I WAS polishing off a steaming bowl of coconut curry soup when a server appeared bearing a plate of plump pan-seared diver scallops atop creamy applewood-bacon succotash and braised asparagus. The food was befitting a candlelit restaurant, but I had a view of gas pumps outside and, a few steps from my table, fluorescent-lighted aisles packed with workaday necessities — toilet paper, motor oil, sauerkraut juice (aids digestion, according to the label).
My Little Village that Could was in the New York Times!
Saxapahaw, N.C., Middle of Somewhere, Becomes a Draw
David P. Williams
The Saxapahaw General Store, with its local products and prepared meals, has sparked a revival in Saxapahaw, N.C.
By INGRID K. WILLIAMS
Published: January 20, 2012
This jarring contrast of farm-fresh food and service-station atmosphere is part of the appeal of the place where I was dining: the Saxapahaw General Store (1735 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road; 336-376-5332; saxgenstore.com), a no-frills convenience store and restaurant that has sparked a revival in the former mill town of Saxapahaw in central North Carolina.
When its cotton mill closed in 1994, the town of Saxapahaw — a name that begs to be pronounced (sax-ah-puh-HAW) with an exaggerated Southern drawl — began to fade as well. After all, this tiny rural town on the banks of the Haw River is barely a blip on the map (and as far as my confused GPS was concerned, as easy to locate as Faulkner’s fictional Yoknapatawpha County).
“When we first came, people thought we were kind of nuts, because it seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere,” said Jeff Barney, the cook (and a former butcher) who, together with his partner, Cameron Ratliff, took over the general store in 2008. Working with nearby farmers, the pair stocked the shelves with local products and started serving freshly prepared meals.
As word spread about the unusual setting of Mr. Barney’s ambitious seasonal cuisine, Saxapahaw began attracting curious foodies from surrounding cities like Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
And now, the Saxapahaw General Store is no longer the sole attraction in town.
Last May, the Haw River Ballroom (1711 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road; 336-675-2440; hawriverballroom.com) opened in the former dye room of the historic mill. Now a soaring, three-story music venue, the Ballroom also hosts a variety of interesting events and has a first-floor cafe called Cup 22, which serves pastries and locally roasted coffee.
Across the street is Saxapahaw Artists (1610 Jordan Drive; 336-525-2394; saxapahawartists.com), a two-story art gallery showcasing works from 50 regional artists. And nearby is the site of the town’s popular summertime farmers’ market.
“It was probably about 50 people a weekend the first year,” recalled Heather LaGarde, an owner of the Haw River Ballroom and a founder of Saxapahaw’s farmers’ market, which began in 2005. “Now it’s about 1,000 to 2,000 people that come out to that,” she said.
But the busiest place in town is now the Eddy Pub (1715 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road; 336-525-2010; theeddypub.com). Building on the success of the Saxapahaw General Store, Mr. Barney and Ms. Ratliff partnered with another couple to open this gastropub — not a description often used around here — in a second-floor space in the former mill in December 2010.
It’s a step that has been well received.
On a bitterly cold weekday evening in November, the cozy, wood-beamed pub was packed. As bartenders poured pints of North Carolina-brewed beers (the only type on tap), servers bustled among tables carrying cheese plates, juicy bratwursts and platters of fish and chips — traditional pub grub tweaked to emphasize local fare. By 6 p.m., a small crowd had formed in the doorway, waiting for tables.
“It was sort of a sleepy town, not much going on,” Mr. Barney said. “Now we’ve turned into a bit of a destination.”
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