The Laffayette Gin Farmer’s Market
Welcome to Grand Junction, home of 325 residents, a couple of railroad lines, a lot of history, and a superb farmer’s market inside a retrofitted gin. This amazing city took it upon themselves to make sure they had fresh fruits and vegetables available to the surrounding community.
Grand Junction is located in the southwestern corner of Hardeman and Fayette County. People living there have to travel at least 20 miles to get to the nearest grocery store. Lorie Rice, Grand Junction’s City Recorder and Certified Municipal Finance Officer (CMFO), explained the steps the city had to take so they could provide what the community needed. Before the Historic Laffayette Gin Farmers Market in Grand Junction was started, “there were no healthy alternatives here, no fresh produce or anything like that. We did not have the ability to have fresh foods close by. The only thing that we have here are the two dollar stores. A lot of our people who live in this area are retirees on a fixed income or low-income households outside of our city limits. We felt like there was a need to try and provide healthier food choices for these people.” With that idea in mind, a proposal was composed.
The proposal was extremely instrumental in getting the Farmer’s Market set-up. Rice, as the city’s CMFO, was able to get it to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, “When I pitched this proposal, I was letting them know that we are a true food desert, but we can make small changes in our small community that will affect multiple communities around us. We're helping in that process by reducing obesity rates, allowing for healthier alternatives in your backyard—or pretty close—and not having to drive 20 miles for groceries. We're trying to create somewhere that people can get healthy choices for food.” Mayor Curtis Lane also saw the need in Grand Junction. He knew without a doubt that “This is something our community needs. It’s been an ongoing project. All my relatives are from Hardeman County. Even though I grew up away from Grand Junction, I always wanted to move back.” He moved into the community 29 years ago and when he became mayor he saw the opportunity the gin presented too, “The gin has always been a meeting place and for quite some time we had been trying to find a way to utilize it. Our community has a lot of seniors in it and a farmer's market was a great way to get fresh vegetables to them.”
Using the gin was a very important factor when it came to proposing the farmer's market. Everyone knew that the history of the town needed to be a part of what they were trying to do. At one time Grand Junction was bigger than Memphis, but that was way back when the town was first started. The name Grand Junction came from the fact that this is the one place where the East to West and the North to South Railroads cross and interconnect. Rice expounded on what continues to make the city’s name relevant, “We have one of the last standing depots in Hardeman County, one of the few depots we have left in the state of Tennessee.” As the proposal said, “This would help reconstruct the Old Cotton Gin that once was a prime agricultural site in Grand Junction that helped the city advance and cultivate, with this project hopefully the Cotton Gin will again become that place in Grand Junction.” The spot the gin is in is considered as, “the most ideal setting for the Farmer’s Market due to the traffic of vehicles passing through Grand Junction.” The proposal also mentioned, “There is a lot of room available for a Farmer’s Market in the Cotton Gin, with a square footage of 4,696 square feet, leaving plenty of room for the possible Café and Agricultural educational area. Parking spaces are available, both in front of and behind the Cotton Gin.”
After the proposal was made and sent to the Department of Agriculture; it was a bit of let’s wait and see. However, there is one person at the Department of Agriculture that wanted to make sure the citizens of Grand Junction wouldn’t have to wait too long. She was really the driving force that made sure Grand Junction could get their farmer’s Market. Rice explained that “Colleen Coury was determined to help our city. She was just adamant that we need this because she saw where we had the need,” for the fresh produce, “If we had the ability to clone Colleen Coury, it would make the world a better place.” Coury, in turn, spoke about how proud she is of the work that the administration of Grand Junction and the Department of Agriculture have done. “The farmers market at Grand Junction has great potential to be a major agritourism attraction and will assist Hardeman County in becoming a major tourism destination in Southwest Tennessee. I would just like to praise the leadership of Mayor Curtis Lane and City Administrator Lorie Rice in having a dream and seeing that dream come to fruition in saving the Lafayette Gin.”
This isn’t the first building Grand Junction has repurposed; they’ve also set-up a 5000 square foot Public Library in the cafeteria of an old school. They’re also hoping to eventually build a safe room there and move City Hall, the Fire, and Police Departments there in the future to create a mini-municipal complex there. It seems like all kinds of big things are happening in Grand Junction!
The Laffayette Gin Farmer’s Market has vendors on Fridays from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm and Saturdays 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. They are also planning to hold a First Saturday event that will include the Arts and Craft Vendors and also Farmers Market Vendors, provided produce is available. Rice told us that “We are still working out the specifics on certain events that will fall on the first Saturday of each month. So the last two months, November and December may have extended hours above the Farmers Market hours.” A small retail space called “The Gin Shoppe Gift and Goods” will also be in the space. They are planning to have it open during the week so people can stop by anytime and pick up goods! The space will be run in part by vendors whose products are displayed. A grand opening is expected to be announced soon!
To learn more about all the fruits, veggies, canned goods, crafts and more waiting for you at the Laffayette Gin Farmer’s Market, visit https://grandjunctiontn.com/laffayettegin.htm or call City Hall at (731) 764-2871. You can also reach them at grandjunction@bellsouth.net.