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Submitted Photo Root 64 owner Briony Le Roi-Crowe.
A new market has opened on U.S. 64 next to the Sapphire Post Office known as the Root 64 Fresh Market.
Briony Le Roi-Crowe is the owner, and her husband owns a restaurant on the plateau. The market will offer a plethora of fresh produce, wines, charcuterie boards, candies, and other food items.
“We saw the space every time we drove past it and just saw that there was so much potential to do something for the community, saving them from having to drive to Brevard, all the way into Cashiers to Ingles or Food Lion [in Sylva],” Le Roi-Crowe said. “As soon as we started constructing the place and renovating it, everyone that was stopping by, the post office traffic, were just so happy that they were going to be able to support it.”
The main mission of the market is to provide fresh and locally sourced food, and Le Roi-Crowe said there are several farmers in the area that grow their own food but do not have a place to sell it. The market will also be open year-round.
“This would be a more consistent outlet for them, and for us, it just spreads a message about consciousness and what you consume,” Le Roi-Crowe said.
The produce will rotate seasonally, and Le Roi-Crowe will bring in unique items that she and her husband find.
From blood oranges and papayas to blackberries and red delicious apples, the produce cooler is stocked with a multitude of fruits and vegetables.
Different specials and tastings will also be planned throughout the month, potentially on Fridays.
“We’ll just incorporate some of our cheeses, meats, jams and jellies, different sauces that we know will sell,” Le Roi-Crowe said. “People will have the option to try it and see how we incorporate it on a charcuterie board or in a recipe. I’d like to have informational cards or brochures on most of the stuff that we carry too, so people can be reading it.”
She said she wants the fresh market to be an experience for people who come in rather than a mundane grocery trip.
“The word will spread hopefully based on that,” Le Roi-Crowe said. “We’re just 10 minutes down the road. So, it’ll even be just close for us to come here and support ourselves rather than go to Ingles, which is great.”
Root 64 is not the only fresh market to have opened in the last year on the plateau. Native Prime Provisions opened next door to Ingles in Cashiers last fall and is owned by Scott Alderson and Tania Dumcombe. That shop specializes in fresh fish from the coast and prime meats like Wagyu beef as well as olive oils and soups.
The business will be open Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Sundays. For more information, search “Root 64 Fresh Market” on Facebook.
- By Michael O'Hearn/Crossroads Chronicle