When Darrell Johnson helped open North Hickory Market, he asked his daughter to print "Co-owner and Busboy" on his business cards. That's according to a July 2026 feature in Our State. He'd retired after 45 years in banking. The restaurant opened in October 2025 in a renovated car service station in the OLLE Arts District, right next to a trail that was still under construction.
A year later the trail still isn't finished, and the neighborhood came to life anyway. On Monday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m., the City of Hickory Public Art Commission will dedicate a kinetic wind sculpture called "Ethereal Trinity" on Old Lenoir Road. It sits between North Hickory Market and Keever's Key & Repair Services, and a reception follows at the restaurant. Along this stretch, the people, the food and now the art all showed up before the finished path did.
A Trail Segment That Outlasted Its Schedule
The OLLE Art Walk is the last piece of the Hickory Trail. When it's done, it will tie City Walk, Riverwalk and Aviation Walk together along Old Lenoir Road. The name OLLE comes from the first two letters of "Old" and "Lenoir." Hickory City Council approved a $22,714,090.80 construction contract with Neill Grading and Construction Company on Feb. 6, 2024, and the City held the groundbreaking on April 4, 2024. More than $18 million of the funding came as grants through the Greater Hickory Metropolitan Planning Organization and NCDOT.
When the City announced the groundbreaking, it estimated about 24 months of construction, which pointed to spring 2026. In August 2025, WSOC reported utility work underway and city officials expecting the project to take about two years. The station also reported that the plan cuts Old Lenoir Road from four lanes to two. The City's Nov. 2, 2026 announcement about the sculpture still calls the OLLE Art Walk "the final segment under construction."
In that same WSOC story, Lisa Lowman, owner of Belle Ladona Creations, called the project "past time for safety for the people wanting to walk this road." JD Ross of The Hickory Tree said he hoped an attractive street would "bring business to some of those empty buildings." North Hickory Market made the same bet with a lease, a kitchen and a bar.
What Went Up on Old Lenoir Road This Fall
"Ethereal Trinity" is the City's first public art installation on the OLLE segment. North Carolina artist Lawrence Feir built it from welded steel. It's a kinetic piece, so it changes shape as the wind moves through it. The Public Art Commission commissioned it with $28,000 in City funding and a $10,000 donation from a community donor.
Feir was born in Canada and now works in North Carolina. Before turning fully to metalwork he worked in silversmithing, design and aerospace photography, and he has spent the last decade building large kinetic sculptures shaped by his interest in aviation and wind behavior. That background suits the spot. Aviation Walk, which connects to the OLLE route at Clement Boulevard NW, heads toward Hickory Regional Airport.
In the City's announcement, Feir describes the piece as designed to twist and turn "in the gentle breeze," catching and refracting light as it moves. PAC Chair Dawn Tashjian called the installation "an exciting step forward in Hickory's commitment to integrating art in public spaces." She also said the commission wants more public art opportunities in what she called "this dynamic new arts district."
The City's plans for the OLLE Art Walk also include murals and historic markers. The district already had one mural before the trail work started. Mud Mamas Studio commissioned a flower mural on its building, which Sara Jenne Echerd painted in 2020, according to Catawba County's profile of the district. Hickory's public art collection now has more than 100 pieces, including sculptures, murals, benches and paintings.
Getting There on the Parts of the Trail That Are Open
The middle segment is still being built, but the segments on either side are open. You can reach the district by trail from several directions.
| Segment | What it offers | Status |
|---|---|---|
| City Walk | Connects to the OLLE Art Walk at its southern end | Opened Dec. 16, 2021 |
| Riverwalk | About 2.3 miles with an overwater bridge on Lake Hickory | Open, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. November through February |
| Aviation Walk | Steel pedestrian bridge over U.S. 321 toward L.P. Frans Stadium, Winkler Park and Hickory Regional Airport | Opened July 30, 2024 |
| OLLE Art Walk | Ties all three together along Old Lenoir Road | Under construction |
If you're coming from Riverwalk, check parking before you go. When the City reopened the overwater bridge on Nov. 7, 2025, it kept the Riverwalk bridge trailhead lot at 1580 Old Lenoir Road NW closed because of OLLE construction near the entrance. Walkers and cyclists were directed to reach the bridge from Hickory City Park and Rotary-Geitner Park instead. The City posts trail updates at hkytrail.com.
North Hickory Market sits beside the City Walk and OLLE Art Walk portions of the Hickory Trail, which Our State puts at 10 miles in total. Jordan Bost, Johnson's daughter and the restaurant's marketing manager, told the magazine, "I think we have the best sunset view in town."
Planning the Afternoon of Nov. 16
The dedication is free and open to the public, and the Public Art Commission's reception starts right after it at North Hickory Market. Plan around the restaurant's regular hours. Its posted Monday and Tuesday hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner runs Wednesday through Saturday, until 9 p.m. Saturday hours start at 8 a.m., and Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For a regular meal on dedication day, go for lunch. The 4 p.m. ceremony comes after the usual Monday closing time.
Here's a simple way to do it:
- Lunch before 3 p.m. at North Hickory Market, 1079 3rd Ave Dr NW. It calls itself a scratch-made neighborhood restaurant, not a grocery market. The name comes from the building's earlier uses. Breakfast and lunch are counter service, and dinner is sit-down. Bost told Our State the most-ordered item is the Market Melt, a smashburger with bacon jam, secret sauce, American cheese and arugula. The "Wedgendary Wedges" are potatoes fried in beef tallow.
- Stop in at the neighbors. Our State named Mud Mamas Studio and Vintage Blue as the restaurant's neighbors. Mud Mamas, at 932 3rd Ave NW, is a community pottery studio with classes and workshops, and it sells locally made pottery. Vintage Blue sells curated vintage pieces, mid-century furniture, décor, collectibles and antiques.
- Walk a stretch of open trail. City Walk connects to the OLLE route at Ninth Street NW and Main Avenue NW. If you have more time, Aviation Walk crosses U.S. 321 on its steel bridge.
- Be at the sculpture by 4 p.m. It stands on Old Lenoir Road between North Hickory Market and Keever's Key & Repair Services. Since it's a wind sculpture, how it looks will depend on the breeze that day.
If you'd rather see it at dinner, come back Wednesday through Saturday. The kitchen runs weekly specials built around local farms. Our State lists Honeytree Farm in Conover, Catawba Mushroom Partners, Hedge Family Farm in Happy Valley, Mai's Farm in Taylorsville and Joyce Farms chicken. The bar's specialty is classic tiki drinks like the Market Mai Tai. Bost also noted that the restaurant is "right off of U.S. 321," which makes it an easy stop when you're driving to or from Asheville.
I'm keeping an eye on Old Lenoir Road while the rest of the OLLE Art Walk gets built and more art goes in along it. If you'd like to talk about this corner of Hickory or the trail, Mark Causby is a phone call or email away. Let's Connect.
