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From trendy to cheeky: Roanoke's market
Day Trippin'
By Margo Oxendine • Contributing Writer
 | | "Gone Coco" in downtown Roanoke's Market Square building features women's clothing that "travels well" in natural fabrics and tencel, as well as unusual handbags and accessories. Zak Mogul, left, runs the shop and provides excellent customer service. |
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ROANOKE - "To market, to market, to buy a fat pig."
A fat pig is one of few things you won't find on the market in downtown Roanoke. You will, however, find a fat bun with pork barbecue, and a fat Cuban sandwich with roast pork and ham.
The Roanoke Market on a Saturday is a day trip well worth the gas and the drive. It is bustling with vendors selling fresh fruit, flowers and vegetables, with homemade fudge and hand-thrown pots and cutesy little oddities you didn't know you couldn't live without.
Looking for, say, rocks? You'll find them, laid out on a blanket at the Roanoke market. Some appear to have been picked up alongside the road on the way into town; others are polished, gem-like showpieces. The two hillbilly boys selling them from the back of an aged, wheezing van are sights to see in their own right.
 | | There's no telling what you might find at the Roanoke Market on Saturdays. The place is packed with shoppers and vendors, fresh produce, flowers, crafts, artistic items and yes, even rocks. (Recorder photos by Margo Oxendine) |
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It really is impossible to list every single place and thing to be found in, on and around the tightly-packed square of streets that makes up our destination. I'll tell a few of my favorites, but a big part of the fun is finding your own.
First, though, you've got to get there. As an old shunpiker, I can tell you a way to do it that does not involve even one-quarter mile of Interstate travel: Take Route 220 South to Route 11, just past the entrance to I-64 in Daleville. Turn right onto Route 11, and head toward the city. Just past Hollins University, make a left turn onto Plantation Road (I think it's Route 115 - there's a 15 there at the end, anyway!). Stay on Plantation until you reach Orange Avenue. Turn left, and get in the far left lane. At the intersection of Williamson Road, near the Civic Center, make another left, drive a short distance on Williamson, and then find yourself a parking lot near on or Campbell Avenue. Campbell Avenue is the heart of the Roanoke City Market. Parking is cheap and plentiful - there are outdoor lots, where just figuring how to pay for your self-serve parking is an adventure; and, there are indoor parking garages, where you press a button for a ticket, find a spot, and pay the attendant when you depart.
 | | Looking for an unusual or hard-to-find specialty beer? It's not too hard to find that very thing at Market Square Wine Shop. The Roanoke Market is filled with gift, clothing and novelty shops, as well as a panoply of restaurants catering to every palate. |
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Do you know the best thing about parking on the Market on Saturday? It's absolutely free!
Saturday is the day vendors from farms far and wide converge on the market to hawk their produce and other wares. You never know what you'll find, but there will be plenty of it, even if you don't know exactly what it is. For instance, on a recent Saturday, I was perplexed to find a vegetable shaped like green beans, but purple and white, instead of green.
There are shops galore along the street - you'll find wonderful gifts to stash away for Christmas, darling dresses (La Te Da) and fantastic shoes (Dandelion Feet). My favorite place to shop for clothes is Gone Coco, in the Market Square building. The clothes are linen and tencel, and Zak, who runs the place, is both helpful and handsome. I bought some things there in June. I returned in September, and he greeted me with, "How did that Flax shirt and those linen pants work out for you?"
The Market Square building itself is packed with food vendors; if you like to eat it, chances are, it's there, it's cheap, and it's quite good. My favorite is Club Paradiso, the only Cuban food this side of Charlottesville, that I know of (and believe me, I know Cuban food!).
But back to the shops. You'll find great, affordable wines, and truly more specialty beers than you probably knew existed. One packed, friendly shop offers wine, beer and a wall of candy - covering many guilty pleasures in one small space.
You can shop for books, for Army surplus clothing (Sam's has been on the Market for decades). If you haven't managed to fill yourself with foods from Market Square, well, try a hot dog from the Roanoke Weiner Stand, or a "bowl with" of chili from the famous Texas Tavern ("We seat 1,000 people, 10 at a time").
Seeking something cultural? No need to go further than Center in the Square. The Roanoke Historical Society museum is there - a fascinating way to spend an hour or two - along with the Art Museum of Western Virginia, and the Science Museum of Western Virginia. A short walk from the Market will put you at the Virginia Museum of Transportation, and the O. Winston Link Museum, an homage to the late, great photographer.
Don't forget to find out if there's a "shouldn't miss" play at the Mill Mountain Theater, or what wonderful live show is featured at the Jefferson Center, a few blocks away.
Staying for dinner? The choice of great restaurants is truly overwhelming. My favorite is Metro, but you'll also find Corned Beef & Company, Billy's Ritz, Nawab for In- dian food, Blues BBQ Company, the Green Dolphin Grille, Nico's for Italian, Awful Arthur's for seafood, and 202 Market for sophisticated cuisine.
Naturally, you'll need to fuel yourself up for the drive back home. Do it at Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea - grab a grande latte to go, and load up on specialty beans to grind at home.
Should you decide not to make that long drive in the dark, after all, rest assured, and in luxury: the Hotel Roanoke is steps away.
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