Everyone knows Detwiler's Farm Market for its abundance of fresh foods and bargain deals on quality products. But how much do you really know about Detwiler's and the local family that runs the store?
In honor of the beloved Sarasota grocery store's 10th anniversary of its Palmer Boulevard location, we figured it's time to take a trip down memory lane. Here are 10 things you need to know about Detwiler's Farm Market.
1. They were once in charge of the Fruitville Grove Market. The Detwiler family ran the Fruitville Grove site east of Interstate 75 for seven years, building it from a small fruit and vegetable stand to a thriving market that eventually had the second largest pumpkin festival in the area. But the company decided not to renew its lease that year because the landowner wanted to raise the rent by $500 after raising it a year before as well. At the time, Henry Detwiler Jr. told the Herald-Tribune that the company would "make it somewhere else."
Ten years later, the company has four stores and a fifth on the way. Speaking of the store on the way...
2. Their new Clark Road store is scheduled to open before the end of the year. It has long been rumored that Detwiler's would take over the former Winn-Dixie space at Clark and Swift roads. Confirmation came in May when the company held an announcement event at the site. South Sarasota has been asking for its own Detwiler's for years, and soon, it will finally be here. Company President Sam Detwiler told the Herald-Tribune last week that Detwiler's is doing everything it can to have the store open as soon as possible — which means that if all goes well, we could all be getting our holiday fixings from the Clark Road store.
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3. The company established itself as Detwiler's Farm Market with the 2009 opening of the Palmer Boulevard store. In late September, the company celebrated its 10th anniversary on Palmer Boulevard as Detwiler's Farm Market. It currently has four stores, not including the aforementioned Clark Road market. The company's second location in Venice opened in 2013, a market at University Parkway and Lockwood Ridge Road opened in 2015 and the Palmetto market opened last year.
4. They're looking farther south to expand. Even though the Clark Road store is still in the works, Detwiler's is considering its options for the future. Sam Detwiler recently said that the company knows it needs to go to North Port and Port Charlotte. As of right now, they don't have any sites nailed down, but when an announcement comes for a new Detwiler's store, expect it to be the company's southernmost location.
5. The stores are always closed on Sundays. The Detwiler family prides itself on its "strong Christian values," according to the company's website, and therefore they close for business on Sundays. "We’ll always be closed on Sundays as we feel it's important to have time with family, and the same goes for our employees and their children," the company's website says.
6. The Detwiler family has nine children — and many of them work for the family business. Detwiler's Farm Market was founded by Henry Detwiler Sr., and he and his wife Natalie have nine children — Laura, Sam, Henry Jr., Caleb, Dorcas, Josh, Gracie, Vicky and Emily — and several grandchildren. Sam is the company president, Henry Jr. is vice president in charge of operations, Caleb buys produce and Gracie works in the bakery at the University store, according to the company website. It's truly a family business.
7. The Detwiler family is big on natural healing remedies. Family matriarch Natalie Detwiler used natural healing remedies on her children while they were growing up. This inspired the company to add natural personal care products to their stores, which evolved into a full health and wellness section at the Palmetto store. The Clark Road store will have a similar section.
8. They're considering grocery delivery options. Shopping at Detwiler's has always been an experience. But even though it can be fun to shop there, some customers want access to the company's high quality foods without having to go get them. Which is why the company is exploring ways to offer grocery delivery, or order online, pickup in-store as potential services.
"We’re a market, and we want people to be greeted, have fun and hang out, but to me, I believe that there’s a section of consumers that don’t care. They just want their stuff and that’s it. I think if we’re saying no to that, we’re saying no to a piece of a pie,” Sam Detwiler said.
9. They want to make the Venice store bigger. Sam Detwiler told the Herald-Tribune in July that the company wants a bigger store in Venice. The question is whether to expand the current location at 1250 U.S. Highway 41 Bypass South so it’s the same size as the company’s store at University Parkway and Lockwood Ridge Road, or to move to a new spot in the city. The current store is about 10,000-square-feet with about 150 parking spaces, but customers create up to 325 spaces on their own by parking on the grass.
10. They're growing — but not changing. Whether it's in Palmetto, or North Port or Sarasota, you're going to get the same experience and quality at any Detwiler's you visit.
"To me we're really simple — the outside of the grocery store, that's what we focus on," Sam Detwiler said. "We try to do a really good job of that — a big produce department, a big seafood department and a deli."
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