Photo by Rachel Pressley
“I’m working with new farmers weekly to help fix the food desert that was here,” says Reda Harvey, owner of the Mill Spring Farm Store. After working as a restaurant manager for 36 years, 65-year-old Harvey launched her second career in 2013. On May 1, Harvey moved her location from the Mill Spring Agricultural Center to a larger space nearby so she could carry many more additional items and offer better access for community members. “I am really concerned about the community and about providing quality products,” says Harvey. “Before, people would have to drive into Columbus or Lake Lure for food. This community is actually quite large, so this helps them not to have to travel so far for fresh food.”
The store carries locally sourced sustainable and organic fresh fruit and vegetables from farmers’ markets, eggs, meat from Caitlyn Farms and Hickory Nut Gap Farm, pepper and BBQ sauces from chef Tom Fisher in Lake Lure, simple syrups and seasonings from Tryon Mountain Lavender Farm, locally baked breads, mountain trout and fresh NC seafood, Anson Mill heirloom grains, cheeses from Looking Glass Creamery, gluten-free snacks and mixes, and more.
Harvey praises the “talented [farmers and food entrepreneurs] that can provide us [these] things.”
“This grew out of my passion for food and making sure that people eat healthy”, she adds.
Mill Spring Farm Store, 82 Hwy. 9 Suite 4, Mill Spring. Store hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10am-5pm; Thursday, 11am-7pm; and Saturday, 10am-3pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. www.millspringfarmstore.com. 828-894-8028.
