Make at-home sundaes twice as nice with one of Maples Wood Shop’s striking ice cream scoops. Owner Tom Maples also crafts beautiful, durable wooden cutting boards that double as cheese and charcuterie boards.
A fateful trip to Barcelona inspired Pamela Serota to start making mosaics. Her intricate work is on display with Dragonfly Mosaics; look for upcycled, chic entertaining serve ware like trays and coasters.
Bring a dose of design to your morning cuppa or tea service. Potter Davis Lee’s range is incredible, from a quirky Dali-esque mug with noses to Japanese-inspired teapots.
Bright Life Skincare’s products feature culinary-worthy scents such as a citrus bath soak; a eucalyptus and rosemary muscle rub; and an almost-good-enough-to-eat chocolate peppermint body butter.
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