Mill Street Is Where Downtown Inman's Holidays Happen This Year

Look at the addresses together. Old Town Pizza is at 33 Mill Street, The Maker's Market & Overflow Coffee is at 15 Mill Street and Spartanburg Charcuterie Company & Provisions is at 14 Mill Street. All three appear on the City of Inman's list of 13 businesses it welcomed in the first half of 2026. The street's name is also on this season's two big downtown gatherings. Market on Mill sets up along Mill Street on November 15, and Light Up Inman uses 26 Mill St. as its address on December 5.

All of that fits in one short walk. The new places to eat and shop are on the block where the crowds gather. For anyone planning a Sunday at the market or an evening at the parade, the useful question is which of these places will be open during the hours you're downtown. The hours vary more than you might expect.

Market on Mill, Sunday, November 15

Main Street Inman calls Market on Mill "one of the most loved community vendor markets in Downtown Inman," with local makers, food and small businesses lining Mill Street. The City of Inman's event calendar lists the fall market for Sunday, November 15, from noon to 4 p.m. The city hosted three markets in the first six months of this year, alongside six outdoor Music on Mill concerts.

Because the market falls on a Sunday, most of the new storefronts around it will have their doors closed:

• The Maker's Market & Overflow Coffee lists Monday through Saturday hours of 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Sunday.
• Spartanburg Charcuterie Company & Provisions runs its café Thursday through Saturday and is closed Sunday through Wednesday.
• Café on Main is closed Tuesday and Sunday.
• Big Head Barkery is closed Sunday and Monday.
• Old Town Pizza opens at 1 p.m. on Sundays and stays open until 9 p.m.

So on market day, Old Town Pizza is the one 2026 newcomer on Mill Street serving food. Its Sunday opening comes an hour after the vendors set up and continues long after they pack up. The Main Street Inman directory describes it as an Italian and Neapolitan pizza restaurant owned by family and friends, which opened on January 10. On its own site, the restaurant highlights pepperoni, chicken-garlic and meat-lovers pizzas. An easy plan is to walk the market between noon and 1, then sit down for pizza once the doors open, or order ahead online and pick up on your way home.

The rest of the Maker's Market lineup works better on a weekday or a Saturday. Its menu covers espresso, signature drinks, hot and iced lattes, chai, matcha and a seasonal fall menu. The shop also sells gifts from local artisans and runs creative classes. If you picked up a few things from market vendors and still need a handmade gift, the shop at 15 Mill is where to go next, any day but Sunday.

Light Up Inman, Saturday, December 5

Three weeks later, Mill Street fills up again. Light Up Inman runs from 5:15 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, at Downtown Inman, 26 Mill St. The evening includes the Christmas parade, festive lights, family activities and a visit from Santa.

Saturday evening is the opposite of market Sunday. Most of the new spots are open, though not all of them stay open as late as the event:

The table points to two ways to spend the night. If you want a hot drink or a last-minute gift from The Maker's Market, or treats from Big Head Barkery, go in the afternoon and stay through the parade. If you'd rather eat after the parade, the two Mill Street restaurants serve until the event ends at 9.

Spartanburg Charcuterie Company & Provisions is built for groups. Its café menu centers on shareable boards with wine and beer. The highlighted items include a salami board, candied bacon, a cheddar, gouda and roasted pepper spread, and a chocolate mousse dip. The Main Street Inman directory also notes that it hosts events, classes and catering. That's useful to know if your own holiday get-together needs a spread.

Café on Main serves dinner from Thursday through Saturday, which puts it on the list for parade night. Hours can change around holidays, so check the café's Facebook page before you plan around it.

For businesses, churches and community groups that want to be in the parade: registration closes Friday, November 13, at 3 p.m. Each entry costs $30, and the parade is capped at 65 entries. The entry form and the parade rules are on the Light Up Inman event page.

Around the corner on Main Street

Mill Street has the events, and Main Street gives you places to rest between them. On June 26, the city opened Holmes Plaza at 12A South Main Street, a pocket park dedicated in honor of Tim Holmes. In announcing that the plaza was open, the City of Inman described it as a place to rest, eat lunch, meet friends or spend time with "four-legged companions." It quoted Mayor Cornelius Huff: "Can't wait for the first Inman citizen to have an event here!" On a busy market afternoon, it's a natural place to sit down with a coffee or a slice.

The plaza's welcome to pets pairs well with a stop two blocks up. Big Head Barkery at 25 N. Main sells handmade dog treats, seasonal cookies and pet accessories, and it has a self-serve dog wash. In July, Living Upstate featured its decorated peanut-butter cookies and cheddar pretzels. A holiday treat for the dog is easy to pick up any Saturday, as long as you're there by 6.

Café on Main is at 15 N. Main, and the Main Street Inman directory calls it a "classy cafe and coffee bar." In June, Fox Carolina's Big Dave Eats visited the café. According to Main Street Inman, Access Carolina filmed The Maker's Market on July 14 for a segment on its crafts, classes, coffee and baked goods. Between those two features, downtown Inman's newcomers have had a fair amount of regional TV attention this year.

What downtown is building toward

The city has more plans for the area around these two streets. Inman received a $10,000 Duke Energy Foundation Main Street Revitalization Grant for more downtown wayfinding signs along Asheville Highway. This year the city also formed a Downtown Beautification Committee, which hung flower baskets around downtown. New banners promote the City of Inman, Main Street Inman and the future Saluda Grade Trail.

Those banners point to the longest-range project. According to the Saluda Grade Trail project, engineering partner SeamonWhiteside joined in January 2026 as the trail moved into design. More than 15 trail miles are planned between Inman and the state line. The Tryon Daily Bulletin covered an April community forum where the project was described as a 31-mile rail-to-trail route linking Inman to Saluda. The paper also reported that Inman is preparing with parking, park improvements and downtown development. When the trail is in design and a market Sunday draws a crowd, it's easy to see why the city is putting money into signs that help people find their way downtown.

For this season, Mill Street on November 15 and 26 Mill St. on December 5 are the two dates to keep in mind.

If you're new to Inman this year, I'd love to hear which of these Mill Street spots ends up on your regular list. If you're thinking about a move somewhere in the Upstate, I'm glad to talk through how a downtown like this fits into your daily life. You can reach me in English or Spanish at Katrina Carrera Campbell, and you can learn more about the area on my Inman neighborhood page. Let's Connect.