Grandpa Joe’s opened in early March on King Street, offering sandwiches, baked potatoes, hot wings, salads, fudge and more.

The restaurant also offers gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches with a choice of four cheeses: pepper jack, American, Swiss or cheddar. The family-oriented restaurant serves pulled pork sandwiches made from a family recipe.

The business started around 2010 at the 105 Flea Market, where owner Dawn Carey began selling lunches to customers every weekend. Originally selling jewelry, Carey noticed another vendor selling fudge. She experimented with her own recipe and found instant success, Carey said.

“I gave it a try, and it took off. It’s an old family recipe, mostly just chocolate, but I’ve since branched off and created a lot of different flavors from that base,” Carey said. “It’s my great-great-grandmother’s recipe from the mid-1800s.”

After working in the flea market business, community has been a big part of Carey’s life. By making bracelets, she supported various charitable organizations, with each bracelet representing a different cause, Carey said.

“Right now, we’re trying to raise $25,000 for Habitat for Humanity to help with hurricane recovery. Thirty percent of my jewelry sales — all one-of-a-kind pieces — will go toward that,” Carey said. “After that, we’ll pick a different charity. I donate to several causes throughout the year.”

Hurricane Helene destroyed much of the flea market where Carey originally established her business. This prompted her to seek out a new opportunity and open a store downtown, Carey said.

“I was renting one whole side of it, and that side got completely wiped out. The other side was hit hard too, but I don’t see them rebuilding it anytime soon,” Carey said. “The owners also run the Flintlock Campground nearby, and that got hit hard too.” Flintlock Campground will reopen in spring 2025 after closing for the winter to recover from Hurricane Helene.

Grandpa Joe’s is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday.