CARTHAGE, Mo. — If you’re traveling east of Carthage on Fir Road, look on the south side of the road, and you’ll find a not-so-hidden gem among the farmland. For decades, travelers passed by an aging farmhouse, but a local family has taken over the 200-plus acre property and they’re breathing new life into it.

On a country road, just east of Carthage sits this.

“They had bought these 200 acres, it had really been neglected,” said Toni Diggs, Market Manager,

Toni Diggs’ parents bought the property back in 2019.

“At one time it was a thriving dairy farm, but it had been neglected. This house had been through tons of rentals,” said Diggs.

But diggs and her parents had a vision — she quit her 9 to 5 in medical billing to help start the new family business.

“I mean, it just had to be gutted. There was a huge hole here, there were holes in the floor. We wanted to preserve the integrity of the house by keeping this flooring – the original wood flooring,” she said.

More than a year of hard work, especially by her dad, has turned a house more than 70 years old into Grandma Farmer’s Market.

“My sister-in-law kind of put this idea together of a t-shirt business, a boutique, a school spirit shop. And it just kinda grew from there,” said Diggs.

The store opened this past June… The deli opened a month later, in a home that’s sort of known among country folk.

“You wouldn’t believe how many customers have said, ‘I lived in this back bedroom, can I take a picture?”

“We decided to go check it out, and every since then I’ve been corrupt with good food. It’s great. And this is my second home away from home,” said Don Poe, Patron Turned Farm Hand.

There’s also a flea market outback, among the 100-plus cows on the property. Eventually, there are plans for a meat market and even a coffee bar as they grow.

“Word of mouth. I try to get people to come out here. In fact, people I’m sitting with right now are people I used to work with,” said Poe.

And the name “Grandma Farmer” that’s Diggs’ mother — at least that’s what all the grandkids call her.

“She’s the face of Grandma Farmer’s. Family is really important to us. Mom’s the glue of our family, kind of like a lot of families. And so this place has already become, I’d say, we already have regulars. We have a pie lady. We already are – I think people feel that, know that, feel comfortable here,” said Diggs.

They’re at 1540 Fir Road. The boutique opens at 10 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Lunch is served on those same days from 11 to 2.

A new life for an old farmhouse.