Highside Market is celebrating its grand opening with Holiday Bazaar. Here’s what to expect
After years of delays and supply chain issues, the new Columbus development Highside Market is hosting a grand opening celebration that will double as a holiday event this week.
The Holiday Bazaar is a free public event that will be held at Highside Market, located at the crossroads of 13 Street and 2nd Avenue, on Dec. 14 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
There will be an opportunity for complimentary pictures with Mr. and Mrs. Santa by Julie Hedges photography, tree lighting, drinks and other activities.
“Mrs. Clause called us the other day and said she had to be there,” Chris Woodruff, president and CEO of the Cotton Companies told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Parents can bring their kids to let them jump in bouncy houses, write letters to Santa and eat Christmas cookies, Woodruff said.
The Columbus-based cover band Relative Sound will provide live music in Daisy Park, he said, and inside the building carolers will be singing.
Businesses inside Highside Market opened on a rolling basis beginning in late summer. Most of the businesses, including the vintage shop Silver Hanger and Whit’s Custard, are already open.
“There will be just a select few that will be in the final stages of opening up over the next coming weeks,” Woodruff said.
Visitors during the event will be able to see the final touches being put on those businesses, he said. It’s Tamale Time and Dragonfly Toys & Gifts are among the restaurants and retailers that will open in the coming weeks.
“It’s a good opportunity to come see what’s open currently, which is the bulk of things in Highside Market,” he said. “And then to also get a glimpse as to what’s coming down the pipeline.”
Woodruff purchased the property for Highside Market in November 2018, he said, and the Cotton Companies has been working on it ever since. The COVID-19 pandemic created a challenge to finishing Highside Market.
“We had to fight through supply chain issues, delays and runaway price increases for materials,” Woodruff said.
In addition to problems brought on by the pandemic, the project grew bigger than initially expected when the company acquired the former Regions Bank building next door.
The project more than doubled in size as it went from 25,000 square feet to 55,000 square feet.
“So, the whole dynamics changed over the course of the past five years,” Woodruff said. “And ultimately flows to the Highside Market you see now.”
The Holiday Bazaar is the start of things to come, he said, with more community activities expected to be hosted there in the future.
“We’re just getting started,” Woodruff said. “If you like what you see now, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2023 at 10:54 AM.
