Mark's Carts: Downtown Ann Arbor outdoor food courtyard to reopen next month with three new carts

The courtyard, located behind Downtown Home & Garden and off East Washington Street, will celebrate its grand reopening from 5 to 10 p.m. the night of FoolMoon, a procession of illuminated sculptures that leads into the annual FestiFools event.

The courtyard will be decorated in lights and have a fire pit, located yards away from the FoolMoon music stage.

Three new food carts are joining the courtyard this year: The Beet Box, an eclectic mix of fresh, healthy foods, a wood-fired personal pizza cart, and Cheese Dream, an artisan grilled cheese and soup vendor.

Among the returning food carts: The Lunch Room, San Street, Debajo del Sol, Darcy’s Cart and Hut K Chaat.

Downtown Home & Garden owner Mark Hodesh launched the food courtyard concept in May 2011 on a 2,700-square-foot parcel of land behind his store. He intended Mark’s Carts to act as a launching pad for businesses, allowing food vendors to dive into Ann Arbor’s food scene with lower operating costs than opening a storefront.

And so far, Hodesh told AnnArbor.com, the concept has been successful.

Food vendors The Lunch Room and The Beet Box were both able to launch their carts thanks to the online funding platform Kickstarter.

The Beet Box is run by a group of University of Michigan students interested in healthy food and community empowerment, according to its Kickstarter video. The group has raised $10,463 dollars to help buy a cart and other necessary supplies.

Last year, the vegan food cart The Lunch Room raised $10,500 with Kickstarter to open the cart, and reported a profitable first summer.

The hours for the courtyard are yet to be determined, but Hodesh said he’s encouraging more afternoon and evening hours from the carts.