GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Sumner County has a new grocery option — and it comes straight from the farmers who grow the food.
Zach and Kyndle Erhard, owners of Oak Grove Farms, opened the Oak Grove Farms grocery store in Gallatin in early September. The store features more than 60 vendors, locally sourced products and fresh, seasonal produce.
"We thought, why not build a permanent store?" Kyndle said.
The store carries a focus on whole and natural foods, with an emphasis on local sourcing wherever possible.
"We like to focus on local, and the items that we can get local, we'll get local," Kyndle said.
"Quality is the most important," Zach said. "A lot of what we're carrying here are whole foods, natural products."
For shoppers increasingly concerned about food safety, Zach said the store offers something beyond just groceries.
"Seems like every day you're hearing of another recall or something happening with our food supply, and so I think this just connects the farmer to the public," Zach said.
The Erhards are not only farmers and business owners — they are also parents of two young children.
“We have a 10-week-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old, and we still managed to build a grocery store,” Kyndle said.
The store opened to strong early demand, with the parking lot nearly full on a Tuesday morning and throughout the opening weekend. The response has been meaningful to the couple, who said the store has been a long-held vision.
“I would say this is very validating for us because it’s been a longtime vision for us, and it says that the community wants this,” Zach said.
"I pray that it continues on and I pray more and more people find us and find good food," Kyndle said. "And that's our hope and that's our prayer."
Beyond groceries, the store includes a wall of baked goods and an in-house coffee shop. An outdoor turfed area gives families a place to gather.
“We’ve also built something where people can come and they can stay longer. They can come work here. They can grab a coffee,” Kyndle said. “We have an outdoor space where kids can run, moms can meet up for coffee, and the kids can do whatever they want on our turfed area. So we’ve kind of essentially created an environment for people to come and stay longer.”
The Oak Grove Farms Grocery Store is open year-round in Gallatin. It's located at 517 W Main Street.
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