This Farnsworth Group rendering shows what Bush Construction's future four-story Trail East building in uptown Normal could look like as viewed from the intersection of Uptown Circle and North Street in uptown Normal.
NORMAL — R MarketPlace, part small-business incubator and part upscale food court, was born five years ago across the country.
"My husband and I were visiting Orange County and went to a food hall in the packing district (Anaheim Packing House), and we fell in love with the variety of food and the atmosphere," said Vivian Doctora of Bloomington. "We thought, 'This would be a great thing for Bloomington-Normal one day.'"
Doctora, who will own and manage the hall with her husband, Redney, hopes it will be 80 percent full when the building opens in 2020. The 13,000-square-foot space will house 10 to 15 businesses.
"We want to bring unique food offerings that we don't have in Bloomington-Normal and let people test a concept before opening their own shop," she said, with French, Filipino, Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine among those lined up so far. "All the independent merchants will be locally owned. ... So far we have seven letters of intent from locally owned businesses."
Doctora encouraged those interested in being part of R MarketPlace to contact her at rmktplace.com.
"We also want to have a bar owned and operated by us, and we'll have a farm stand that will offer people who live nearby basic grocery items within walking distance," she said. "We'll also have a kitchen in the food hall where people can do cooking demonstrations."
Doctora, who has worked for State Farm for 19 years including in marketing, got serious about the concept in 2017 and reached out to the town for help.
After the first floor of the College Avenue Parking Deck proved unsuitable — the town is now soliciting possible users for the space — officials turned to Trail East, said Normal Economic Development Director Sally Heffernan.
"It was originally planned to just be parking, and I thought that wasn't impactful enough," said Bryce Henderson, Bush's vice president of project development, of the ground floor. "We talked to Vivian ... and we said that sounds like a great opportunity to have a local impact, not only for our project but also for the local businesses they're trying to incubate."
R MarketPlace is expected to use the northwest portion of the first floor, though the layout has not been finalized yet.
"We're extremely excited about the project. I think it's going to bring a lot of excitement to the community," she said. "We really want to drive more economic development in town."
Bloomington-Normal business openings and closings
Bloomington-Normal business openings and closings
Long John Silver's/A&W
Bedtime Boutique
Grand Cafe West
Garcia's Pizza
Texas Roadhouse
CVS
Rob Dob's
Subway
Gold's Gym Express
The Children's Place
Dress Barn
Brass Pig Smoke & Ale House
Hairport
Satio
Charlotte Russe
Fred Groves Servicenter
Payless
Winner's Lounge
Furlong's Sports Grill
Alexander Lumber
Donny B's Gourmet Popcorn and Gifts
Tasty Crab
Iron Coyote
Churchill's Formal Wear
RobDob's Restaurant and Bar
Luxe Boutique & Luxe Street Boutique Fashion Truck
Caffe Italia
Torrid
Grand Cafe
H&M
Ross Dress for Less
Planet Fitness
Hibbett Sports
Bergner's
Sears
Bakery & Pickle
Comcast
Von Champs Boutique
Eric's Too
Wausau Homes Bloomington-Normal Design Studio
Caribou Coffeehouse
CoreLife Eatery
Murray's Shoes
Keg Grove Brewing Company
Brandt Group of Companies
Merry Ann's Diner
Pet Supplies Plus
Garlic Press Popcorn and Sweet Shop
CJ's Restaurant and Catering
Nightshop
Villas of Holly Brook
Welbrook at Bloomington
Lil Beaver Brewery
The Donut Experiment
The Fresh Market
State Farm's Downtown Building
Toys R Us
Kobe's BBQ Japanese Express
HuHot Mongolian Grill
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Contact Derek Beigh at (309) 820-3234. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_beigh
This Farnsworth Group rendering shows what Bush Construction's future four-story Trail East building in uptown Normal could look like as viewed from the intersection of Uptown Circle and North Street in uptown Normal.