Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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Visit us at the Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 1341 PROFILE takes at the location. Also vital to that location's selection was Copia, The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, a museum and education center created by vintner Robert Mondavi that opened downtown in 2001, next to where Oxbow Market stands today. Carlin ground-leased property from Copia to launch the adjacent market. "Copia was the anchor tenant for the [Oxbow] district at the time and precipitated a lot of the resurgence of Napa's downtown that came later," Carlin says. Carlin notes that the plan was not to create a Ferry Building North, but to imbue the new site with its own identity. "We knew we wouldn't be able to replicate the Ferry Building experience," he explains. "It's larger, occupies a historic building, is in a dense urban setting, has a powerful farmers market and cost ten times more to build." Riding Out an Economic Downturn In January 2008, the $11.5 million, 30,000-square-foot marketplace opened in a glass and brick barn-shaped building on First Street, amid the beginning of the recession. Oxbow felt the impact of the economic downturn: "The market had a slow build, which was expected. An 18- to 24-month ramp up is typical for a project; this one took 36 months," Carlin says. Another challenge was the closing of Copia in 2008, about 10 months after Oxbow's grand opening. "Copia was not vital at the time of our opening," Carlin says. "The idea was that both Copia and Oxbow being strong would have been a good combination. "With such offerings as food and wine tasting programs, a theater for lectures, films and concerts and a large demo kitchen, he explains, "Copia had components that could have complemented us." Carlin recognized from the outset that Oxbow's success hinged on local shoppers more than the tourism associated with Copia. "You can't just rely on a visitor base," Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 1341 60 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com he says. "From the beginning, the local community in Napa was our target. It's important that people love coming here." Among recurring events Oxbow holds to draw in the community are cooking demonstrations and events on its back patio and a weekly Local's Night on Tuesdays. The Napa Farmers Market has also moved its biweekly market, held Tuesdays and Saturdays, May through October, next door to Oxbow. The customer mix today is about 50 percent local to 50 percent visitors, Carlin estimates. "From May to October we see a significant spike in seasonal visitors. In other months, it's not a 50–50 mix." Getting the Right Mix To Carlin, the appeal of Oxbow is the social experience, with food a part of that encounter. "People like to talk about, eat and cook food," he says. "We have a nice setting that's social, with a backdrop of food and wine. But the reality is, it's about the experience." Though the market is only one-third the size of its San Francisco counterpart, it shares several vendors, including Fatted Calf Charcuterie, Hog Island Oyster Co. and Wine and Cheese Merchant. Still, Carlin, who oversees vendor selection, made sure to bring in local fixtures such as Anette's Chocolates, based in Napa; Gott's Roadside (formerly Taylor's Automatic Refresher), famous for its burgers; Model Bakery, a St. Helena institution since the 1920s; and Ritual Coffee Roasters, a San Francisco– based specialty roaster. STORE STATS OXBOW PUBLIC MARKET Opened: 2008 Retail/Restaurant space: 30,000 square feet Type of location: Food hall Vendors: Specialty Merchants: 16 Restaurants: 7 For a full list of vendors visit oxbowpublicmarket.com.