Farmview Market to Open February
The new Farmview Market, the brainchild of a public-private partnership between Morgan County and Kelly Products of Covington, is expected to open by the middle of next month. Work crews are finishing the final touches to the site, located just south of Madison on Eatonton Highway, before receiving a Certificate of Occupancy and officially opening for business.
“We are so excited to be opening soon. We have a great management team in place, full of enthusiasm, and with a great deal of experience in grocery and food retail,” said Laura Rotroff, Marketing & Communications Manager for Kelly Products. “Once we get our certificate of occupancy, we will be able to get our team in for training and operations setup to open shortly after. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, we should be open to the public early to mid-Feb. The main retail facility, which will include the specialty grocery, butcher shop and café, will be open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.”
The open-air market will open at the beginning of April and will be open every Saturday until the end of November. This will be a separate structure from the main retail facility that will be connected by covered walkway. “Farmview Market fits into the agritourism business model that comprises a lot of Morgan County’s income. In the area of tourism, we anticipate a lot of people traveling here to visit for some of our unique offerings – the grist mill, butcher shop, the Saturday farmers market and other artisanal businesses and product offerings we will incorporate in the future. We hope to impact agriculture by local and young local farmers being able to re-establish farms that have been neglected or set aside in the past due to the commercialization of agriculture.”
According to County leaders, The Farmview Market complex, which will house an all-year-round specialty grocery store, butcher shop, café and a seasonal farmers market, will enhance the area’s agribusiness while bringing in more tax revenue for the county. Morgan County has invested about $185,000 into the coming Farmview Market, which will be owned and operated by Kelly Products.
“We are so excited to be opening soon. We have a great management team in place, full of enthusiasm, and with a great deal of experience in grocery and food retail,” said Laura Rotroff, Marketing & Communications Manager for Kelly Products. “Once we get our certificate of occupancy, we will be able to get our team in for training and operations setup to open shortly after. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, we should be open to the public early to mid-Feb. The main retail facility, which will include the specialty grocery, butcher shop and café, will be open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.”
The open-air market will open at the beginning of April and will be open every Saturday until the end of November. This will be a separate structure from the main retail facility that will be connected by covered walkway. “Farmview Market fits into the agritourism business model that comprises a lot of Morgan County’s income. In the area of tourism, we anticipate a lot of people traveling here to visit for some of our unique offerings – the grist mill, butcher shop, the Saturday farmers market and other artisanal businesses and product offerings we will incorporate in the future. We hope to impact agriculture by local and young local farmers being able to re-establish farms that have been neglected or set aside in the past due to the commercialization of agriculture.”
County Leaders Optimistic About the Future of Farmview Market
According to County leaders, The Farmview Market complex, which will house an all-year-round specialty grocery store, butcher shop, café and a seasonal farmers market, will enhance the area’s agribusiness while bringing in more tax revenue for the county. Morgan County has invested about $185,000 into the coming Farmview Market, which will be owned and operated by Kelly Products.
"Morgan County government’s direct return on our investment will be less than two years,” said County Manager Michael Lamar. Lamar reported that within the first year of Farmview Market’s opening, the estimated that during the first year alone, just over $200,000 in sales and property taxes, which doesn’t include utility revenue for the county’s sewer and city’s water, will be generated that will benefit Morgan County, which includes the school system, cities and Morgan County government…“