814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 26, 1998
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Wendy Guyer and son at work in the cut flowers offered at the Hinish Farm Market.
Hinish Farm Market
LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
MARTINSBURG (Blair Co)
Elf-size houses and a bright
array of zinnias, bachelor but
tons, snapdragons, and other
festive flowers decorate the front
lawn of the family-owned, six
year-old, Hinish Farm Market.
It makes one want to stop
and step inside where you are
greeted by fruity scents and
bright surroundings Tables are
laden with the latest Hinish
Harvest.
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Neil picks peaches and then delivers them to the mar
ket.
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Long time employees Gloria Milter and Cathy Dodson
at work in the store.
Is Family Affair
Attractive antiques decorate
the walls and a craft corner with
consignment contributors adds
gusto causing the shopper to dig
a little deeper Many of the
antiques have come from the
Hinish attics or from shoppers
or friends who wish to con
tribute to the decor.
A bakery offering both family
recipes and a few mixed goodies
is another calling card for stop
ping by the Hinish Market as is
the hand-dipped ice cream.
“We all work together for the
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end result,” says Bernard
Hinish, who along with his wife,
Lou Ann, daughter Kim
Frederick, son Neil and daugh
ter, Wendy Guyer, and loyal
employees, operate the market.
Two hundred and twenty-five
acres of the 600-acre Hinish
farm are in trees including cher
ry, peach, and apple. All of the
fruit is sold at the market and
additional apples are marketed
wholesale
“Apples are our mainstay,”
says Bernard, “We raise 110,000
to 120,000 bushel per year.
The Hinish family also grows
asparagus, cantaloupe, pump
kins, potatoes, sweet corn, cab
bage, and squash.
Daughter Wendy raises the
flowers which both decorate the
lawn and are sold as cut flowers.
“It’s done even better than we
had expected,” says Wendy,
“But, it’s a lot of work to be able
to constantly keep enough flow
ers blooming for sale ” Their
biggest order came this summer
when a local bride purchased
her cut flowers from the Hinish
Market and created her own
bouquets.
It’s Wendy’s husband, Jay
Guyer, who creates the “kid/elf
size” houses in front of the shop.
There’s a miniature house and a
r
tot-sized firehouse. Jay has
started his own side business
known as “Fantasy Playhouses.”
Daughter Kim is one of the
mainstays inside the market
sorting and cleaning baskets of
bright red and yellow peaches;
wrapping freshly picked sweet
corn; piling up fresh grown can
taloupe in an attractive display;
or working the cash register.
“There’s always something to
do,” Kim smiles.
Lou Ann, likewise, handles
almost any inside job including
the baking. “Having a bakery is
hard work,” she admits. “It
means starting around 4 or 5
a.m. in order to be ready for the
store to open. And, everyone
only wants fresh items.” Lou
Ann has two local ladies who
help with the baking.
It’s Neil who enjoys the out
side working, seeing that the
fruit is harvested and delivered
to the market.
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Lou Ann and Bernard have worked hard to built their market.
Kim sorts peaches.
He said, “When we can get
away from here, we always take
time to visit other farm markets
to see what we might or might
not want to add to own busi
» **■
ness.
One good seller added recent
ly has been homemade jellies
and pickles, purchased from
another manufacturer, but
beaming the Hinish label.
Because of the apples, the
Hinishes are able to keep their
market open year round. At
Christmas they sell trees,
wreaths, and fruit baskets.
With two retirement homes
in nearby Martinsburg, there’s a
big demand for the fruit baskets
“We find that if we deliver, we
can do well in other neighboring
towns,” Bernard adds.
“After the Christmas season,
we close for about two weeks to
take inventory and regroup for a
new season,” Lou Ann says.
The family agrees, it’s hard
but enjoyable work.
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