MUNCIE, Ind- The Downtown Farmstand, owned by Dave and Sara Ring, has been open in Muncie since 2007. Their business started small and has grown to be a catering service, restaurant, grocery store and delivery service.
The grocery store offers organic and home cooked food. The Farmstand buys from local farms and what they can’t get from the farms, they get from organic producers to make their food authentic and unlike other stores.
“They have a lot of stuff that you can’t find anywhere else,” customer Keith Lewis said.
The Ring family started out as organic farmers and realized there wasn't a good outlet to sell their goods. They wished there was a local grocery store to sell to, so they opened the Downtown Farmstand.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many small businesses, including the Downtown Farmstand, suffered. The store has managed to stay open while making some adjustments.
“Recently we've landed on this Hoosier classics menu…taking our farm products and doing really good Hoosier interpretations because we feel like people are into comfort food right now,” co-owner Dave Ring said.
These menu changes have helped the store generate a community where people come together to eat classic foods in a relaxed, comfortable environment. The store has regular customers that have been coming to The Farmstand for years.
“I like the family nature of it and that it's run by a family and by local people,” customer Julee Rosser said. “I like that the money that I spend here stays here. I believe in the mission of The Farmstand,”
Ring has worked in small businesses his entire life and shared that the economy during and post pandemic, has been the hardest time for business owners.
“It was a tough time for small businesses after the pandemic,” Ring said. “Lots of legacy businesses, small and large, downtown were affected in a large way. A lot of businesses closed, new ones have opened, but it's a very tough economy with huge amount of corrupt competition or predatory competition ”
Ring shares that business insurance, real estate insurance and prices of products and utilities have all gone up in price. Consumers don’t want to match that price, so it has been difficult to find what works.
Rosser shares the importance of supporting small businesses so that they can continue to stay open and thrive.
“We have a lot of regular customers, who are our community,” Ring said. “And we couldn't be here without them.”
While The Downtown Farmstand has faced challenges, the Ring family has continued to improve their store with new ideas, foods and goods for the betterment of the community. For more information follow The Downtown Farmstand on Facebook.
Contact Stella Davis with comments at estella.davis@bsu.edu.
