PNC 2nd Street Market









Editor's Review
It's 9 a.m. on a Saturday, but you wouldn't know it from the crowds surging into the de facto food court in the middle of Dayton's year-round social club, the PNC Second Street Market. Food stalls challenge the notion of typical breakfast fare with everything from turkey crepes to rice, arepas and empanadas. And visitors eat it up, pairing a hearty meal with a cup of fair-trade coffee from Caffeine Carl's and lingering over conversation at the dozens of cafe tables and chairs stationed along a row of windows. Just one block-long building with a single lane of foot traffic, what this market lacks in size it makes up for in personality. Vendors are quick to serve a massive muffin or answer a question about locally produced kimchi, and on Saturdays live musicians provide a melodic backdrop. Over at Jon Graham Pottery, Graham himself holds court at his potter's wheel, talking to kids watching wide-eyed as he works. Garage doors line one side of the brick market, a memento of the building's former life as a B&O Railroad freight house. PNC Bank helped save the historic spot from the wrecking ball in 2001, and today, more than 40 delightful shops and bakeries, local farmers, and small businesses occupy the booths and stalls. The market is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
