Construction of the Huntington Market is underway in downtown Huntington on the 800 block of 3rd Avenue and will bring a variety of new restaurants and shops to the Huntington area. Austin’s Ice Cream and the Wildflower Gift Gallery are some of the shops that are open already.

What used to be a variety of old bars now plans on playing host to a variety of new businesses, including Butter It Up, a pizza and sandwich shop, a healthy market shop, a craft beer and wine shop, a taco joint and a Greek restaurant will be housed upstairs in The Market.

Judy Davis is the owner of the Wildflower Gift gallery, which is open for business and located through the front door on the 3rd Avenue side of The Market and to the left. This is Davis’s first time owning a business, and she said that having Austin’s ice cream open on Feb. 8 was a huge boost for her business, which she said she’s very excited about.

“It’s all about progress, you know,” Davis said. “Just being a part of this, it’s very exciting. With Austin’s opening recently, it’s been very packed in here because of them.”

The Wildflower Gift Gallery is home to a multitude of different, locally-made gifts. Davis said she collects and buys all of her wares from the local area and finds pleasure in boosting the local economy.

“I’ve got a lot of local people’s things here in my store, as well as stuff that I buy at the market, so that makes it fun, too, because these are items that people have actually made here in Huntington,” Davis said.

Currently, The Market looks more like an empty warehouse than a popular downtown venue, but most of the aforementioned businesses will opening within the coming year, and construction of most of the businesses is already underway.

Right now, most of The Market is covered in dust, sheets and halfway finished building projects. Davis said the dust is the biggest problem she’s faced as a business owner there.

“Since I own a gift shop, I constantly have to keep things clean,” Davis said. “I don’t mind it, though.”

The Market will bring a fresh perspective on business in the downtown area, and Davis said she’s excited to be a part of that. There are also plans to build a seating area outside of The Market, where customers can go and sit and enjoy their meals outside.

Zach Stevens can be contacted at [email protected].