Kendall Strickland grew up around agritourism and fruit stands, which led him to open Strickland Pride Produce in 2020 as a roadside produce stand in downtown Lexington.
But, his situation — more specifically his location — is about to change.
Strickland recently announced he is packing up his roadside stand to move into a storefront at 1129 Athens Road in Crawford.
He plans to open on Feb. 5 next year.
“I really had been looking for a storefront or brick-and-mortar or some type of structure for my business,” Strickland said. “I wanted to have not a totally enclosed environment, but something a little bit more enclosed that way I can offer more varieties of produce.”
The new building will have garage doors to continue the open-air feel, but Strickland will also have the shelter he needs to expand his business.
Linda Parish, office manager of the Oglethorpe County Chamber of Commerce, said Lexington “hates” to lose Strickland’s business.
“It will help Crawford, but we need him, too,” Parish said. “It’s great to have him anywhere in the county.”
The move allows Strickland to offer produce like turnips, beets, collards and lettuce, which can’t be outside for long. Strickland also hopes to sell eggs, milk and meats.
“I feel like I can keep those items on hand a lot longer, and also with having access to electricity, I can have a cooler and freezer,” Strickland said.
The new building will increase personal efficiency for Strickland, too.
“I pretty much store everything inside of my produce trailers; I alternate which one I use throughout the year depending on what I need them for,” he said. “It requires having to load and unload produce every day.”
Strickland, who studied agribusiness at Florida A&M, also plans to host agriculture workshops, such as beekeeping and gardening, at his new location to increase community engagement.
“I really want to center my business more as an agritourism destination other than just a retail, food and produce establishment,” Strickland said. “I really want to draw in more folks around the state who are looking for agritourism spots to travel to.”
He said he might even hire workers down the road.
“I'm gonna try to run it myself for at least the first quarter to half of the year to really make sure that I have total control, and I can handle the transition on my own,” Strickland said. “I probably will start hiring at least one hand probably by summer of next year.”
Strickland said he will miss aspects of his stand in Lexington.
“I really have tried to stand out and be a reason why people come and visit downtown Lexington, so I definitely will miss it,” Strickland said. “I still have some plans I am working on with some other business owners and people in the community to see what we can do to keep Lexington up and going and hopefully growing in the future.”