Entertainment
Boon Street Market transforms old Narragansett train station into food hall
Back at the end of the 19th and early 20th century, tourists would arrive at the Narragansett Pier train station on Boon Street and await transportation to Narragansetts hotels. Long after the trains stopped, the building designed by Woonsocket native architect Willard Kent housed residential and commercial units, including a laundromat.
What a revitalization to see it now as the home of Boon Street Marketconsidered the first food hall outside of Providence.
It offers six different kitchen concepts in open kitchen booths, two bars, outdoor TVs for watching sports and fire pits and heaters to extend the season. There are also booths outside and a sound system to hear the play by play. They will have live music on stage.
Developers Lindsay Holmes and his wife Christina Holmes, along with contractor Mike Virgilio, began the restoration after purchasing the building at 145 Boon St. four years ago this month. The Holmeses own the Boon Street Market.
Restoring the building was at the top of their priorities.
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“Everything was cut into pieces and we found parts of the building that had never been touched in 100 years,” Lindsay Holmes said. “We didn’t want to close any buildings.” Adding traditional restaurant cuisine would do just that.
Instead, they created six restaurant stalls with open kitchens, thinking the outdoor food market vibe would appeal to people.
“Bringing this building back to life is a dream,” she said.
Why a food hall?
Holmes wanted to come up with a concept that would appeal to many demographic groups. They wanted a place that would check all the boxes for Narragansett residents, including families with children, teenagers looking for something to do, University of Rhode Island students, summer visitors and inhabitants all year round.
“The goal was to create a gathering place, not just a place to dine,” Holmes said.
You can grab sandwiches before the beach, have drinks before dinner, or stay to watch a game with friends.
It also doesn't compete with the city's well-known restaurants, she said.
Local developer Chris Mouta put the idea in his head, Holmes said. He opened food halls in Connecticut in historic buildings.
Revitalization of historic buildings for food halls is underway across the country, she noted.
The food
“Christina and I have five children, including twins,” she said. “It's so hard to go out when everyone wants something different. There's no need to compromise here.”
Boon Street Market has a pizza place called Cousin Vinny's, a raw 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 manage all the stalls and the food is all prepared on site. The head chef is Eric Warren, who most recently cooked at Jamestown's Beech.
“He took the menus and concepts and executed them at a high level,” said Brandon Johnson, the Boon Street Market manager who will manage the day-to-day business. Each restaurant stand has its own talented chef, he said. The open kitchen allows the public to watch the cooking.
All orders are placed at self-service kiosks and tips are divided among the culinary team since there are no servers. That's how they hope to keep their leaders, Johnson said.
The biggest surprise so far has been the popularity of self-serve soft serve ice cream stations. Even though they find the toppings all over the restaurant, they also see many children smiling and happy,” he said.
Hours
Hours are daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. It's very deliberate, Johnson said. He has been working on the Market project for two full years. His experience in the industry, including an early job at Coast Guard House and years working at George's of Galilee, helped guide his vision for the concept.
He described the many hospitality workers in Narragansett and beyond as underserved. These are the cooks, servers, bartenders, and support staff who work at every other restaurant business. When they left work at 9 or 10 p.m., they had nowhere to go. Staying open late with food and drinks gives them a place to relax, he said.
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The same goes for nurses, police officers and firefighters, he said. “It’s a huge failure if the whole city closes its doors at 9 p.m. when there are workers who want to eat.”
Food can be ordered online.
Being a good neighbor is important, Johnson said. They've already held a fundraiser for workers displaced by the fire that closed the Two Ten Oyster Bar in nearby South Kingstown.
A family story
The Holmeses also developed the Surf Shack Bed & Breakfast and restaurant which opened last year. Johnson's wife, Sydney, manages this property in Narragansett, keeping it in the family.
Lindsay Holmes comes from a family with a history in the restaurant business. His parents owned the former Narragansett restaurants Mercedes Ocean House and The Steak Lodge.
“It’s a generational dream,” she said.
But with his wife's career as a music recording artist and five children, they have to depend on others to make it happen. She describes “overinvesting in our staff” so they aren’t overcommitted.
“I think we’ll be here for the long haul.”
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