127 – 129 NE MAIN ST Rock City Food hall

In the heart of downtown Rocky Mount, neighboring the recently built 50-million-dollar Rocky Mount Event Center sits nearly an 18,000 square feet property that can infuse Rocky Mount’s economic growth exponentially.

Rock City Food Hall will be a mixed-use structure; The lower level will have social and commercial spaces, a bar, lounge, and a variety of dining selections. Locals have long been desirous of a broader food culture including more healthy options. To implement this, we will provide aspiring restaurateurs a launching pad to start their businesses offering them a subsidized brick and mortar locale that allows them a space to flourish and grow. The second floor will offer downtown living; a luxurious mix of modern and historic lofts for the contemporary young professional, executives, and artists, replete with quartz counter tops and stainless-steel appliances.

This project will help resurrect a section of downtown that had been left dilapidated. Our food hall will attract those who are hungry for nourishment and a change. Rocky Mount, a town of a majority black population has experienced the effect of the racial wealth gap. It’s populace has recorded one of the highest unemployment rates in the state and suffered from impoverished conditions. Edgecombe County has ranked last in the state economically for four consecutive years. Rock City Food Hall will serve as a catalyst to attract more people to live, work, and play downtown.

Food Tourism In 2019, the food tourism market was valued at $1,116.7 billion and this is expected to rise to $1,796.5 billion by 2027. Rock City Food Hall will help Downtown Rocky Mount capture some of this. Our historic connection to native born, Jazz Great, Thelonious Monk, Martin Luther King Jr’s birthplace of his “I have a dream” speech, Baseball Great, Buck Leonard and other noteworthy Rocky Mount lore and legends will be displayed as mural on our highly visible exterior wall. This along with other projects in the work such as the Rock City Art District will help cement destination locations in Rocky Mount, NC.