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Our Neighborhood Store... Forty years ago nearly every small community in America had a neighborhood market. Parents would send their children to pick up a quart of milk and the grocer would write the price on the family’s tab. The town market was also the social center for the community; neighbors would often visit and get to know "new-comers." Not only did town markets provide a sense of community, but they also helped keep children out of trouble by providing them a place to go with friends. These memories are wonderful to reflect on and reminisce; however, not all of these memories are lost and forgotten. Jack’s Market is a place in today’s society that reflects values from forty years ago.
Drew traveled across America with his architect, Mark Simpson, both searching for the perfect town market to pattern Jack’s after. They went from one small town to another and finally landed in Belmont Forest, Virginia where they found the ideal market. As Drew walked through the door, he saw several of the "locals" sitting at the counter, eating hamburgers and laughing with the cook. The atmosphere was warm, friendly and inviting. Children were over at the candy barrel trying to decide on which piece they should choose, while their mother was picking up a loaf of bread and gallon of milk. This was the environment Drew wanted to re-create at Overlake. The exterior of Jack’s Market conveys a small, country store type feeling. Especially with the steeply pitched gable roof, covered front porch and surrounding veranda. Neighbors often visit and eat lunch out on the veranda, watching their children ride their bikes or roller blade by. During the spring and summer it is common to see an entire baseball team sitting on the front steps of Jack’s eating ice cream cones after a game.
The town folk love to walk to the market and visit with the Gaskin’s. Rhett Gaskin resides above the market; he oversees all of the happenings at the market and the information center. Rhett is committed to keeping Jack’s the center of the community. He is learning all of the names of the "regulars" and keeps the menu exciting by offering delicious home-cooked specials and always features a special treat, for those customers who have a sweet tooth. Most days at 5:00 p.m. "Colonel Chuck" comes to Jack’s for dinner. He usually sits with one member of the Gaskin family and other Overlake neighbors. "Colonel Chuck" loves eating a home-cooked meal but most of all, he loves to share stories from his life. Not only do the "locals" enjoy the stories, but so do all of the children who visit Jack’s. Jack’s Market is a treasure and anyone who stops by will feel as if they stepped back in time to a community from forty years ago. We live in a society where many focus on all of the problems and tragedies, how enlightening it is to find a place that centers on traditional values. Jack’s Market is a wonderful example of what’s right in today’s world. |
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When Overlake developer, Drew Hall envisioned the Overlake community, he knew that Overlake must include a neighborhood market. Drew grew up in Carnation, Washington where the population was 325 people. Everything was in walking distance and going to the market was one of his fondest childhood memories. Drew would walk to the market, sit at the counter and drink a fountain cherry coke almost every day after school. "The idea of a town market was an ingenious concept years ago. Children could safely walk a couple of blocks and pick up a few groceries for their parents or they could buy a piece of candy or an ice cream cone with their hard earned allowance money," says Drew.
Besides being just a market, Jack’s offers some of the best hamburgers and sandwiches around. An old-fashioned counter equipped with padded barstools, overlooks the grill. The barstools are always full with local neighbors chatting over lunch. The Gaskin Family operates Jack’s market and they ensure that everyone who stops by will be in for a good time.