Expressly Local

Posted January 2, 2012

A trip to this well-preserved, former hardware store in downtown Lancaster is both a look at a wonderful old building, plus a chance to see historic re-use featuring local food products, instead of nails, buggy parts and the dry goods of its former life.                                   

The building was built in 1870 and has been thoughtfully restored – with sensitivity to the kind of materials used in the original design. Most of it was untouched. Although it needed modern functionality, the old look was carefully kept in place by architect Gene Aleci for use by Expressly Local.

For many years, owner Cheryl Young got up early, drove to farms in the southern end of Lancaster County and brought back raw milk and fresh eggs from pastured hens. She and a partner sold them from their back porch with only word-of-mouth advertising.

This pioneer effort anticipated the current full-scale industry designed to connect farmers to city dwellers who see the value in eating fresh foods from known growers.

A bit more than a full year ago, the Expressly Local brand and product line were expanded, well beyond a porch-sized business, because customers wanted more than just milk and eggs. The building was available and appropriate. The plan came together.

Today, Cheryl’s daughter Danielle helps her mother with the retail part of the business.

Every variety and every size bag of Daisy Flour is sold here, along with bulk items used in both recipes and what might be called freestyle cooking. There are nuts, beans, coffee, natural sweeteners, cereals, in bulk, but the emphasis is on lots and lots of local and chemical-free produce, said Cheryl recently.  She continues to search out locally made grocery items such as jams and baked goods. She sells meats and local dairy products, such as butter, yoghurt, cheese.

“We are decidedly and increasingly local,” she said.  Visit Expressly Local at 13 W. King St., Lancaster PA