Inside Photos of The Farm Stand, A Market for Farmers

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• The Farm Stand in South Portland. [All photos: Adam H. Callaghan]

The Farm Stand opened last Friday, bringing fresh local produce and whole-animal, local butchery to the Knightville neighborhood of South Portland. The new store is across the street from South Portland's summer farmers' market, a fact that butcher/co-owner Ben Slayton readily acknowledged: "We really are trying to come up with ways to incentivize people to go to the farmers' market first, then come here to finish. Some of our suppliers are over there, and we want to support that!" When the farmers' market packs up, though, The Farm Stand will still be there every day—even through the winter, as a customer pointed out. Manager/co-owner Joe Fournier was excited to open the doors and welcome the public into the bright, clean space. He explained what makes the store's model special: "It's our direct connection (gestures to fridge labeled "Jordan's Farm Produce"). That's [co-owner] Penny [Jordan] over there (gestures to the front of the store), and she controls the supply chain. If we have a surplus of peppers, for example, we could bring that price down." The Farm Stand also deals with 20+ local farms beyond Jordan's. See photos of their wares below:

The Farm Stand is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Fournier said they had a very good first weekend, receiving positive feedback from the community and surrounding towns. He called the Knightville neighborhood "the best kept secret in the Portland area." The shop will soon be fleshed out with bread, grab-and-go prepared foods, and locally-sourced grocery items.
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