Apple grower comes down from Perkins Ridge to open a retail store in town.
LEWISTON – Peter Wallingford feels strongly about supporting local farmers.
So strongly he’s opening a produce store to give shoppers a chance to do just that.
“Our aim is – since American agriculture isn’t subsidized – to offer produce from American farms here. At the same time, we’re trying to keep it as local as possible,” said Wallingford, who opened Wally’s Produce about six weeks ago. “Besides, it’s fresher that way.”
The store is located at 793 Main St., but scanning the aisles is like taking a tour of local farms. Potatoes, cabbage and squash are from Holbrook Farms, tomatoes from Farmer Whiting’s, cukes and lettuce from Vincent Fruit, gourds and corn stalks from Bell Farms and, of course, apples from Wallingford’s Fruit House and Orchard. Some of the fruit house’s baked goods, such as Wally Pies (cream sandwiched between two apple spice cookies), whoopie pies and apple dumplings, will be offered as well.
A third-generation apple grower at the Perkins Ridge orchard, Wallingford said he and his family discussed opening a retail produce store for the last few years. Continued pressure from foreign growers has decimated the wholesale market for his apples and the business needed to look elsewhere for revenues.
As an example, he said he used to get 8.5 to 10 cents per pound for cider apples; now he gets 3 cents per pound because of competition from apple concentrate imported from China.
“We need to sell more of our apples locally,” said Wallingford. “As soon as the pick-your-own (season) is done, business up at the Ridge drops off drastically.”
Mother Nature adds her own touch to the apple market. Last week’s wind storm damaged three to four dozen trees, among them some prized Honey Crisps, which are riding a tide of popularity right now. As bad as Wednesday’s storm was, it wasn’t nearly as bad as a hail storm, which translates to $250,000 worth of damage per minute, said Wallingford.
It’s all part of doing business, but Wallingford is hoping the new store will give him an edge.
He’s pricing Wally’s produce at cost with a little extra to stay competitive with local supermarkets. He also has high standards for the produce he offers, taking a pass on some oranges that were from last season’s crop and looking a little too dry.
Wallingford scouted for a location before buying the Main Street store. It had been the Veggie House, so some of the set-up work was taken care of. But Wallingford and his family applied 30 gallons of paint to the exterior and interior to get in shape for its opening.
Road work on outer Main Street has slowed business somewhat, said Wallingford, but now that the project is over, he hopes it will pick up. Likewise, he hopes that others feel as strongly as he does about supporting local growers by buying local produce.
“I think people want to support local farmers and industries,” he said. “I was willing to put my money where my mouth was. I hope I don’t find out that people really only want what’s cheapest.”
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