Kingsport Junction: Food truck park plans to open in mid-July

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) – Downtown Kingsport is approaching the opening date for its new food truck court “Kingsport Junction.”

Kingsport Junction will be located at 134 Cherokee Street, where food trucks will span over a third of an acre.

Travis Featherstone, co-founder of Kingsport Junction, told News Channel 11 that the site will allow up to 11 food trucks at a time. He said the idea came after he saw the success of food trucks in larger cities.

“They have different flavors from food trucks to “container” small businesses where they basically develop the property to make it a family-fun environment,” Featherstone said. “It really helps grow small business owners that might not otherwise want to get into a brick and mortar, but really helps get them on the map with their art and [the food] that they bring to the community.”

He believes the food truck court will ‘help consistency’ and make locating food trucks easier for the community.

Brandon Bell, co-owner and chef at Risin’ Vibes Kitchen, believes the food truck court will be a positive addition to the area. He and his wife recently started operating their restaurant on wheels, but have already been serving at festivals.

“The big events are great, but it really creates a sort of highs and lows for mobile operators,” Bell said. “So to have a consistent place to really ground and really embrace and connect with the community is always a benefit.”

Bell plans to reach out to Featherstone to operate at the Kingsport Junction.

“The more business the better, especially for the up-and-coming area of Kingsport and the Tri-Cities as a whole,” Bell said. “As a mobile operator, it’s great to have a place to get alongside our peers and really offer the community a lot of different variety and cuisine and experience.”

Bell is originally from northern California. He serves world-inspired street food.

“With an emphasis on fusing Southern soul cuisine, with tropical cultural foods from Latin America, South America and Asian countries,” Bell said.

Risin’ Vibes Kitchen will be at the Blue Plum Festival and the Meet the Mountains Festival this year. You can check their website , and social media to see where else their food truck will be located.

“We’re called Risin’ Vibes Kitchen because that’s what we aim to do,” Bell said. “We come from a place of purpose and really create food with love and serve with gratitude. We love to serve people that have dietary restrictions, whether it’s medical or lifestyle choices. We always have vegan cuisine on the menu. Gluten-free as well. If you want to go all in and get some meat and cheese and all that, we have those options as well. We like to have an inclusive menu.”

Featherstone is excited to add a new development for families in Kingsport.

“It’s going to be an exciting aspect, I think, really for the community it adds another reason for families to get out and walk around Kingsport,” Featherstone said. “We’re going to be able to offer family experiences, movie nights for kids and things like that.”

Featherstone told News Channel 11 that Kingsport Junction hopes to begin hosting trucks and serving guests in mid-July.

You can follow Kingsport Junction’s progress on its website and social media pages.

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