How it started: A local mother recently left her career in logistics to take a chance on the Chattanooga entrepreneurial scene, and at the bottom of her giant leap of faith was a welcoming community and a chance to set an example for her two young daughters.
How it’s going: Chattanoogan + new entrepreneur Karol Brigham is a few months away from opening Food Truck Alley on Market Street.
That’s right. Take a minute to get excited.
Food Truck Alley Chattanooga fast facts
Founder: Karol Brigham
Address: 503 Market St. (It’s private property, so no worries about city laws.)
Opening: Soft opening January/February with an official opening in spring
Features: The space comfortably fits six trucks, which can rotate throughout the week; there will be astroturf, lights, tables, and corn hole
How to get more info: Check out the website + enter your email to get updates. If you own a food truck and want more info, find it here.
The rest of the story
Karol grew up in the area, moved away briefly, and came back when she was about 21. It’s been more than a decade since then, and two children + a trucking logistics career later — she found herself yearning to be more a part of the Chattanooga community.
About two years ago, Karol, her husband, and her first daughter took a road trip across the country and saw cities that had food truck parks. That experience planted the idea in her mind, but she wasn’t ready to take the plunge of quitting her job to dive into an industry she didn’t know.
“Here I am two years later — I’ve got my second little girl, and I want to do this,” she said. “I want to have something where I can have strong roots in the community and be an example for my daughters.”
To succeed, everyone must succeed
Karol has daily and weekly rates because she wants to give the food trucks flexibility. And she doesn’t want the food trucks to have to compete with each other, so — for example — there wouldn’t be two taco trucks there on the same day.
“I want to give them a home, give them a place where they can have support and get more recognition,” she said. “It’s important to me that the food trucks do well.”