Looking for local produce year-round? This Germantown shop answers your fresh food prayers

For the last decade, Todd Hollins has been running a construction company in Georgetown, Indiana. He had job security and was making good money but decided he wanted something else out of life.

On Sept. 1, Hollins welcomed the Germantown neighborhood to the grand opening of his new business venture, Wide Abide Farm & Market at 1127 E. Kentucky St. Wide Abide Farm & Market is an urban, indoor year-round farmers market concept where Hollins sells local meat, dairy, honey, coffee, vegetables, mushrooms and more.

But for Hollins, the business was a gift from the universe and a "complete opportunity."

"I'm looking forward to people seeing what we really have to offer ... I think that we offer a really good product," Hollins told the Courier Journal.

So how did Hollins go from a contractor to a boutique urban market owner? Like so many others, his life changed dramatically during the pandemic. Hollins said as an essential worker, his construction business took off and the company saw its best three years in revenue during that time. But the increased workload didn't come without stress.

In January of last year, Hollins laid off everyone from his construction company. He simply needed a break, he said, and had every intention of getting the construction company back up and running by the spring, with a focus on customized decks and garages, hoping the shift from general contracting would help lessen his stress.

"I was just struggling with my nerves," Hollins said.

He began looking for natural immune system boosters, and through his own research, decided mushrooms coupled with ingredients such as turmeric, ashwagandha, black pepper, cinnamon, honey and others worked to increase his energy levels and reduce his stress when added to his morning coffee.

At the same time, Hollins started doing yoga at Yoga East in Germantown. He hoped yoga, and his new daily supplement, would help him find some much-needed peace and balance in life.

"For me personally, I found the golden ticket," Hollins said.

As luck would have it, the closed business next door to Yoga East was owned by a man who had a Lion's Mane mushroom farm behind the business. Hollins and the owner would occasionally strike up a conversation, bonding over their love of mushrooms. He eventually bought the building and decided to leave the construction world behind and make it the home of Wide Abide Farm & Market.

At the market, Hollins strives to sell the rawest and most pure version of products to his customers. He sources meats and dairy products from On Tapp Dairy in Springfield, Kentucky, honey from his uncle's honey farm in Southern Indiana, coffee from Bean Roastery and Cafe in Louisville, and all other products, including vegetables, are locally sourced.

Dudley Tapp, the owner of On Tapp Dairy, said Hollins' enthusiasm and desire to help local farmers get quality products into the community at all times, not just at Saturday farmers markets, was what encouraged him to be a supplier for Wide Abide Farm & Market.

"He is trying to help his neighbors," Tapp said. "I hope people will come out and support him. I think he has a good idea."

Hollins said his long-term goal with Wide Adie is to expand, creating multiple locations around the city, including in Louisville's West End — a food desert — to provide high quality, farm fresh food at a comparable or cheaper price point to big box stores.

"I know wholeheartedly I'm offering a good product and making sure ... I'm trying to give it at the best prices," Hollins said. "And then to see the kids come and see products the way that they should be presented, it's a beautiful thing. People can feel good about where [the products] are coming from."

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Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @oliviamevans_.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Urban, year-round Wide Abide Farm & Market opens in Germantown