The latest crop of new tenants in Liberty Public Market, as well as a broader vision for the future of Liberty Station, were revealed during a “hardhat tour” of the new facility Oct. 7.
Liberty Public Market is a 22,000-square-foot artisan mecca in Liberty Station in Building 1 at 2816 Historic Decatur Road.
The tour was conducted by Coronado restaurateur David Spatafore of Blue Bridge Hospitality, who is the originator of the Liberty Market concept. Spatafore was inspired by public markets he’s visited extensively elsewhere in Canada, Seattle and the East Coast to re-create and to customize one here in San Diego.
Spatafore was joined by corporate executive chef Tim Kolanko and market general manager Joshua Zanow as well as a few market vendors. The trio filled guests in on what to expect at the new public market, expected to open by Thanksgiving.
The public market is being divided up into 32 separate retail spaces. The latest batch of announced tenants includes a new restaurant/mess hall, Beer Bar/Bottlecraft, Wine Bar/Grape Smuggler, Mama Made Thai, Crafted Baked-Good, Bread & Butter co-op and a special produce section.
Spatafore said the market he’s creating will be truly unique.
“There’s a fine line between a food hall and an actual public market, although they’re food-centric,” he said, adding they’re “pushing our vendors to make sure they offer something people can take home in a shopping bag.”
“We want to be seen as a food court or food hall,” Spatafore added. “We want people to be able to shop.”
Pointing out Building 1 in Liberty Station was once a military mess hall, Kolanko said public market space are being reconfigured with that in mind.
“This is going to be a dynamic space,” Kolanko said, gesturing toward a large open space with a wood-fired oven that’s being converted into space as a restaurant/mess hall and a beer/cocktail bar. “We’re going to be utilizing all the stuff — meat, fish, produce, et cetera — from the market and changing the menu every day (on a chalkboard). It will be a smaller menu, constantly changing and continually evolving. This space can be a public kitchen to be used by guest chefs, for pop-ups, classes or whatever else.”
Tony (The Sauce Guy) Morales of Desert Smoke BBQ sauces was in his retail space promoting his products.
“I’m a heat junkie, and I’m excited,” said Morales, noting his space will have something “no one else does; we’re going to do hot sauce on tap where you buy sauce and come back and refill it again.”
Liberty Station project manager Nathan Cadieux said the community has a longer-range vision to “expand upon our brand and try to figure out what we want.”
“The idea is all about community,” continued Cadieux. “We want to create an environment where people come together, connect, share meals, laughter and make memories.”
Cadieux unveiled a new Liberty Station logo, adding the community’s website is also being upgraded.
“Another thing we’re really trying to improve upon is wayfinding,” Cadieux said, adding, “We’re developing new sign programs specific to both vehicular and pedestrian wayfinding.”
Liberty Station is also investing a lot of money, Cadieux said, on creating “public spaces and a new plaza area including a new walkable private patio for families and kids.”
Other public market vendors are to include Liberty Meat Shop, old-school butchers; The WestBean Coffee Roasters, micro-batch coffee roasters; Fully Loaded Juice, offering raw, organic cold-pressed juice; Venissimo Cheese, featuring cheeses from around the world; Pho Realz, Southeast Asian street food purveyors; Wicked Maine Lobster, introducing North Atlantic menu mainstays; MooTime Creamery, premium handcrafted ice cream; Mastiff Sausage, handcrafted sausage sandwiches and subs; Cane Patch Pies, a family-owned bakery; and Cecilia’s Taqueria, gourmet tacos and regional Mexican cuisine.
For more information, visit ntclibertystation.com.