Ready, set, shop! Detwiler’s Farm Market makes Palmetto debut with massive new store

The sound of Europe’s “The Final Countdown” rang through the aisles of Detwiler’s Farm Market as workers darted and dashed to make final adjustments before a swarm of eager customers rushed through the door.

On Tuesday, the Sarasota-based company made its Manatee County debut in a major way at 1800 U.S. 301 N. in Palmetto. The store’s soft opening attracted hundreds of shoppers looking to grab fresh fruits, vegetables and meats from the largest store the Detwiler family has opened.

In the moments leading up the soft opening, Sam Detwiler, president of the company, coached his employees over the intercom to start wrapping up their projects as the clock inched closer to noon. With five minutes left on the clock, he and his father, Henry Sr., led the group in the Lord’s Prayer, wishing for a smooth and successful launch.

The real party starts at 8 a.m. Wednesday, however. That’s when Detwiler’s will host its grand opening festivities, complete with a “watermelon cutting” and gift cards valued between $5 and $500 for the first 500 customers in line. Kids will receive coupons for a free ice cream.

The Detwiler family previously said that the new 50,000-square-foot market will be similar to their Sarasota stores, with a focus on fresh produce and other goods. What’s new here is the scale, said Henry Detwiler Sr., owner of the family business.

“With all this space, hopefully, we can serve the customers better. It’s just an efficient workspace,” said Detwiler, who spent most of the morning roaming the store and chatting with customers.

David Livingston is a lifelong Manatee County resident and said he’s been shopping at Detwiler’s since the beginning. As soon as the doors opened, he grabbed a peach and made the first purchase in the store.

“I used to have to go to the store on University but this one is so close,” Livingston said.

Other customers were just as excited to finally have a Detwiler’s Farm Market in their backyard. Shannon Gray, a Bradenton resident, said she was “thrilled, thrilled, thrilled” to be able to shop at a store that’s only 5 miles away instead of 10.

“They’re the best in the area. The prices are overwhelmingly better (than grocery stores),” Gray said. “I just can’t say enough about it.”

Nikki Sonekeo was another of the many first-day shoppers on Tuesday. She asked her boss if she could leave work to make it to the soft opening and she wasn’t disappointed.

“I was so excited when I heard they bought the place,” Sonekeo said. “It was empty for so long and we needed something like this.”

The site used to be a Winn-Dixie supermarket but sat dormant for more than 10 years. The Detwiler family announced in September that it would be bringing its produce-minded store to the location.

The store is massive compared to the company’s other locations. To make up for the extra space, the sections are much larger than anywhere else.

“Produce got bigger. Seafood about tripled in size. The butcher shop and meat shop is going to be insane. It’s about three times bigger than our University store. Our in-house scratch bakery is like six times bigger than our University store,” Sam previously told the Bradenton Herald. “Basically everything’s getting bigger.”

With all that space, the family decided to throw in an exclusive health and wellness section. Henry said the family’s interest in health stretches as far back as his great-great-grandfather, who helped found an organic food company.

“I didn’t grow up with a lot of money, so when we got sick, my mom would try to figure out how to solve it with vitamins,” he explained.

In addition to vitamins, the new section offers minerals, protein, enzymes, antioxidants and other natural supplements.

A lot of what Detwiler’s sells can be found in your typical grocery store, but the Detwilers are adamant that they’re not a grocery store — and they’re not trying to be.

“We don’t sell any big-name stuff like cereals, paper towels and tissue paper. Our main focus is produce,” Henry pointed out. “We’ve got about 8,000 square feet of just produce, which is probably double what Winn-Dixie had.”

Apples, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and any other produce you can think of were piled high in tidy rows Tuesday. They began to dwindle once eager shoppers flooded the gates.

“I wanted this store when I was 25. Now, I’m 54, but I couldn’t have done this then,” Henry said. “I always say I’ve got a little bit of the vision, but it’s my sons who really make this happen.”

Company officials initially hoped the store would open by the end of June. In an announcement video posted to Twitter, Sam said the family spent hundreds of hours getting the store ready for business.

The Palmetto location will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. Detwiler’s Farm Market is closed Sunday.

The Detwilers began the business in 2002 as a roadside stand. They now operate four stores in Sarasota and Manatee.

Visit detwilermarket.com for more information.

This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 4:18 PM.