Food Truck Village officially opens in January
David Dunn
Jan. 9. A Cornelius entrepreneur-turned-carwash-owner and Realtor is turning some unused property on Catawba Avenue into a gathering spot complete with food trucks, a farmers market and entertainment.
“My vision for this piece of property is to be a centerpiece of the community,” said David Dunn, the owner of Cornelius Car Wash at 20833 Catawba Ave.
The DIY car wash sits about in the middle of the 1.5 acre parcel on a high-volume stretch of Catawba.
Dunn intends to make it an attraction with a 12 foot by 15 foot stage for local performers, similar to what’s behind Summit Coffee in downtown Davidson.
Food vendors are paying $500 a month for their spaces, with a grand opening planned this month. Among the vendors are Kidane Sayfou, a crepes chef with an enthusiastic following, Ruff Roasting Coffee, Factory Hot Dogs and, coming in January, Your Mom’s Donuts and Taco Mobile.
All this takes place behind a busy carwash with DIY bays and one automatic bay that sees about 100 cars a week
A former insurance entrepreneur as well as vice chancellor at UNC-Charlotte, Dunn is a little like the curator of a museum. There is a variety of offerings and he guarantees each vendor “cuisine exclusivity” so there is no overlap for the individual business owners, not to mention customers.
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This is a great idea! Love it! Just where can we park?
Hi! My name is Whitney and I’m the Owner/Barista for Bean Catcher. I would love to be apart of this amazing entertainment! You can find my set up on Facebook or Instagram under Bean Catcher. Please email or call me at 704-337-7634
Thanks so much!
Reach out them via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/otcftv?mibextid=YMEMSu
We’re happy to continue our support for our lovely friends at Pasteles la Andinita, whose happy yellow trailer had been parked at the corner of the car wash lot on Catawba Ave for years before moving back to the new gravel patio location around the back. A little disappointed they weren’t mentioned in this article, considering their long-standing commitment to good food and community. That being said, we’re excited for what’s in store for the Cornelius community at this development.
The owners of Pasteles la Andinita, Marlin and her husband, have been serving up delicious and fresh Venezuelan food for the locals 6 days a week for a very long time. We love stopping by for tequeños, pastelitos, and empanadas after church every Sunday. Muchas gracias hermanos 🇻🇪💕🇺🇲
It’s disappointing that the first food truck that was established on this carwash was not even mentioned which by the way is the reason you probably had more traffic of customers. La Andinita is a Venezuelan food truck with delicious options. I wonder the reason behind the omission.
Please just focus on the positivity of the space, the trucks, the community gathering, and the article! No room for your negativity here! Life is good!
Love the idea of the food/coffee trucks, however, gonna be a little bit of a Debbie downer here…. I’m concerned about where the cars are going to park and I’m concerned for people that might park across in other areas, try to cross the street and the Victoria Bay Neighborhood. Building a stage for musical performances. Don’t want to see our neighborhood ending up suffering like the people around Boathouse. The concern is both for parking and noise. The few events that they have in Smithfield a year are extremely loud and we can hear it however that’s understandable and doable, however I like our peace the remainder of the time. Was there zoning that needed to be done for this to become an entertainment lot on only 1.5 acres with a large car wash and backing to a community as well. What planning was approved for parking, already taxed traffic area and noise of any bands/performances? Again, I love the idea of a couple of food/coffee trucks but adding the musical entertainment too is a concern. Lastly, I do still enjoy the car wash as well when it’s working and accessible.
Hi, Neighbor –
Just a quick thought on the entertainment “stage”! It’s really being contemplated as a super small “platform” where a guitar player, etc could play on Saturday mornings during the Farmer’s Market, etc. NO night entertainment at all – DEF not a boatyard thing! Should be pretty benign and enjoyable. Also, on the wash itself, we inherited some “end of life” equipment a few years ago and kept applying the bandaids to keep it going but pricing out new equipment for 2024!
Call me anytime or stop for a coffee – on me!
David
704-999-3591
Brilliant idea! Cornelius needs more proyecto like that! Only one thing. The mayor is taking years in expand the Catawba Ave. I’m a conservative person but; To much time! He need to speed! To slow for the position!
The area of this lot is on cannot be expanded and traffic On the small part of West, Catawba is already over taxed along with lack of additional parking. Great idea, just the wrong location.
Awesome… true example of how capitalism works.
We love this idea! A variety of food at a casual outdoor gathering place is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. A farmers market would be amazing! Yes, please! An acoustic guitarist or similar entertainment on a Saturday morning would make it even better.
I know some people might be concerned about parking but who needs to drive when we can walk or bike there? This is a great opportunity to get out and chat with neighbors. We’re looking forward to visiting and watching this develop.