Falls Church Business Brings the Farmer’s Market Under one Roof

A lot can be said about a name and Tom Coates believes the name he picked out for his grocery store speaks volumes.

Coates opened “” in August after spending time working as an electrician. He said his wife had no problem with him leaving his job to open the store.

“The most beef I got was the name,” Coates said. “No one liked the name. I think it just rolls off your tongue.”

The store sells items made and grown by local and regional people. Coates said 13 vendors that supply merchandise to his store also sell their items at the Falls Church Farmer’s Market. The store first opened its doors Aug. 10 and continues to grow with more vendors.

There were plenty Saturdays where Coates couldn’t make it to the Falls Church Farmer’s Market because he was coaching little league baseball. A fan of locally grown items, he thought about a way he could get the items he wanted on a more consistent basis. Driving back and forth to work, he noticed he always passed a vacant storefront and thought about opening a store there.

“I was open for two days and I put on Facebook that I was open and I got a local person to make cookies,” Coates said.

Margaret O’Neill found out about the store from another vendor. O’Neill, who co-owns the Vienna-based dehydrated soups and dip mixes company Gypsy Hill with her husband, said she mostly sells her products at different farmer’s markets and exclusively at the store. She said her products have done very well in the store.

“We heard he was taking vendors,” O’Neill said. “We’ve been very pleased with how our items have been doing.”

With Thanksgiving just a week away, Coates said he is getting more holiday crafts in. Pecan logs, mixed nuts, chicken and steer have made their way to the store, all from local vendors. The one thing you can’t get from the store for Thanksgiving is your turkey.

Coates said he was used to taking daily naps when he was an electrician because his schedule permitted it. Now, the father of three said his days are busier than ever.

“The hours are brutal,” Coates said. “It’s 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. but I’m much happier now.”