In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tourists would arrive at the Narragansett Pier train station on Boone Street to wait for transportation to their Narragansett hotel. Long after the trains stopped arriving, the building, designed by architect and Woonsocket native Willard Kent, housed residential and commercial businesses, including a laundromat.
How vibrant to see the site now as home to Boone Street Market, believed to be the first food hall outside of Providence.
The open-kitchen food stalls will feature six different food concepts, two bars, outdoor TVs for watching sports, fireplaces and heaters to extend the season, outdoor booths where you can listen to live gameplay through a sound system and a stage for live music.
Developer Lindsay Holmes and his wife, Christina Holmes, along with contractor Mike Virgilio, purchased the building at 145 Boone St. four years ago this month and began renovations. The Holmeses also own Boone Street Market.
Restoring the building was their top priority.
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“The building was stripped down to pieces and parts were found that hadn’t been touched in 100 years,” Lindsay Holmes says. “We didn’t want to close any part of the building.” Adding a traditional restaurant kitchen would do just that.
So they thought an outdoor food market atmosphere would appeal to people, so instead they created six restaurant stalls with open kitchens.
“It’s a dream to bring this building back to life,” she said.
Why a food hall?
Holmes wanted to come up with a concept that would appeal to many demographics: families with children, teenagers looking for something to do, University of Rhode Island students, summer tourists and year-round locals. She wanted a place that would cater to all the needs of Narragansett residents.
“The goal was to create a gathering place, not just a place to have dinner,” Holmes said.
You can grab a sandwich before going to the beach, have a drink before dinner, or even watch a game with friends.
The store also won’t compete with the town’s better-known restaurants, she said.
Holmes said the idea came to her from local developer Chris Muta, who previously opened a food hall in a historic building in Connecticut.
She noted that there are efforts across the country to revitalize historic buildings as food halls.
food
“Christina and I have five kids, including twins,” she says. “It can be so hard to go out when everyone wants different things. We don’t want to have to compromise here.”
Boone Street Market is home to a pizza place called Cousin Vinny’s, a raw fish bar called Get Shucked, Rhody Ramen, Big Belly Deli, a Mexican restaurant called Ocho Loco, and Smoked ‘N’ Smashed for burgers and barbecue.
“Sometimes you don’t know what you want to eat until you get there,” Holmes said.
They run all the food stalls, all the food is made on site, and the head chef is Eric Warren, who until recently cooked at Jamestown Beach.
“He took over the menu and the concept and executed it at a high level,” said Brandon Johnson, Boone Street Market’s manager and in charge of day-to-day operations. Each restaurant stall has its own talented chef, he said, and open kitchens allow customers to watch the food being prepared.
All ordering is done through self-serve kiosks and, since there are no servers, tips are split among the cooking team — a way to retain chefs, Johnson said.
“What has surprised me the most so far is the popularity of the self-serve ice cream section. You can find toppings all around the restaurant, and you can see the happy smiling faces of the kids,” he said.
business hours
Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. This is very intentional, says Johnson, who has been working on the market project for two years, and his background in industry, including an initial stint with the Coast Guard and several years at George’s of Galilee, helped shape his view of the concept.
He said many hospitality workers in Narragansett and the surrounding area are underserved. They’re the cooks, servers, bartenders and support staff who work in all other food and beverage businesses. They have nowhere to go when they get off work at 9 or 10 p.m. By staying open late and serving food and drinks, he said, they’re giving them a place to unwind.
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The same goes for nurses, police officers and firefighters, he said. “We have employees who need food and when the whole town closes at 9 p.m., it’s a huge loss.”
Food can be ordered online.
Being good neighbors is important, Johnson said, and they’re already raising funds for employees displaced by a fire that closed Two Ten Oyster Bar in nearby South Kingstown.
Family History
The Holmeses also developed The Surf Shack bed & breakfast and restaurant, which opened last year, and Johnson’s wife, Sydney, manages the Narragansett property as a family business.
Lindsay Holmes comes from a family with a history in restaurant business: her parents once owned Narragansett restaurants Mercedes Ocean House and Steak Lodge.
“This has been a generational dream,” she said.
But with his wife’s career as a music recording artist and five children, he has to rely on others to make it happen, and she explains that she “overinvests in our staff” to avoid overburdening them.
“I think we’re going to be here for the long haul.”
