A longtime West Plains business location is being brought back to life and returning to its roots as a grocery at the corner of Broadway and Porter Wagoner Boulevard.
The Truck Patch Natural Market is co-owned by Sarah (Williams) Adler and husband Michael, who also own stores in Jonesboro and Mtn. Home, both in Arkansas. Sarah grew up in the West Plains area and graduated from West Plains High School; her parents still live here and she makes regular visits.
The finished building will be between 6,000 and 7,000 square feet, and is returning to its roots as a food store. The location held various businesses throughout the years, and was a grocery owned by one of West Plains’ more famous residents, baseball legend Elwin Charles “Preacher” Roe, after his retirement from baseball in the mid-1950s before becoming Nu-Way Grocery Store, then a floral shop, flea market and appliance store.
Adler said she will be able to pinpoint an opening date in about a month, noting that delays in getting renovation supplies have caused the project to move more slowly than expected.
New floors, shelving, ceilings and coolers are being installed, with the renovations done by Steve Bunn Construction of West Plains. Local artists and Kathy Grigsby and Cindy Temple painted the colorful murals on the outside of the building, located at the corner of Broadway and Porter Wagoner Boulevard. Adler said she plans to have them paint murals at the Mtn. Home location as well.
The store will be a natural foods store, says Adler.
“It will basically be a grocery store with products that contain no artificial colors, flavors, high-fructose corn syrup or MSG” she said, adding that the market is meant to be a one-stop shop for consumers who are concerned about those ingredients.
“Cleaner-sourced food is just better for us,” she said. Most of the groceries will be commercially produced, but some locally sourced products like produce, artisanal cheeses and breads from regional bakers will also be available.
The focus is providing high-quality items no matter where they come from. Adler said she expects to be able to find area sources for grass-fed meats and eggs, and will offer milk from regional sources, which must be pasteurized if sold by a third party, but not homogenized. In Missouri, raw milk may only be bought directly from dairy farmers. Environmentally-friendly household goods will also be stocked, including recycled paper and bamboo products.
