A couple of Jacksonville businessmen are wrapping up a plan to export Jacksonville—one box at a time. River City Crate is offering patrons a way to shop locally from anywhere on the globe.
River City Crate co-founder Andrew Dutt says he got the idea while shopping at the Riverside Arts Market.
“Back in November, I decided I wanted to send local brands out to my family, who lives in Pennsylvania,” he said.
While assembling his Jacksonville-themed gift box, he thought, why not offer pre-packaged versions? Within a day, River City Crate was born, and business partner David Walton was on board.
Walton says one box they offer is full of edible goodies including jelly, beef jerky and popcorn.
“And they’re all coming from local folks, and what’s great about it is they’re all really, really great at their craft,” Walton said. “We wouldn’t put it in the box otherwise.”
One Spark festival attendees can check out River City Crate for themselves starting April 8. The guys will be asking for votes at the Jacksonville Visitors’ Center.
