The Worcester Public Market is planning to open Feb. 6, with construction nearing completion and vendors securing city permitting this week.
Wachusett Brewing Co., Jennifer Lee’s Bakery and Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream won approvals to operate from the Worcester License Commission on Thursday. Another vendor, the New England Burger Bar, won approval from the board Jan. 9.
Those tenants will join one already operating: Worcester Wares, which opened a second location in the Worcester Public Market to join its original shop inside the DCU Center on Commercial Street. A pasta shop and cannabidiol shop are also among those planned.
Wachusett hasn’t secured full state approval for an alcohol license, but got approval Thursday for a series of one-day licenses. Christian McMahan, Wachusett’s president, told the commission it wanted to begin operations as soon as it could now the market is set to open.
“We really have a commitment to Allen and the Public Market as kind of a key anchor,” McMahan said, referring to market developer Allen Fletcher.
Wachusett’s temporary alcohol license allows it to serve from Thursdays to Sundays from Jan. 30 through the start of March.
Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream will have a small shop in the Worcester Public Market, as well as a larger one at 44 Front St. franchisee Rita McCabe said will include catering capabilities. The ice cream is made to order, with customers picking out cream and fixings, which are instantly frozen with liquid nitrogen, said McCabe, who runs the chain’s Nashua, N.H., location with her husband, Mark.
The public market will open in Kelley Square as the neighborhood is undergoing dramatic changes.
The Kelley Square intersection itself is being remade in a $16-million state-funded project. Just down Madison Street, work is underway on the Polar Park baseball stadium, and Madison Street itself is being redone along with planned improvements for other surrounding streets. A $125-million mixed-use development is planned for just outside the stadium.
As for other eateries, Anthem Bagel Co. at 19 Kelley Square has closed, but the store says it will reopen after making changes to its menu. Golden Pockets, a restaurant, is awaiting final approval from the city to open at 9 Kelley Square.
