HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
Traveling south from Moore County you may pass The Marketplace at OTL (Off the Land) Farms, in the somewhat “no man’s land” between Aberdeen and Laurinburg. The store opened last August and is run by muscadine farmer Davon Goodwin with the help of his mother, Bridget Deanes. He stocks a variety of provisions from all over the state including eggs, cheese, pickles, veggies, sauces, meats and more. All the muscadine products are produced from Davon’s grapes. But farming was not his original plan.
Davon is originally from Pittsburgh but later moved down south, enrolling in UNC Pembroke as a biology major and joining the U.S. Army Reserve. During a 2010 deployment to Afghanistan he earned a Purple Heart after his truck hit an IED. He suffered broken vertebrae and a traumatic brain injury that left him feeling lost. He knew the career he sought wasn’t the best option for him anymore, but he was still interested in biology and plants.
Living in Robeson and Scotland counties, he thought, “How do we grow and produce so much food, but there’s still so much food insecurity here?” That paradox led him to wanting to create change through farming. “Access is what I believe we all deserve,” he says.
He took his first farming job at Fussy Gourmet Farm in Raeford, and after five and a half years, started his own muscadine farm in Laurinburg. Oh and did we mention he is also the director of the Sandhills Aginnovation Center?
OTL Farms spans 47 acres, including The Marketplace. When he first bought the land, he knew he wanted more than just a field people would drive by — he wanted community involvement. So once his grapes began to produce, he started offering U-pick opportunities, attracting local interest. Soon realizing he needed a space to sell his other muscadine products, he embraced the “Field of Dreams” motto: “If you build it, they will come.”
His goal was to stock The Marketplace with quality products that would support other small farmers around the state. While some of the products are at a higher price point than a regular grocery store in Laurinburg, he believes that good, quality food sometimes comes at a higher cost. Davon sees it as investment into yourself.
Davon wants The Marketplace to have a family feel, which is one of the reasons he added a front porch with rocking chairs. “They spur conversation,” he says, adding that everyone has a story. He wants people to feel comfortable sharing their stories, which he knows can be challenging, especially in the veteran space. “When you have food as a central point, it’s easy to build community because no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, we all gotta eat.”
“I also want to keep telling the story of farming in Laurinburg. I want people to understand that if you want agriculture in your community, you have to support it,” he says.
“The store sparks a lot of conversation of where we are going as a community given the socioeconomic times in Scotland County and Laurinburg,” says Davon who wants The Marketplace to be a positive change for the area. His future plans include bringing in food trucks to the large parking lot and potentially doing a fall festival.
Whether you’re looking to stock your pantry or just wanting a scoop of ice cream while passing through, you can visit The Marketplace on OTL Farms Monday though Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Find it at 21900 Aberdeen Rd, Laurinburg or like it on Facebook.
