Cecelia Danthine grew up on a 15-acre farm in Upstate New York, where her family tended to over 1,000 chickens. Now, alongside her 11 hens and growing family, Danthine is sharing her skills with the Taylors community in the form of Acre Wood Farm Stand.

Danthine and her husband Roman both grew up on large farms and knew they eventually wanted to move south and raise a family. Fast forward to 2023, and the couple found themselves in the Upstate, where they would have their son in November of last year. 

Last month, after their hens started laying eggs, Danthine and her husband built a little farm stand out of scrap wood and sat it in their front yard. They called it the Acre Wood Farm Stand, and started putting out fresh eggs and various homemade goods every day for their neighbors.

“It's really fun to share things made from the home, because I know that not everybody always has an opportunity to make things themselves if they're busy working and also don't necessarily have people in their life who bake,” Danthine said. “So I think just being able to share homemade baked goods with people is really special.”

The farm stand is almost always stocked with fresh eggs, home-grown vegetables, firewood, cut flowers and stovetop potpourri bags every day from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. On Thursdays and Fridays, Danthine puts out baked goods that she makes herself. Her chocolate chip cookies and cheddar sourdough loaf are crowd favorites.

The Danthines’ decision to start a farm stand business didn’t come as much of a surprise for those close to them. Dathine says that her parents owned a farm stand at one point, too, and that she frequently asks her mom for advice.

“Whenever I have questions about planting [or] gardening, she's always answering my questions for me. It's just been something they've been sort of excited to hear about,” Danthine said.

Danthine says that she and her husband were committed to giving their son a similar childhood experience to theirs. So, being able to involve him in the farm stand has been a rewarding experience — even though it's a much smaller operation than the ones they grew up with.

“He's only 10 months [old], but whenever he comes outside, he recognizes the chickens, [and] he's excited to see them scratching around,” Danthine said. “Eventually, as he gets older, maybe he'll be able to make some things to sell in the farm stand [or] help count the money”

While still a new business, Acre Wood Farm Stand has already garnered a lot of traction in the local community. Since Danthine and her family are relatively new to the area, she says that the stand has been a great way to be more involved with their neighbors.

“Where we grew up, we had lived our whole lives, so we were very involved in the community there,” Danthine said. “This has been a really good opportunity for us to meet members of the community that we likely wouldn't have met … [and] this is definitely a way to be more rooted in our immediate area.”

In the future, Danthine says she hopes her family can acquire more land and have a larger farm. For now, though, she’s focusing on building up the farm stand business and enjoying time with her son. 

To learn more about Acre Wood Farm Stand, visit their Facebook page.

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