Local farm stand makes a comeback

YORK - Rocky Acres Farm Stand has made a comeback this summer, and headed in a bit of a new direction. Karen McElmurry, the new business owner of Simply Grown at Rocky Acres, has taken it on as her own.

“The farm stand is kind of an icon, because it’s been here for years and years,” McElmurry said of the Ridge Road stand. “It’s been run by the Johnson family all these years, so I am the first non-Johnson to actually rent it and run it.”

Although McElmurry has added new products, she’s sure to keep some of the original finds on the shelf, too, such as the delicious baked goods.

“I’ve always been really into gardening and growing healthy food and baking for myself personally, so when I had the opportunity to take over this stand I wanted to carry on some of the things they were doing,” said McElmurry. “Which was providing good quality baked goods and locally gown produce as much as possible. Supporting some small organic farmers, every week I try to get vegetables from them.”

Her homemade scones, baked fresh every morning, have certainly caught the attention of many who stop by the stand looking for baked goods, fresh produce, flowers, and so many other summer essentials.

“I think, for me, it’s just really nice to have this farm stand. People can stop here, they can buy local produce, they can get some local flowers,” McElmurry said. “They’re supporting not only a small business, but then everyone who contributes to it, which is really wonderful.”

The appeal of the farm stand cannot go unnoticed, either. 

“People, when they walk into this little farm stand, it’s kind of a step back in time a little bit, and this is how it used to be,” McElmurry said. “It just has so much character, and I think people just love the simplicity of it.”

Although McElmurry didn’t grow up on a farm, she always wanted to. Growing up in a subdivision in Michigan, she wanted a horse, animals and a farm, but she never had those things.

“My grandmother was a farmer, and she canned and did all that kind of stuff, and my mother did none of that, so I think it skipped a generation to me,” said McElmurry, who says she got her farming knack from her grandmother.

When she became an adult, she lived on a small farm and used to attend the farmer's markets. She always worked on apple orchards, and did a lot of work with wildlife - in fact, she is the former director of the Center for Wildlife in York.

“It was just something that just sort of fit really well with me,” McElmurry said on running the stand.

Simply Grown, which McElmurry is hoping to keep open until Columbus Day weekend, is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. She will continue to sell the produce, baked goods, and other summer delights, and switch over to pumpkins, apples and fall crops for the fall season.

“People have been really positive with it, and I think when people see the importance of something, hopefully they start to support it a little more, too,” McElmurry said. “And realize that even if they only come in one a week, or a couple days a week, and buy a few things, it helps a lot of people, a lot of local little businesses.”

With the tourists visiting, and the locals getting more accustomed to shopping at local farm stands, Rocky Acres is sure to continue to grow.

“I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been a lot of work, for sure, I have to get up early, the baking is definitely a lot, but it’s very rewarding,” McElmurry said.