Danforth Family Farms Country Store 1

Danforth Family Farms Country Store, located at 102 N. Davis Street, Nashville, Georgia

Located in a former gas station in downtown Nashville, Georgia, Danforth Family Farms Country Store is becoming a popular stop for locals and tourists.

Featuring a large selection of fresh pork products from Danforth Family Farms and beef from McKinnon Cattle in nearby Douglas, the nostalgic store also carries an assortment of Georgia-made products and country-themed home décor.

For Terry and Lisa Danforth, opening a retail shop, especially during a pandemic, was mainly out of necessity.

During the emergence of COVID-19, Danforth Family Farms, like many other pork producers, was impacted by the temporary closing of national meat processing plants.

“We were still sending some hogs to processing facilities,” Terry says. “The problem was most of them were running at half production because of employees being out with COVID.”

Selling directly to the consumer was an option. “We had thought about starting a private label before, but COVID quickly pushed us in that direction,” says Terry, who has been raising hogs since 1980.

Within a few weeks, the Danforths had secured a local USDA processor, purchased a refrigerated truck, and obtained the necessary permits.

Free from antibiotics and growth hormones, Danforth Family Farms’ selection of pork includes bacon, ham, sausage, chops, tenderloins, and ribs.

Starting their direct sale operation at the Nashville Farmers Market, the Danforths relied on word-of-mouth and social media posts and admitted they weren’t sure what response they would receive.

“I had a truck loaded with 10,000 pounds of pork,” says Terry, who asked himself, “What if this doesn’t work?”

Sharing her husband’s concerns, Lisa says, “I remember following the truck to town and thinking about what would we do with all this meat?”

Their apprehension quickly diminished as they pulled up to the farmers market. “We told people to be there at 9 a.m., and at 7:30 a.m., there was already a line,” he says. “I wondered what these people were doing there so early, but then I found out they were waiting on us.”

In hindsight, Lisa says they weren’t expecting a large number of customers. “We had one cash register on a system I hadn’t even practiced. People stood in line for hours as we had to use scraps of paper to write down their orders.”

By the second week, Lisa says they were better prepared. “Thankfully, we were able to process people a little easier, but we still ran out of pork within a few hours.”

As the weeks passed, the Danforths alternated between selling at the farmers market and directly on their family farm, located about 10 miles from Nashville.

Family Business: Lauren Carpenter, Terry and Lisa Danforth, Clayton and Lindsey Danforth, Aubree Carpenter, and Reed Danforth.

By mid-summer, the Danforths decided it was time to open a retail shop, which is located adjacent to Our Place Hotel, also owned by the Danforths.

“The building had been a restaurant and dress shop,” Lisa says. “When we originally bought the building, the plan was to extend the hotel, but we got busy on the farm and didn’t get to it.”

Less than a year after opening, Lisa says the store is still a work in progress. “I’m continuing to add more products. My goal is to have as many local and regional Georgia products as possible.”

The Danforth Family Farms Country Store, located at 102 N. Davis Street, Nashville, is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.