‘He made me an offer and I took it.’ Popular Columbus market gets new owner, name

Larry Grier stands behind the counter at the former Fat Boy’s Farmer’s Market on Veterans Parkway, shelling pecans by hand.

They’ve been run through a cracking machine, but he pulls apart the tough shells and removes the nuts with his fingers. The pecans will be bagged and sold to customers at the market, which the farmer took over a month ago. “Grier’s Farmers Market” is the store’s new name.

Grier’s a bit of a hard nut to crack himself.

The 67-year-old Buena Vista man has been farming for nearly 50 years, and operates the 150-acres of Grier Farms mostly on his own. A combination of his west Georgia accent, soft cadence and unimposing personality make conversation a little difficult at first.

But if produce doesn’t get him talking, nothing will.

“I’ve been growing produce all my life,” Grier said. “That’s all I’ve ever done.”

The market sits on the side of the highway, near the intersection of Manchester Expressway. It was owned by local businessman Mike Blackwell from 2009 to August 2014, when Jonathan Hudson took over as Hudson’s Farm Fresh until earlier this year.

Grier acquired the business at the beginning of November from Blackwell, who had taken back ownership.

“He made me an offer and I took it,” Grier said. “We’ve done a whole lot of improvement inside. Even the customers brag about how clean it is and all.”

He can quickly name off the items that he currently has in stock: Sugarcane, pecans, peanuts, squash, frozen peas, butter beans, tomatoes, okra, peppers, sweet corn, and apples from B.J. Reece Apple House in Ellijay, Georgia. Sweet potatoes, turnips and collards are the most popular items right now, Grier said.

The produce he buys at Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park, where he also sells his own crops when they’re in season. Next year, customers can look forward to fresh peas, corn and watermelon from Grier Farms.

The advantage of shopping at a small market like his instead of a grocery store is the freshness of the produce, Grier said.

“Most of the time ours is probably a lot fresher,” Grier said. “What’s in season, we get it fresh. And most grocery stores don’t buy from local farmers, and we do.”

The challenges of farming change like the seasons.

“Every year is different,” Grier said. “Like insects, there’s different insects every year. I don’t know where they come from but what works this year won’t work next year.”

Farming has also changed significantly since Grier finished school in 1971 and started farming. Grier said he tried to get his grandson to pick up the farming business, but wasn’t successful.

“Used to, you could farm kind of for a hobby, but it’s got too expensive now,” he said. “It can be tough sometimes, no doubt about it.”

But a steady stream of customers in just the first month shows there may be room for a business like his in Columbus.

“You got to have customers, the backup of the neighborhood to make it work,” Grier said. “You got to treat people right, that’s the main thing. I’ve got customers in Atlanta they’ll bring me a box of candy and a card thanking me for being there where they can buy fresh produce. Stuff like that makes you feel good, you’re doing something to help the neighborhood and trying to make a living too.”

This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 5:00 AM.