By Shirley Shuman
Individuals looking for a new place to eat or shop will soon have the opportunity to do both in one venue. Mountain Lakes Marketplace owners and operators Beth and Amy Mays have scheduled the Grand Opening for their business, located in the building that once housed Bulk Food Store, for September 16. They promise customers a three-way experience. Eat. Shop. Explore.
Those visiting the Marketplace will have a full-service dining experience, although Beth Mays explained that the food offerings won’t be extensive at the start. “We will have full service to the extent that tables and chairs—which will be scattered throughout the front part of the Market, are available for dining. We will also have servers. However, in the beginning our food offering will be limited. For now, we will be serving hamburgers, hot dogs, cornbread and beans, and other ‘ordinary’ food items,” she said. “We will add to that and will be serving full lunches and dinners. We also want to emphasize that our food will be prepared on site.”
The shopping experience will come with a variety of shelved goods. Among them will be Amish jams and jellies and Teays Valley products such as cornbread and biscuit mixes. Paula Dean products such as Ooey Gooey Butter Cake and Heavenly Fudge along with other cake mixes will also appear on the shelves. In addition, customers can shop for Stonewall Kitchen Products, noted for pancake and waffle mixes as well as others. The Marketplace will also carry West Virginia maple syrup along with pure mountain honey and cobbler pie filling. Other offerings include snack cakes, candy bars, Virginia peanuts, and the ever-popular hand-dipped ice cream.
Perhaps the most interesting and exciting part of Mountain Lakes Marketplace may be found in the back room. Here, prospective customers will find vendors selling an array of different items from upscale antiques and collectible gifts to new gifts, souvenirs, and locally made goods.
Eat. Shop. Explore: All three will be available at Mountain Lakes Marketplace beginning September 16.