Farmers & Exchange Looking More Like a Restaurant

The long-ago former home of Saracen restaurant sat empty at 141 East Bay St. for almost a decade, when City Paper announced proprietors the Balish family would resurrect the space into another eatery dubbed Farmers & Exchange after the original use of the building as the Farmers' and Exchange Bank. Since the report in 2014, Eater has kept an eye on the address for any indication of forward movement.

From the street, there's still not much going on, but there is a bit of movement inside. While the first floor interiors are pared down, compared to the festive Moorish flares of Saracen, there are some leather banquettes in place, dining room chairs stacked in a heap, and plates and cups stored on shelves.

If you remember, the Balish family took their time on the reopening of Anson Restaurant, so don’t expect anything less than subtle movements on this project. We’ll keep checking back in for you.

• Balish Family to Re-Open Anson, Launch Farmers & Exchange Restaurant [CP]
• Farmers' and Exchange Bank [Wikipedia]
• Saracen Restaurant [Douglas Keister]