Small Town Started Its Own Grocery Store

Small Town Started Its Own Grocery Store After their grocery store closed in 2016 residents of rural Mount Pulaski Ill pop 1 800 worked together to open a new store in 2020 Despite the challenges of running a small store the Market on the Hill has been steadily building back its customer base The business is incorporated with shareholders and rents a building in the town’s square It became a popular community project early on “The high school class built the shelving and there was lots of help to get it painted and set up ” says Bonnie Davis general manager One of the store’s goals is to promote and sell locally grown produce and meat But to be sustainable and attract customers it quickly became apparent that staples such as canned and packaged foods and bread and milk were important “Our real purpose is to have access to food We partner with other stores to order food to keep our prices down and remain profitable ” Davis says Market on the Hill has a deli that serves soup sandwiches and salads as well as a baker who comes in four days a week to make homemade rolls and other desserts There are a couple of tables for people who want to get together at the store Meat from local producers is available year-round and local produce comes in seasonally Some people provide honey and salsa Local producers interested in processing and marketing products will soon be helped by a separate project in Mount Pulaski The FarmFed Cooperative sold stock and received grants to buy and renovate a building to include a kitchen and processing facility that will open in 2023 The cooperative is separate from the store but the store will be able to purchase goods and add even more local products Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Market On The Hill 125 S Lafayette St Mount Pulaski Ill 62548 ph 217-270-0005; info@marketonthehill com; www marketonthehill com

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