River Street Market
An Innovative Food Hall with Something for Everyone
You’re strolling the streets of Troy and your stomach reminds you that it’s time to eat. Fortunately, you’re in a city filled with hungry college students and curious gourmands, a destination for adventuresome eaters. Follow the Riverwalk, a pedestrian pathway that hugs the banks of the Hudson River, and head to River Street Market. (Or drive and enjoy free parking in the lot across the street!) Here you’ll find a food hall with multiple vendors under one roof, offering tempting options to satiate everyone: vegans and omnivores, morning power breakfasters and late-day snackers, seekers of coffee drinks and sippers of cocktails and craft beer. The only challenge? Deciding what to eat!
Barbecue beef ribs with collard greens, yams or baked mac & cheese. Plant-based chic’n sandwich on a brioche bun and an Aruban Sunrise juice made with six tropical fruits. Pita filled with Jamaican jerk hummus, pickled jalapeños, diced pineapple and chili oil. Soft corn tacos stuffed with carnitas, chipotle chicken, short ribs and birria. Juicy smash burgers built to your own specs alongside a decadent whipped cream–topped milkshake. Fruity acai bowls or warm grain bowls and a smoothie made with banana, cold brew, maca, cacao powder, cinnamon and almond milk.
And that’s but a sampling of the authentic global tastes, all made from scratch by the handful of creative food entrepreneurs lucky enough to score a space in the beautiful hall.
River Street Market opened in June 2019 and got off to a booming start, serving more than 1,000 customers a day. Then…the pandemic hit and shuttered the enterprise for several months. While a few of the vendors folded their businesses entirely, Maria’s Bowls & Smoothies and Prime Burger persisted and remained open, relying on to-go orders delivered curbside. Maria Decker, owner of the eponymous café and manager of the food hall, exudes that “show must go on” spirit today and instills the mindset in her fellow entrepreneurs.
Maria and her husband, Bob, had run a 200-seat seafood restaurant in northern New Jersey before moving to Clifton Park with their four children. While they were in school, she ran corporate cafés at CAP COM, SEFCU and AYCO. Once her kids went off to college, she opened a café that featured healthy, plant-based, dairy-free food and drink inspired by West Coast trends, which remain the focus of her space in River Street Market.
This powerhouse of a woman is hard-wired to encourage and support. Maria is den mother, cheerleader and personal resource center for her fellow entrepreneurs, offering sage advice, practical guidance and an unshakable faith that these folks, many of them first-time business owners, can survive and thrive. As long as they are willing to work hard and devote themselves to their businesses.
“We’re seven stand-alone businesses operating under the River Street Market umbrella,” Maria explains. “By staying together as a group, we all share and support the market’s mission, which is to provide a gathering space for collaboration centered around quality food and drink for the enjoyment of all.”
Located just steps away from the Collar Street Bridge, the market occupies the first floor of Hedley Park Place, home to City Hall. The historic 1916 building served as the factory of Cluett, Peabody & Company, the world’s largest shirt manufacturer in the mid-20th century. Kevin Bette, president of First Columbia, purchased the sprawling structure from John Hedley in 2014. Like Hedley, Bette is a staunch advocate for downtown Troy and views real estate as a means of community development. In 2006, First Columbia began acquiring properties along the Hudson River and developing them into the Waterfront district. The Courtyard by Marriott opened in 2019 adjacent to the River Street Market, and Bette’s current master plan includes a fitness center with a climbing wall, a supermarket and affordable and senior housing. Not to mention plenty of free parking.
“We’re working jointly with the city to revitalize the waterfront and breathe new life into this section of town,” Bette says. “Bringing more commerce to the area has created 1,000 new jobs. And we’ll soon be building a community-based supermarket called Bargain Grocery at the corner of River and Hoosick streets.” This unique concept store, originally founded in Utica, will generate funds for a Troy nonprofit that helps sustain the local community.
“Food is the glue that connects community; it unifies people,” Kevin notes. “The River Street Market serves everyone, from nearby office workers, guests at the Courtyard by Marriott, neighbors, college students and people driving by. My goal in developing the Waterfront is to create a safe, livable neighborhood with amenities and services within walking distance.”
River Street Market is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 6 or 8pm; they will open on Saturdays starting in May. The concept is simple: Buy a meal from one of the vendors and enjoy it at the tables or booths in the common dining areas. Meet your friends for lunch, and each person can choose whatever cuisine suits the moment. The spacious common area in the rear opens onto a deck where guests can dine while enjoying views of the Hudson River and downtown Troy. That central gathering space is ideal for hosting social events and business meetings. The market also stages comedy nights, trivia nights, concerts and performances, and hosts fundraisers for local nonprofits.
The Cluett Room, an airy, bright conference room with floor-to-ceiling windows that look onto River Street, is also available for public use. Boasting a large table with comfortable executive chairs and a wide-screen perfect for Zoom meetings, the space can be reserved free of charge with the proviso that food and drink are purchased from the market vendors. The quiet corner room is ideal for corporate meetings, nonprofit groups and private functions.
Loft 433 on the top floor of Hedley Park Place provides another popular venue for events. This large-scale catering hall operated by Mazzone Hospitality has a capacity for 250 seated guests and up to 500 standing, with a rooftop deck that offers magnificent views of Troy and the riverfront. At night, Albany’s lights sparkle in the near distance.
Kevin Bette and Maria Decker are keenly aware that it’s expensive and risky to open a restaurant, and the market’s management team does all they can to support new business owners. “Our goal is to cultivate food entrepreneurs,” Kevin says. “We’ve built the infrastructure and taken care of the prohibitive expenses. We hope to see the vendors develop a following and ultimately grow out of these spaces into their own brick and mortars.”
Maria agrees. “In terms of rent, we have a generous model where vendors pay a percentage of the month’s sales, which makes it more feasible to survive lean months, particularly as we emerge from the pandemic when business has ebbed and flowed. We cover all utilities: gas, water, electric, internet. It’s an unbelievable opportunity for a start-up business. All we want to do is get food entrepreneurs up and running successfully.”
Maria and her team look for unique, fast-casual concepts to complement what is already in place. What do vendors get in return? Each entrepreneur has complete control over what they wish to prepare, as long as it doesn’t compete or overlap with offerings from other vendors. They can design and decorate the space as they wish, infusing it with their own style. And they have access to infrastructure, including walk-in coolers, freezers and dry storage space with loading dock access.
Dave Camacho, owner of the Fox & the Burn and Hummicidal, reflects on the beauty and versatility of the market. “I love the history of Troy and the industrial feeling of this building. We designed our space to reflect that rough and rustic factory atmosphere. People say they love the wide variety of food available from all the vendors. A group of friends can meet here, choose whatever they want to eat, and relax in the common areas together.”
Haseim Townsend, proprietor of Organa Food & Juice Bar, says that being a vendor at the market has surpassed his expectations. “I had a lot of doubt when I started and didn’t know if I could pull this off , but Maria gave me confidence that I could do this. It’s been a steep learning curve, and I’m always figuring out ways to do things better and reach out to more customers. But owning my own business, serving food that I love and interacting with customers has been a dream come true.”
RIVER STREET MARKET VENDOR SPOTLIGHTS
The Fox & The Burn and Hummicidal
David Camacho and Hannah Van Buren
The Fox & the Burn is a classic bar with a wide variety of local craft beer and specialty cocktails. We serve flatbreads and wings at the bar. Our adjacent business is Hummicidal, which has a Mediterranean fusion flair. We started playing and mixing all sorts of ingredients into hummus and just ran with it. Customers can order falafel, grape leaves, bowls, salads and pita wraps, all featuring hummus in about 20 different savory and sweet styles.
foxandtheburn.com
hummicidal.com
Maria’s Bowls & Smoothies
Maria Decker
I lived in California for 10 years and fell in love with all the healthy, unprocessed food and drink out there. So I offer those flavorful options at the café: sweet or savory breakfast bowls, various protein toasts, oatmeal with fruits, build-your-own bowls with acai, pitaya or graviola base, warm grain and veggie bowls and refreshing smoothies. I make everything to order from scratch, and the café is open on Saturdays from 8am to 2pm.
mariastroy.com
Organa Food & Juice Bar
Haseim Townsend
My wife and I chose the name “Organa” because it plays on the idea of organic nirvana. We created the menus based on how we both eat, so we serve vegan and vegetarian food that’s beautiful, healthy, and delicious. We make eight specialty juices or you can create your own from 20 fruit and veggie options. Our plant-based chic’n sandwich is the top seller, and people love the thin-crust Cauli-Power pizza. Herbal tea drinks with fresh fruit are also popular.
Pataconia: Caribbean Food with a Twist
Riany Mena
I’m originally from the Dominican Republic and have always loved cooking. Opening my own business at River Street Market has allowed me to define my identity as a chef. I make patacones, which are twice-fried smashed plantains that I press flat and use like bread for sandwiches. The fillings are spicy gochujang chicken with escabeche and avocado; Korean BBQ beef with cucumber slaw and sesame seeds; shredded beef with lettuce tomato and avocado and fry sauce; and teriyaki cauliflower with daikon radish carrot slaw. I can also mix these fillings into empanadas or rice bowls. My wife, Alexa, grew up in Cohoes, and we’re super excited to be back in the area and contributing to the local community! (Paticonia opens in July 2023.)
@pataconiafood
Prime Burger & Shakehouse
Jaime Ortiz
Prime Burger is part of the 677 Prime, Sea Smoke and Toro restaurant group. Here at River Street Market, we specialize in smash burgers and griddle dogs. Customers can build their own creation choosing among buns, proteins and toppings. We do fries and onion rings. And the milkshakes are truly outrageous, blended with different types of cookies, cakes and candies. The whipped cream on the top is the finishing touch!
Soul Delicious
Derrick Brown
My theme is Southern comfort food based on my mother’s recipes from North Carolina. Traditional family dishes such as fried chicken, fried fish, meat loaf, barbecue chicken, beef ribs (which are hard to find in this area). Popular sides are baked macaroni and cheese, slow-cooked collard greens and yams. We also do potato salad and macaroni salad. Everything is cooked fresh daily.
I’ve been cooking for years, including at Prime Burger, but wanted to start my own place. This is my first business, and I love the creative aspect of working for myself. I can set my own menus and have total control over the restaurant. Customer feedback helps me fine-tune my offerings.
Taco Libre
Hector Andy Gonzales
We had a place for four years in the Troy Kitchen incubator space and then had to close when COVID hit. When I heard about River Street Market, we decided to open as a taqueria, making authentic Mexican soft corn tacos and fillings by hand. All the recipes come from my mother who was born and raised in Oaxaca. We do traditional meats: carnitas, chorizo, chipotle chicken and birria (a mixture of short rib and chuck cooked slowly in a big pot of beef consommé). We serve that as a rich dipping sauce with the birria tacos. We also make tortas (pressed Mexican sandwiches), burritos, quesadillas and taco salads. Churros and Mexican hot chocolate and agua frescas are popular as well.
