Farmers & Friends Marketplace moves to Ross Farms
Courtesy of Drew Ross
The products that were available at the former Farmers & Friends Marketplace in downtown Washington will be available at a store on the property of Ross Farms.
Courtesy of Drew Ross
Drew Ross, owner/operator of Ross Farms, is moving Farmers & Friends Marketplace to a store that will be on the farm in Eighty Four.
Farmers & Friends Marketplace has closed its operation at 145 S. Main St. in Washington, but that doesn’t mean products from the store are no longer available.
The business will now be at the property of Ross Farms on Route 519 in Eighty Four and will be branded under the farm business.
“We are shifting our store from Main Street downtown, back to the farm,” said Drew Ross, owner/operator of Ross Farms. “We’re just simplifying our lives a little bit. It seems like the customer/consumer nowadays wants more of an experience. We have a beautiful 113-year-old farm that we would love for them to experience. It’s time to make a change.”
A soft opening is planned for Sunday, but the grand opening is set for 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 1 at the farm and will include a lamb roast.
The store will be in a structure built on the farm in 1930 after Ross’ great-grandfather, Frank L. Ross, eloped. His father, Frank L. Ross Sr., for whom the farm is named, constructed the small bungalow in the backyard of the main farmhouse for Frank Jr. and his bride.
Ross said the move to the farm also is a move of convenience. He runs the farm with Riley Carter, a teacher at Trinity East Elementary, whom he calls his partner in business and life.
“We don’t have all of the time in the world,” Ross said. “We feel the farm was underutilized and we can offer more to the customer if they come to us. As it stands now, I live about 25 yards from the store.”
The store will be open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Products that will be offered include beef, lamb, pork, goat, chicken, eggs, dairy, honey, jams and jelly.
“If it’s a local agriculture product, we’ve got it,” Ross said.
He added that the opportunity will now exist to offer tours of the 179-acre farm, which was built in 1910 and has been in his family for six generations.
There also will be opportunities for people to pick their own items, such as sweet corn, sunflowers, wildflowers and pumpkins.
Ross has been running the farm since he graduated from Washington High School in 2013. Sheep, cattle, turkeys, hogs, and miniature Mediterranean donkeys are raised there.
“We’re open to the public,” Ross said. “Anybody is welcome to come.”