Ann Arbor Times

Lively NeighborFood Market in Empire, Michigan, is providing fresh local produce to its community year-round after the closure of the area’s only grocery store. The market, founded by Jim Lively, operates out of a 4,000-square-foot building and has already distributed $60,000 to about 25 nearby farms for their products.

“We love our farmers. I mean, that’s really why we’re doing this, right? We have about 25 farms that are nearby that are providing various products” from produce, fruit, meat and dairy, Lively said. Throughout the year, he also receives specialty farm items such as chestnuts, Concord grapes, pumpkins, sweet corn and Christmas trees.

Lively credits the Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor as a key influence for his market. “Really and truly, without Argus Farm Stop’s help, this place could not have gotten started as quickly and as well as we have,” Lively said. “There’s so many decisions in a startup that you have to make, and to be able to call someone or to look at a model and say, ‘Well, this is how they did it, we’ll just start there.’ Having Argus to give us a model made all the difference.”

Argus Farm Stop began operations in 2014 and has paid more than $26 million to local farmers since then. In recent years it has shared its business model through classes and on-site visits. In 2024 it launched the National Farm Stop Conference in Ann Arbor to further spread the concept across Michigan communities such as Chelsea, Marquette, Empire, Hastings, Benton Harbor and Jackson.

The growth of small farms in Washtenaw County is partly attributed to having strong retail outlets like farm stops where consumers can reliably buy local goods.

Casey Miller of Argus Farm Stop explained how these markets work: “A farm stop is a brick and mortar retail store open everyday that sells local goods, any farm products, so produce meat, dairy, baked goods, dry goods, and most of those sales are done in consignment so that the farmer still owns the goods.”

Miller noted that this year’s conference brought together 200 participants from 28 states. Argus also provides training on launching new farm stops covering topics such as site planning and working with farmers.

“It’s really exciting. I think that people are just looking for something to change the paradigm of food, and especially local food,” Miller said. “Farmers selling through a traditional grocery store will get 15 cents on the dollar for what they sell. Here at Argus they get 70 cents on the dollar. So it’s been really impactful here in our community over the last 11 years. And so that word is getting around.”

Most farm stops operate daily throughout the week ensuring steady access to locally grown food for residents. Unlike traditional farmers markets which may run less frequently or seasonally,farm stops provide regular sales data back to participating farmers so they can plan future crops based on demand.

“In rural communities across Michigan, across the country traditional grocery stores are leaving rural communities and they’re being replaced by things like dollar stores,” Miller said. “A farm stop maintains that connection between the community and the people that are in that community growing food. So there’s still a variety of local produce and fresh healthy food available to their community.”

Earlier this year Michigan's Department of Agriculture & Rural Development announced grants up to $50,000 each for new or expanding farm stops.Michigan ranks second nationally for agricultural diversity, with nearly 47,000 farms producing crops such as tart cherries and asparagus.

“We want our customers to come here first buy everything they possibly can for us and then go to a big box store for their lemons or their bananas or the things that Michigan is never going to be able to grow. So we see it as a compliment to traditional grocery shopping not as a complete replacement for a traditional grocery shopping experience,” Miller said.

Argus currently runs three locations in Ann Arbor: Liberty Cafe & Market; Packard Cafe; Packard Market.

Kathy Sample from Argus explained why her team decided to create formal training programs: many interested groups reached out hoping to start similar businesses elsewhere in Michigan. She recently donated equipment such as an old refrigerator to Grow Jackson—a nonprofit founded by University of Michigan alum Jacob Inosencio—supporting its efforts toward starting its own community-focused market.

“Something that's kind of unique about them is that all farm stops wherever they are have some sort of high margin or higher margin business piece of their business that helps subsidize the market,” Sample said. “For Argus it's our cafes. For Lakeshore they brew their own kombucha and they also do hot prepared foods.”

At Lively NeighborFood Market meals prepared by Mel & Fell Catering use ingredients grown locally; members of Lively's family manage different aspects including farming four acres onsite or running events at an associated campground.

“I leaned very heavily on Argus Farm Stop. They were great from the beginning. They were just so generous to open their store and their books to show us how they did it,” Lively said.

But being in a rural community he didn’t think operating a coffee shop would attract enough visitors compared with Ann Arbor locations.

“But the campground opportunity made a lot of sense because of all the tourists that come to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes,” Lively said.“So we're kind of operating the campground as our version of the Argus Coffee Shop,and then also adding commercial kitchen because that's one thing that's also for locals as well as tourists.Having prepared foods really helps keep traffic coming back.”

Lively says knowing customers personally adds value beyond transactions.“That’s been just a real joy getting to know our neighbors so much better,” he said.“I’ve got so many stories in just a year of people who rely on us.They’ll call,'Hey can you stay open few extra minutes?' Of course,we encourage them...I’m more than happy take phone call."

“We’ve had people drive up,'Hey,it’s winter.Can you help me get some food out my car?' Happy do all that.I mean these are friends.They’re neighbors.They’re not just our customers.”