The Hive Market
The Hive is a pop-up market in the space formerly known as a nightclub – initially The Rouge Cat and then the Blue Rooster. Enter the colors amber and gold.
© Gabriella Marks
As the bee-related name suggests, the Hive is related to the beloved Beestro cafe just down the street – both are owned and run by Greg Menke. Pop-ups are integral to Menke’s approach to starting a business – he did the same with a pop-up creperie that preceded the Beestro.
© Gabriella Marks
With The Hive, Greg Menke is test-driving this formerly troubled location as a new general store, focused on of “building community through food”, highlighting regionally sourced and produced artisanal foods and crafted products. Menke says that discovering new artists and food producers has been the most fun part of opening The Hive.
© Gabriella Marks
Part of what makes the store so appealing is the coherence of its mission, celebrated by the choice of name: “The Hive” pays respect to that little buzzing entity that inspires and pollinates Menke’s projects: the bee. “What does honey and bees have to do with salsa and pistachios and people who make Jelly?” Menke asks. “The bees pollinate nearly everyone of these crops – even the chili fields that furnish chilies for the ristras. Building community through food – that’s what a bee does when it builds a hive.”
© Gabriella Marks
Rather than being competitive with the Farmer’s Market, where farmer’s sell many of these same products, The Hive provides shoppers a storefront with 7 day a week access to these offerings. All products featured at The Hive are grown and produced in New Mexico, no item contains corn syrup, artificial color, MSG, and the products are non-GMO.
Artful Tea – © Gabriella Marks
Those familiar with the nightclubs that used to reside at this corner location would barely recognize the new interior. It’s light and airy, maximizing the windows for natural light and downtown views. Menke modeled the color palette on photographs he had seen of King Ferdinand’s Palace. In keeping with the “General Store” motif, and in a true stroke of authenticity, Menke is using fixtures that were originally from the Santa Fe General Store that once stood where the clothing retailer WearAbouts now is across on Marcy Street.
© Gabriella Marks
For the holiday season, the showcase product was an interactive project – “make your own gift baskets” – providing an opportunity for creativity, to customize the gift basket for your loved ones’ tastes.
© Gabriella Marks
The Hive is just the cornerstone of more changes to come on this block of Marcy Street – together with the building owner, Menke is building out a processing kitchen where producers can package food products, and downstairs on the former dance floor, a fresh market featuring meals that can be easily assembled – a convenience for those staying in AirB’n’B’s with kitchens who prefer to eat in some nights, but as tourists, aren’t prepared to do a full shopping trip for all of the ingredients needed.
Click here to see more photographs of The Hive Market on my website.
© Gabriella Marks
© Gabriella Marks
