“Our journey is rooted in family, local food, and a passion for bringing fresh, homegrown goods to our neighbors,” Mathews said.
The “simple summer project” started as a small produce stand in 2021 at the end of his driveway, selling sweet corn and a few vegetables he grew on his farm.
“Over time, the support from the community grew, and so did our dreams. My dream is to go to college for agribusiness to expand my company to support our community,” Mathews said, who graduates in May and plans to go to Clark State College.
“We expanded the stand into a full seasonal market, and now we’re excited to be moving into a permanent storefront just up the road from the farm.”
Mathews said he has had a lot of support through the transition from a stand to a market from family, local mentors, community members, Kerry at Kerry’s Cafe and customers.
“It’s been amazing to see how many people are excited to help us grow,” he said.
Although Mathews is the owner, his family, including his parents Logan and Kristin Mathews, play a big role in helping to keep everything running smoothly, such as harvesting, managing the stand or getting the storefront ready.
The new market will offer a variety of locally grown produce, fresh eggs, baked goods, seasonal items, handmade products from other small businesses in the area, as well as working to add a selection of local made goods by local artisans, Mathews said. He will also offer pumpkins in the fall and Christmas trees in the winter.
The grand opening will include food trucks, live music, giveaways, and kid activities such as a farm petting zoo.
Regular market hours will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The market will be open for produce all the time for people to pick up items on a “take as you need and leave cash in a cash box” honor system.
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