Asparagus and strawberries in the spring. Tomatoes, peaches, cantaloupes and sweet corn in the summer. Pumpkins, squash and fresh Thanksgiving turkeys in the fall. Christmas trees, wreaths and root vegetables in the winter.
For 43 years, customers have counted on Willey Farms, a family-owned and operated Townsend institution off U.S. 13, for their seasonal purchases. The store was open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The sprawling, 60,000-square-foot space, with its multiple departments, was the kind of place where you could buy a candle that smells like pumpkin pie, pick up a jar of local honey or get a bundle of logs to load into the fireplace.
Monday morning's devastating fire that destroyed the building comes a little more than two weeks before Thanksgiving. Holiday orders were being taken at Willey's for fresh turkeys, homemade side dishes and pies.