History is hiding in plain sight within the Redlands Public Market.

The city’s new food hall opened Friday in a 1903 building at 330 Third St. that had been vacant for years.

It was previously the Mutual Orange Distributors Packing House, where fruit was processed and shipped east by railroad.

Historical Easter eggs at the renovated building include two boxes above the entrance. They were “juice shoots” from the 1920s, used to dump fruit into trucks at a loading dock.

Guests sipping craft beer at the Neon Bear, one of the businesses inside, might bump their knees against recycled wood that was once the packinghouse floor and is now part of the bar.

And in the back of the building, a safe with heavy vault doors will become the entrance to a downstairs speakeasy that developer Jerry Tessier said will open in April.

Tessier is president of Arteco Partners in Pomona, which specializes in repurposing historical properties.

This is Arteco Partners’ third food hall, Tessier told a crowd from the Redlands Chamber of Commerce at a Thursday night preview. Previous projects include the Cookhouse Food Hall at Vail Headquarters in Temecula and the Riverside Food Lab.

The Redlands Public Market was a nine-year project, according to Tessier.

Arteco Partners acquired the property in 2016 and were reaching the construction phase when the coronavirus pandemic broke out in March 2020, he said. The overhaul of the old building began in earnest in 2023.

Tessier said the seismic retrofit was the toughest part.

“There’s something like 60 or 70 tons of steel in the new I-beams. Basically it took six months of just doing that. It looks like a masonry brick building. You can see the brick walls and the stucco on the outside. But inside it’s all held up with metal.”

Other changes included building a wooden deck on two sides of the building and installing a glass wall facing Third Street, where the loading dock was.

Signs on the building say it dates from 1906. But according to Tom Atchley, vice president of the Redlands Area Historical Society, it’s a few years older than that.

He said the packinghouse was an important business hub in its day, when Redlands revolved around the citrus industry.

Ross Wittman, the city’s economic development coordinator, said Redlands Public Market could be important now, adding to the vibrancy of downtown Redlands.

Tessier said he wanted Redlands Public Market to be “as local as possible,” lining up Inland businesses to fill the stalls.

“More than half of our restaurants are chef-owned and operated,” he said.

Redlands Public Market has space for about 20 tenants, plus a patio for outdoor dining and live entertainment that is still under construction. Tessier said all the businesses would be open in the next few weeks. For opening day, he said the following 11 are ready.

Cornerstone BBQ: This is the third location for this business, which started in Beaumont and then added a Redlands eatery in the former Fox theater building, a short walk from the food hall. It serves Texas-style smoked meats including brisket, ribs and chicken. cornerstonebarbeque.com

Fred’s Red Tacos: Eatery serves tacos, burritos and quesadillas with a focus on birria, beef stew meat with consommé.

Hen & Heifer: The second location for a Pomona restaurant serving chicken, burgers and sandwiches. chickncow.com

Isley Permanent Jewelry: This pop-up is in a former freight elevator.

Nava Sausage Co.: Family-owned company makes and delivers pork, chicken, turkey and beef sausages in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties. Its stall in Redlands will sell sausage to go by the link as well as prepared foods. navasausage.com

Neon Bear: This bar serves craft beers from local breweries. It began in the Pomona Packing Plant, but that location has closed. neonbearbrewery.com

RPM Bar: Watering hole serving cocktails, seltzers and wines.

Supernova Arcade, Supernova Slice Pizza: Start-up business serves pizzas with intergalactic names like Meatball Meteor. It also oversees the arcade, which features video games and Skee-Ball. supernovaslicepizza.com

TacoTwist: Indian fusion eatery with locations in Northern California. It serves such items as chicken tikka masala burritos and butter chicken tacos. tacotwist.com

Take Ur Seat: Brunch spot offers breakfast and lunch items with an Asian-inspired twist, including cloud pancakes. It got its start in Chino Hills and opened a second location in Ontario. takeurseat.com

Tsoko Cafe: Coffee bar specializing in cloud lattes, milk teas and matcha. tsokocafe.com

The following businesses are still moving in or awaiting inspection.

Aice!: Stand will have acai bowls, ice cream and smoothies.

Baba’s Hot Chicken: This chain was founded by an accounting student at UC Riverside and made its debut at the Riverside Food Lab in 2020. It will serve Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, tenders and fries. babashotchicken. com

Crepes de Paris: The menu will include savory crepes, such as ham and chicken, sweet crepes such as chocolate and strawberry, and sandwiches.

Fufu’s Mideast Grill: Family-owned business will serve Lebanese food such as shawarma and chicken kafta as well as kebab plates. It was one of the original tenants of the Riverside Food Lab. fufusgrill.com

Jojo’s Kitchen: This is the second location for a Taiwanese restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga’s Haven City Market. The menu includes bao buns, chicken, pork and shrimp. jojos-kitchen.com

My Friend’s House: The speakeasy behind the vault door will combine cocktails and pop culture with nostalgic mixtapes.

Nosy Neighbors: Doughnut shop with locations in Claremont and Pasadena. The menu will include several specialty coffee drinks. nosyneighborscoffee.com

Redlands Natural Market: Plant-based deli serves prepared foods and features a market for retail. redlandsnaturalmarket.com

Shokunin Temaki & Nigiri Bar: This eatery, which is also in Haven City Market, will serve omakase-style courses and sushi. Guests will make their orders on the ground floor and proceed to a dining room downstairs.

Smash Hawaiian: Eatery will serve Hawaiian favorites such as katsu chicken.

The food hall’s hours are 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to close Fridays and Saturdays. Vendors will keep their own hours.

Limited parking is available on Third Street and Al Harris Lane, and customers can use the four-story city garage on Stuart Avenue

Information: redlandspublicmarket.com