Jen and Emily Chan, the couple behind Cabbagetown restaurant and supper club JenChan’s on Carroll Street, will open their next venture together in Reynoldstown later this summer.
Mikkelson’s Market will take over the Urban Market grocery store on Flat Shoals Avenue. Barring any permitting issues, the couple hopes to open Mikkelson’s Market by July.
The Chans had been in talks to open their neighborhood market along Hotel Row in South Downtown. They decided not to move forward there. Hotel Row didn’t fit their plans for Mikkelson’s Market, but they still believe in the renovation of the historic buildings on Mitchell Street.
The couple next set their sights on finding a space in East Lake. When the Flat Shoals Avenue grocery store came up for sale, everything fell into place and they stopped looking elsewhere. The location is a short bike ride away from the Chan’s home in Cabbagetown.
Mikkelson’s Market is a very personal project for Emily Chan. They named the market after Chan’s father who died earlier this year. It pays tribute to her family’s Danish heritage through specialty items on the grab-and-go food menu.
“My dad owned restaurants, as did my mom. I’ve now lost both of them. Part of my grieving is throwing myself into work and opening this market in honor of my dad,” Chan said. “I got my work ethic from my dad. You don’t get days off when you own a restaurant. We even named our son Mikkelson. There’s just something about passing down a legacy and knowledge and recipes in families.”
At Mikkelson’s Market, the Chans will sell prepared plates of the day from JenChan’s and grab-and-go food like breakfast sandwiches, Hoisin duck and pints of smoked gouda mac and cheese. The market will also sell provisions such as smoked fish, other preserved goods, smørrebrød (Danish open-faced sandwiches) and aebleskivers (Danish pancake-like puffed pastries) based on Chan’s great-grandmother’s recipe. While no seating will be available, the market will feature a counter offering root beer floats, slushies and farmer’s Coca-Cola (peanuts in a glass Coke bottle).
“The menu will rotate with the seasons, and we’re very excited about opening up to more farm partners at Mikkelson’s,” Chan said.
Before Urban Grocery, the little market at the fork between Arkwright and Flat Shoals was to become Dive Market and Emergency Kitchen. It was owned by the partners behind the former Kirkwood restaurant Dish Dive, but zoning issues with the building eventually killed the project. Chan said they hope to avoid similar pitfalls with the city, including securing the market’s retail beer and wine license. The Chans want to sell boutique wines as part of the retail arm of the business.
The Chans are looking into a Shopify website for online ordering. They’ll run orders out to people waiting on bikes, on foot, or in their cars via a door on the left side of the building.
“We want Mikkelson’s Market to be for the neighborhood, including families who live here and want to bring their kids in for a root beer float or a slushie while they pick up provisions for lunch or dinner,” Chan said. “It’s funny how this all worked out for us, but we think it was always meant to be that we open here for our neighbors.”
Take a look at the menu for Mikkelson’s Market below:
