"We wanted to be a staple in Troy and that's a big staple intersection."
That's Gina Buchholz, describing why she and her husband Evan put their new restaurant at the corner of Market and Main. She said it to the Troy Times-Tribune the week Market & Main opened in June. Four months later, the intersection is busier than it was a year ago. It's also about to be torn up, curbed, and paved because of that.
Most of what's happening downtown this fall can look like a pile of unrelated city projects. There's a new parking lot on North Main, a seven-figure streetscape contract on Market Street, power lines going underground, and sidewalk bids coming in through November. Follow the timeline, though, and they share one cause. A single block filled up faster than the street around it could handle, and Troy is now rebuilding around that block.
A Corner That Filled Up Fast
Market & Main moved into the former American Legion Hall at 104 N. Main St. Gina and Evan Buchholz also own Cleveland Heath in Edwardsville, and they spent the winter converting the building before a June 9 grand opening. Gina is originally from the Troy area and left in 2017. "It's amazing how much the city has grown and changed since I left," she told the Times-Tribune in March.
The restaurant was busy before it officially opened. The Buchholzes served food at the first First Friday of the season on May 1 and at the Market at Jarvis Square on May 21. "We were super busy; all of our food items have been popular and we've blown through quite a bit," Evan said. For the June First Friday, they kept the dining room and bar closed and took orders through the two roll-up doors facing North Main. Those doors stop about 36 inches above the floor, so they work like a bar top. Opening coverage listed pepperoni rolls, wings, fries with house sauce, pretzel-crusted mac, mussels, pappardelle, filet, and Peruvian chicken.
The restaurant was only one part of it. Jarvis Township has been creating a "Jarvis Square" on North Main Street, between the township building and the old Legion hall. Ann Matthews of the Maryville Farmers Market organized Jarvis Square Market evenings on the third Thursday of each warm-weather month, 5 to 8 p.m., starting in May, according to the city's March 2 tourism committee minutes. The Chamber listed a Sept. 17 market at that same Market & Main location.
First Fridays grew as well. There were five in 2025, and organizers planned six for 2026. The season closed Oct. 2 with the second Black Hat Society night, which featured a fall night market and downtown businesses open late. Dawn Mushill, President/CEO of the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce, said last year's first Black Hat gathering brought "hundreds of people walking through downtown." The series is paid for with City of Troy tourism funding, the City of Troy, Jarvis Township, and Ramert Insurance.
That puts a restaurant, a township gathering space, and a monthly street event on the same short stretch of North Main. Palenque Margaritas & Grill sits right across Main at 101 Main St.
Parking Ran Out First
The first sign of strain came before Market & Main even opened. In March, the Times-Tribune reported that between Palenqué, other new businesses, and First Fridays returning on May 1, "parking has swiftly become hard to find at certain times of the day."
The city's answer was to remove a house. Troy owned the home at 107 N. Main St. and planned to demolish it for parking. That spring's estimate was at least 30 spaces. By September, the plan was at least 25 spaces. Gelly Excavating and Construction won the job with a bid of $345,519. Work began Sept. 9 with an Oct. 9 finish target. At the Sept. 21 council meeting, the city engineer reported the contractor was pouring perimeter curbs. If everything stays on schedule, the lot should be wrapping up right about now. If you're heading downtown this week and the new spaces aren't open yet, they're close.
That's a city lot built on the same block of North Main as the busiest corner downtown. It's a clear signal of how the city reads where people are going.
Then Market Street
Parking was the quick fix. The bigger work is on Market Street, and much of it lands this fall and winter. Here's what the city has on the books, based on the Sept. 11 Times-Tribune infrastructure roundup and the Sept. 21 council minutes:
| Project | Where | Status as of late September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Market Street Streetscape Phase 2 | Market Street | Awarded Sept. 21 to Hanks Excavating, $1,606,949.15 |
| Power line burial | West section of Market Street | Ameren to charge the city $242,000 |
| Curb and sidewalk replacement | Market Street, Hickory to Dewey | Easements done, bid opening in November |
| Oak Street sidewalks | Main to Washington | Design complete, bid likely in October |
| New curbs and gutters | Ash, Charcoal and Webster, Market to Center | Bids opened Sept. 10 |
| Wickliffe Street reconstruction | Sarah to Market | Complete and open to traffic |
The streetscape contract is the largest item. The engineer's estimate was $1.5 million. Hanks came in as low bidder at about $107,000 over that, and because the bid exceeded the estimate, awarding it took a two-thirds council vote. The vote was 7 to 0.
The look of downtown is getting attention too. The city's tourism grant requests for 2026-2027 included new Christmas decorations. The Chamber's goals for the year listed Hometown Hero banners and seasonal downtown banners. The spending is happening on the same few blocks where the crowds showed up.
Between Black Hat Night and the Holiday Market
First Fridays are done for the year, and no October or November Jarvis Square Market has been listed. So the corner is in a quieter stretch until the last event of the season. Here's where things stand:
- Market & Main hours. The restaurant's website currently lists Tuesday and Wednesday 3 to 9 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday. The site has reservations and a waitlist. At opening, the owners said they hoped to add brunch and to-go orders later. If you've been waiting for either one, call ahead.
- The building's other tenants. Country Financial occupies the south side of the old Legion building, facing Market Street. In March, the Buchholzes said they would get the restaurant running before deciding what goes in the building's third space.
- Across the street. Palenque Margaritas & Grill at 101 Main St.
- Hometown Holiday Market. The Chamber lists a Hometown Holiday Market for Saturday, Nov. 28, 3 to 7 p.m., at Market & Main. That's two days after Thanksgiving. When the city laid out the 2026 First Fridays plan in March, a post-Thanksgiving Holiday Market was the intended finale.
By Nov. 28, the timeline should look like this. The 107 N. Main lot is scheduled to be finished. Bids on the Market Street sidewalks from Hickory to Dewey will have opened, and the streetscape contract is already awarded. Holiday shoppers will be parking in a lot that didn't exist in August and walking past a Market Street that's about to change. Dates for a 2026 Christmas parade or tree lighting haven't been posted in anything we've seen yet. The Chamber's calendar is the place to watch.
None of the construction was planned in a vacuum. People kept coming to one corner. By spring parking there was hard to find, and by fall the city was pouring curbs and signing contracts on the blocks around it.
If you've lived near downtown Troy for a while, you've watched this corner change over the past year, and you know how much one busy block can shift the feel of the streets around it. When questions come up about how changes like these play into a home sale or purchase nearby, I'm always glad to talk them through in plain language, no pressure. Joni Stanley is happy to meet you downtown for a coffee or a bite at the corner. Let's Connect.
