NIXA, Mo. – Residents of Nixa and the Springfield area can look forward to a new restaurant and entertainment concept in the form of an open-air food hall called 14 Mill Market.
The future 12,000-square-foot space will be owned and operated by Rich and Leah Callahan, who borrowed the concept for 14 Mill Market after visiting a food hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The market will include 10 different restaurant choices that diners can sample in a communal setting, along with live music and outdoor games such as bocce ball and corn hole.
“We are just trying to create a great space where people of all ages can relax and enjoy a great environment, great music and great food,” Leah Callahan told The Heartlander.
Additionally, the property still features a 60-foot hand-dug well. The Callahans plan to restore and display the well for those who are interested in the property’s history. Upon completion, a timeline of the mill with photos will be displayed inside the new food hall.
Owned by the Stiffler family in the late 1800s, the property where the market will sit was one of the first farming homesteads in Nixa. In 1956, Barney Wisner built a feed mill on the land. The mill stood until 2021, when the rapidly aging structure was demolitioned to build 14 Mill Market.
Leah tells The Heartlander she and her husband purchased the property last year, and had explored many options but loved the idea of people from every walk of life mingling and having a good time together, while discovering unique food options.
The venue will host multiple genres of music and encourage new musicians to throw their name into the hat. Callahan says they would like to help local musicians get live playing time.
Rich Callahan salvaged wood from the old mill and has been making tables for the new facility out of leftover oak.
“It is just gorgeous, the wood he was able to salvage,” Leah said. “Even though we were not able to keep the building, we’re so happy that we were able to keep the wood from it and show that off in the food hall. We were also able to keep some of the dust collectors from the roof and a couple of grain mixers. They look really industrial and architectural. We are utilizing those in our architecture for the food hall to pay tribute to the history of the feed mill. We’re glad to do that.”
The food hall will feature 320 square feet (16×20) full restaurant spaces. Vendors have the option to lease their chosen space for a year at a time. If vendors decide to leave their space after their lease is up, Leah says 16 other vendors are waiting in line.
“The interest has been outstanding,” she says.
The restaurant spaces will be in the shape of horse shoes, while casual seating will be in the middle of 14 Mill Market. A bar will be on the backside of the food hall.
The Callahans hope to open their $3.7 million dollar facility at 203 East Mount Vernon Street in fall 2022.
“We are hopeful to have our building by June. Timing-wise, we are hopeful for an October opening,” Leah says.
