ASHEVILLE - Downtown worker Cathey Turbyfill has been waiting patiently for the Grove Arcade to open and on Thursday she got her first taste of what the building has to offer, literally and figuratively.

Turbyfill was one of the customers on opening day at Kamm's Frozen Custard, which on Thursday became the first business to open in the Grove Arcade Public Market since its conversion from federal government offices.

"I've seen the building all my life. I'm just so glad to see it open," said Turbyfill, who lives in Candler.

The custard wasn't bad, either. "It was good. It was very good," she said. Compared to ice cream, "It was more of a textured thing. It was even creamier, and it also tasted just a little bit richer."

Planning to create a public market on the first floor of the $31 million downtown building with offices and apartments upstairs has been going on for more than a decade, and the project has been delayed repeatedly.

Planning to hook up the plumbing to the Kamm's shop on the O. Henry Avenue side of the building probably wasn't as lengthy. Hot water was running through cold water pipes for a while Thursday, said owner Jim Kammann.

And a deafening building fire alarm sounded several times - apparently for testing - while a reporter visited the shop Thursday afternoon.

Still, Kammann couldn't have been happier. The plumbing problem was fixed quickly, the fire alarm stopped after a while and his very own small business was busy with customers.

"I've worked in corporate America, both large and small, for the last 25, 26 years. It's a thrill to be at this station of my life . to say I'm going to open this up," he said.

Custard is similar to ordinary ice cream but has egg yolk added and is much more dense and rich. The word Kammann uses to describe it is "satiny." It's prepared and frozen in the shop, which offers a variety of toppings, flavorings and sundaes and will also sell Italian ices in a few days.

The shop will be the only business open in the arcade for a little while, officials said. A copy shop and a store selling locally made crafts should open in a small number of weeks, said Ann McMartin of the Grove Arcade Public Market Foundation.

Most of a chain-link fence that has surrounded the arcade for some time has been removed. Interior hallways aren't open yet but should be before too long.

Many apartment dwellers are expected to move in next month, said Nancy Thompson of Progress Energy, which has provided much of the financial backing for the project.

Passers-by will notice businesses open a few at a time in coming weeks, McMartin said. About 30 of the 50 or so retail businesses the public market is designed to hold should be open by the arcade's grand opening celebration scheduled for Nov. 2, she said.

"This is the most complicated transaction I've ever been involved with," said Lou Bissette, a foundation member and former mayor who has been involved with the project for years. "When I look back at it, it's almost incredible that we've gotten here."

Contact Barrett at 232-5833 or MBarrett@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.

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