There isn’t one simple way to describe everything that’s happening at The Barn at Lemont, co-owner Brian Kinney will tell you.
‘It’s really hard to describe it sometimes,’ he says. ‘It’s a cooperative of local businesses working together to build a community of sustainability and those who want to live and grow naturally. That’s the shortest version I can do, but it doesn’t explain all the things we do.’
The store, at 201 Elmwood Street in Lemont, opened in March and had its grand opening in May. While providing space for a number of small, like-minded businesses from across the region, it’s also looking to provide products that may have been hard to find in the State College area, while serving as a community resource
Kinney, along with his wife Gabi and brother Marc, were operating a shop in Williamsport when they realized that there was no store in the State College area dedicated to what they were doing there — organic gardening. When the opportunity arose in early 2016 to lease space on the bottom floor of the barn, they seized it, recognizing that the Centre Region population had enough interest to support the Organic Garden Center.
Over the course of the next few months, they found customers — many of them do-it-yourselfers and homesteaders — had an interest in a number of other products they couldn’t get in the immediate area. They heard from beekeepers who traveled to Lewisburg or Wilkes-Barre to get their supplies and home brewers who went to Altoona.
‘Enough of these customers said this to us that it made sense,’ Kinney says. ‘It’s also looking at the geographical area. Just like we came here for the organic gardening and hydroponics, that wasn’t here in State College. So let’s start building in these little things that wouldn’t be able to stand on their own. A beekeeping store by itself wouldn’t be able to survive. A home brew supply store hasn’t survived in the past. But by being part of a larger business, we can make all these things work.’
Sustain, a store for reclaimed and repurposed furniture, occupied the upper floors of the barn and closed last year. When the building’s owner told the Kinneys she had interest from a salon and a business that wanted to convert it to office space, they decided to act.
‘We were like ‘no, that’s not what we want above us,’ Kinney says.
So they considered simply moving the Organic Garden Center upstairs. They realized they would have to add a lot to fill the space — home brew supplies, beekeeping and a produce market were their initial ideas. But to fill the store with product on their own would be a sizable sum of money.
‘We can spend $150,000 on filling the store, or why don’t we start partnering up with other local businesses to create more of a collective that we all work together,’ he explains.
So the Kinneys along with new partner Jonas Stryker — who started out as a customer and soon became an integral part of the business — began planning in October.
Eight businesses sublet space in the store but don’t need to have a full-time staff member on site.
‘They get a location in State College but don’t have to have a full-time person or have a full store,’ Kinney says. ‘Some of these places are smaller… They wanted a presence in State College but didn’t want to have to open their own store. This gave them the opportunity and matches up with what we’re doing.’
The Kinneys moved the gardening supplies upstairs, and on the bottom floor you’ll find hydroponics, including their own indoor growing efforts — they were taking a shot at broccoli in early June. It also includes home brew supplies, where brewers can find yeast, hops, grains and equipment. The shop will weigh the grains and grind them so brewers can get started as soon as they get home.
Every other Sunday, The Barn hosts free home brew classes outside in their brew tent.
‘People can just come hang out and see how it’s made, participate if they want to,’ Kinney says. ‘We fire up the grill and have lunch. We make it more of a hangout session than a formal class. ‘Hey we’re going to make beer today. Come and give us a hand and learn how to do it.’’
That’s just one of the free events and classes that are part of The Barn’s mission to be a community resource. They also work with schools and community gardens to offer education and outreach.
‘We do lots of free classes, because an educated consumer is a good consumer, but also if we can educate people about how to be more sustainable, how to garden, how to be more self-reliant and self-sustaining, that’s one of our core missions,’ Kinney says. ‘Sustainability is one of our main missions, but community outreach is another one.’
Among the businesses with space in The Barn, Lewistown-based Creekside Hearth and Patio has a selection of stoves and outdoor furniture on the bottom floor. The first floor has an assortment of businesses. State College-based K2 Roots offers cold-pressed juices. Pleasant Gap’s Corner Cafe and Grill runs a grab-and-go cafe with cold brew coffee, sandwiches and salads. Shade Mountain Naturals from Lewistown sells products such as soaps and bath bombs.
The Barn also sells products from several other local producers — meats from Mussers farm in Bellefonte; items such as soaps, candles and beard oils from Happy Valley Organics; and produce from an Amish organic farmer in Milroy.
The first floor is also home to a tasting room for Kingview Mead from Pittsburgh and Hungry Run Wine & Spirits from Lewistown. Their shared space is another example of the collective, collaborative concept of The Barn.
‘We talked to them separately and said instead of both of you having a full-time person and licensing separate spaces why don’t you combine into one tasting room,’ Kinney explains.
The second floor is home to space for beekeeping supplies, Bellefonte’s Bone Bar and Boutique, which offers items such as homemade dog treats and recycled toys, and State College’s Room Doctor, which uses the space as a showroom for its sustainable furniture.
Partnering with Room Doctor’s owner, Tom Meade, was a particularly good fit because of his interest in advancing sustainability in the area, Kinney says. In May, he helped organize at The Barn the first of what they hope will be an ongoing Sustainable Community Day on the 22nd of each month.
‘We’re trying to get more community members involved and create awareness for it,’ Kinney says. ‘Earth Day is nice but once a year isn’t enough. What we’re trying to do is raise awareness for sustainability in our community and hopefully get it actually declared an actual sustainable day. So schools can start thinking about it, and different businesses can ask how can we be more sustainable on this day?Hopefully it starts that ball rolling.’
That first Sustainable Community Day was held in the dedicated classroom space on The Barn’s second floor, where many of their free classes and events are held. Kinney says the space is open to anyone whose events jibe with The Barn’s mission.
But the Kinneys also take their expertise into the community as well.
‘We do work with schools, teaching kids where food comes from. It’s not a box on aisle six. You can grow it yourself,’ Kinney says. ‘We do a lot of hydroponics with them, because school is out in the summer during prime gardening season but you can do hydroponics all year long. By me setting up a hydroponic unit in a classroom, kids can grow food all year long and when it grows quickly in hydroponics it keeps their interest and they want to eat it. So that’s a really good experience for the students and the teachers.’
He also encourages individuals and organizations to reach out for ways The Barn can help with resources and programs.
The Barn is only a few months old, and Kinney says they’re taking everything a month at a time, but the potential for its future is expansive. Kinney says he has dream goals — an outdoor greenhouse, a beer annex for home brewers to use professional equipment, a full cafe. In the short-term, they’re looking at the best configuration for each tenant and product, developing more classes and community resources, and exploring additional tenants — they’re hoping to find a solar energy company to come on board.
‘As we grow and learn what more people want, we’re going to modify, expand and grow with the community,’ Kinney says.
Community response so far, Kinney says, has been ‘fantastic.’ As a retail destination, The Barn is essentially a year-round, indoor farmer’s market. Many people come for the first time just to check it out, but find something that has them coming back and items that are of interest to friends and family.
‘Having a resource for them like that and a one-stop shop where they can get these different things, a lot of people are excited about that,’ Kinney says. ‘They’re also happy to have us as a resource, all the classes that we do. You want to learn about composting? Come take a free class. You want to dip your toes into beekeeping and see what it would be like? Come join us for a class. Thinking about home brew for Father’s Day? Come to a home brew event. They’re all free resources and free advice. The community has been very responsive and very positive.’
For more on The Barn at Lemont and upcoming events, visit lemontbarn.com.
