Food Scene...REALLY

[artemis]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

Brick-and-mortar restaurants do have to pay a lot in taxes that the food trucks don't have to pay.

One restaurant complained because a food truck was parked in front of their place, and the customers were throwing trash, etc on the ground. The restaurant had to clean up the mess that the food truck customers left behind.

Can't say that I blame them.

[N.Cal]

Re the Farmers Market. Lots of changes coming up in 2015. They sent this out today.

Your NFM in 2015--FAQ's
We understand that with change, people have questions. Below are answers to some of the most frequently-asked questions.

Q: Will NFM become a producer only market?
A: Yes, NFM has introduced new merchant standards for farmers, producers, artisans and crafters that require the merchant to "grow it, raise it, catch it, make it or bake it." In addition, the market has introduced flea merchant standards to reinvent the flea market to showcase international street food and international and/or vintage goods.

Q: Will there still be a Flea Market at NFM?
A: In 2015, the weekend Flea Market will transition to a Craft & Flea Market. Merchants in this area of NFM will showcase products that have either/or: been individually designed, produced and handcrafted; or are deemed as vintage, international or flea market items that fall into categories of permitted products in accordance with the definition of, and standard for, permitted products. This area will focus and celebrate the diversity of our city through new types of product offerings and special events.

Q: Why can't resellers continue to sell under the sheds at NFM?
A: The Market's conception, in the early 1800's, came about in the town square as a central selling place for farmers, pulling up their wagons to sell fresh produce and handmade goods. NFM was founded as a producer-only market where you could find fresh, unique items not easily found in other retail outlets and environments. In the last twenty years that NFM has been at it's current location, widely commercially-available products were often the majority of what could be found. A critical component of NFM's strategic vision and mission involves providing a showcase of the freshest and most unique items that our farming and entrepreneurial community has to offer; honoring and returning to practices more consistent with how and why NFM was founded.

Q: How will this change impact the establishments that operate in the Market House?
A: NFM has established standards for new Market House restaurants and shops to further implement the vision of NFM including sourcing locally and regionally while showcasing and providing diverse menu offerings and utilizing green and sustainable products. NFM will continue to encourage current Market House establishments to embrace local and regional sourcing in a more significant manner and introduce a market wide recycling program and expanded evening hours in the spring.

Q: Why are you doing this and why now?
A: The strategic vision and plan for NFM is to become a world class destination connecting people to food, culture and a unique Nashville experience and become financially self-sufficient. Our focus is to transform the market by; increasing the diversity of merchants with quality and one-of-a-kind product offerings, standardizing our processes, and enhancing the customer and merchant experience through improvements and new initiatives. The commitment we make now will impact the commitment and support we receive from local and regional farmers, producers, artisans, craft and flea merchants. These efforts prepare the market to become a destination and gathering place for many generations to come.

[creeksitter]

Did I miss it or was there a discussion of quaint walkable commercial with no mention of Hillsboro Village?

It seems that Nashville has a lot of great neighborhood commercial nodes. But if they are not big enough for the OP I suggest he visit Bardstown Road in Louisville. Great funky businesses and it goes on for miles and miles.

[nicshoe18]

There's kind of a problem talking with those that live in EN, either they still look at the hood the same way they did 15 years ago or you have these 20 something trustfunders who have lived in white suburbia their whole life and think it's such a dangerous part of town because they're shocked they can't leave their iPad in the car without it getting broken into. Getting an honest opinion on urban renewal in EN from EN's is kind of a pointless effort. But yes, I'm of the same feeling that something ridiculous must have happened and the local business pushed them out. It's not like you can park a truck anywhere either. You have to have the support of local business and you have to have support from where you park it. It will either bring business or drive away potential business from your surrounding friends.

NCal, I read that a while back actually and I'm excited, but also a little concerned after reading some of the comments from this thread. I hope there's enough local participation to make this work, but it may also place some strenuous limitations. I was talking to one purveyor who goes down to Florida often talking with fish mongers. We were discussing the low availability to retail seafood here and he was considering beginning to carry it. Due to the new FM rules, he won't be able to do this. So we will see how this plays out.

I have not been through Hillsboro Village actually. Might have to check that out this weekend.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

Did I miss it or was there a discussion of quaint walkable commercial with no mention of Hillsboro Village?

HeyHey mentioned it early on, and I talked about Sunset Grill but did not say "HillsboroVillage."

Originally Posted by nicshoe18

There's kind of a problem talking with those that live in EN, either they still look at the hood the same way they did 15 years ago or you have these 20 something trustfunders who have lived in white suburbia their whole life and think it's such a dangerous part of town because they're shocked they can't leave their iPad in the car without it getting broken into. Getting an honest opinion on urban renewal in EN from EN's is kind of a pointless effort. But yes, I'm of the same feeling that something ridiculous must have happened and the local business pushed them out. It's not like you can park a truck anywhere either. You have to have the support of local business and you have to have support from where you park it. It will either bring business or drive away potential business from your surrounding friends.

NCal, I read that a while back actually and I'm excited, but also a little concerned after reading some of the comments from this thread. I hope there's enough local participation to make this work, but it may also place some strenuous limitations. I was talking to one purveyor who goes down to Florida often talking with fish mongers. We were discussing the low availability to retail seafood here and he was considering beginning to carry it. Due to the new FM rules, he won't be able to do this. So we will see how this plays out.

I have not been through Hillsboro Village actually. Might have to check that out this weekend.

Nic, my grandmother would tell you to settle down. You basically just got here. If you haven't even been to HB yet, then you don't have enough info to draw ANY conclusions.

[nicshoe18]

LOL! Definitely! Just a friendly discussion. These are only my initial observations and I just want a better understanding to push me to the front of the line instead of having to wait 3 years. So far upon my arrival, I've been told traffic is horrendous; it's not bad by a long shot. No one knows how to drive in the rain; far better than NC I can assure you, think zombie apocalypse. Cost of living is high or finding affordable rent is impossible; we've easily managed to debunk that myth. Then there's the whole safety issue; FYI having your stuff stolen does not measure the level of safety of a neighborhood. So while there has been "some" truth to the expectations those have tried to set, there's also been a lot of situations of trying to uncover the "truth" because I know well it's very easy to get jaded when you live somewhere for an extended period of time. So I didn't think my initial observations or concerns were completely unwarranted, but y'all have provided A LOT of useful info, history, and insight to the inner-workings of the city!