Reno Public Market, A Home within a Home
Reporter and RPM employee Josie Hester talks to local business owners about what makes Reno Public Market a community.
LOCAL BUSINESSES, LOCAL EMPLOYEES
Growing up, my mom and I would always go shopping at Shoppers Square– an outdated, unwelcoming building where the anchor chain stores were the only thing keeping it alive.
Ten years later, I find myself as a lead barista, in the same building, now modern, updated, and booming with local businesses. Now called Reno Public Market, this refurbished space has quickly become a home for Reno’s foo, arts and entertainment scene.
From local restaurants to local retail, RPM is doing something Reno has yet to see. Nick Giordano, co-owner of Crepes and Craft, Sammy Lavin, owner of Wedges and Wide Leg Boutique, and myself, an employee at Main Vein Coffee all are in agreement — RPM was needed for Reno’s local scene.
RENO’S FIRST CREPERIE
Initially, Crepes and Craft was solely a food truck. Co-owners Nick Giordano and Eric Mutell combined their culinary skills to take on the convenience of a food truck, staying planted in South Lake Tahoe, as South Lake Tahoe’s first permitted food truck. Although they have chosen to keep the food truck for the summers, Giordano says it’s a relief to now have this possibility.
“As romantic as the idea of operating a food truck may sound,” Giordano said. “It comes with a host of logistical issues, such as towing, power, storage, waste dump, permitting, location availability, etc.”
When the opportunity presented itself, it seemed obvious that the two self-proclaimed “brothers from another mother,” should open their first brick-and-mortar location within RPM.
FOOD EXPLORATION
“It has allowed us to fully expand our vision and culinary offerings. There are obvious limitations to what you can store, prepare and serve out of a mobile kitchen,” said Giordano. “Having a full kitchen with adequate storage has allowed us to expand our offerings to fully showcase our niche creations.”
Having a physical location within RPM has not only allowed Giordano and Mutell to create the culinary experience they envision, but it has also allowed them to be immersed in Reno’s food scene and entertainment experience. Giordano mentions how excited people have been to finally have a creperie in Reno, as that was not an option before them.
As for entertainment, Giordano agrees that RPM has already become more than a food hall.
“With RPM hosting live music and other cultural events regularly, it is much more than just a food hall,” Giordano said. “More accurately, it is quickly becoming a community gathering spot where one can visit for great food and awesome entertainment.”
MORE THAN A FOOD HALL
At RPM not only can one grab a bite to eat, from a local eatery while listening to live, local music, but one can also shop. Currently, RPM has several retail options including Sammy Lavin’s own Wedges and Wide Leg Boutique. Her boutique started simply because of her love for clothing, and her need to do something that made her happy after working in a warehouse.
Much like the owners of Crepes and Craft, when Lavin was presented with the opportunity to have her business open a space within RPM, she could not say no.
“The people here are so extremely kind and forward-thinking. I have been very fortunate to be a part of it,” Lavin said. “RPM has helped me create so many new relationships with business owners, the community, and with my customers, who I never knew.”
The community that has grown here in just a few weeks has been a wonderful thing to see. As an employee myself, at Main Vein Coffee, within RPM, it has been great to see the business owners become friends and work together in the space.
A BARISTA’S PERSPECTIVE
In such little time, I have already seen so many familiar faces return to the space because they are so pleased with what it has already accomplished. Never would I have expected the dilapidated Shopper’s Square to become the impressive space it is now.
Main Vein Coffee, which also began as a trailer, has since sold the trailer for the brick-and-mortar shop. Working for a locally owned business has not only been a fantastic experience but incredibly rewarding. I have been able to learn so much from the business owner, Kylie Judd, about the process behind owning a small business.
I have had the opportunity to build relationships with fellow baristas, other business owners, and people who have become regulars. Building my own community within RPM would have been so much more difficult if all of the shops were in different spaces and corporate owned.
