Six new tenants to open this week at Gibson Mill Market

• Cara’s Cookie Co., a locally owned cookie maker benefiting the local nonprofit Cara’s Purpose. Jennifer Hamilton, whose baby Cara died of a brain tumor, founded and runs both organizations.
• Johnny Rogers BBQ, a popular barbecue and burger restaurant.
• Taco Street, a new street taco spot from the team behind the Mexican restaurant Mexicasa in Harrisburg.
• Churn Buddies, an ice cream shop serving sundaes, milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches, ice cream cakes and other treats.
• Defined Coffee is a Huntersville-based coffee brand with two other regional locations.
• The Market Bar will be led by Cabarrus Brewing’s Steve Steinbacher.

They join High Branch Brewing, a family-owned craft brewery, and Luck Factory Games, a board game and entertainment destination with a library of over 1,000 games, at the refurbished Mill.

What’s next: Three more food-hall restaurants will open at a later date.

• Kuni’s Kitchen, an Asian cuisine restaurant.
• Barcos Raw Bar, a seafood restaurant inspired by the soon-to-open Barcos Food Company.
• Livy’s Neapolitan Pizza, which will serve oven-baked pizza.

The big picture: The market is the latest development project at the 100-year-old former textile mill. It’ll house food hall-style dining and shopping similar to Charlotte’s Optimist Hall, but on a smaller scale.

• The “locally sourced” food hall sits on 17,000 square feet with room for 10-12 vendors and a full-service restaurant.

Background: Gibson Mill is the former Gibson Manufacturing Company, which opened in 1899. Now, Gibson Mill averages about 1,000 visitors each day. It houses a variety of tenants, including the largest antique mall in the south.

Here are a few photos of the food vendors at the Gibson Mill Market.

Editor’s note: This story was last updated on October 4, 2022 to include the newest tenants.