bowling green scene a happening hamlet

T h e B o w l i n g G r e e n S c e n e

Happening Hamlet in the Heart of Caroline County

In a rural gem like Bowling Green, the number one detail that may cinch the deal on making or breaking it as a new business is the unique products it offers to the community and out of town visitors. Mary-L Langhorne and Kevin McManus knew this when they opened The Corner Store in 2020. Located in one half of a former bank building at the corner of North Main and Milford Streets, The Corner Store provides true farm-t to-t table fare made seasonally fresh daily. It's one of the tastiest additions to an on-going revitalization in downtown BGVA. Mary-Langhorne McManus says that she and Kevin were looking for a small kitchen in town where they could craft and package their award-winning pickled vegetables when they came upon the space in the old bank building. They had lived in New York City for twenty years and had returned to Virginia, MaryLanghorne's home state, to run an organic farm at the southern end of Caroline County. After a decade of growing microgreens, specialty tomatoes, and heirloom zucchini, all of which formed the base for their pickling and fermenting business, MaryLanghorne claims the space on the corner of North Main Street called to them. She says, "When we saw this space, we felt like it needed to be a food hub. We wanted to promote all the amazing products we had found through the farmer's market circuit and to create a place to sell our vegetables year-round, but one that also had a great kitchen. When you are trying to get a foothold in a small town, you've got to show that you're different, that you're worth spending money on. Everyone has a limited budget and works within the means that they have, so for us it's about making the experience special. Great food options are there but limited in small towns. We wanted to provide something a little different than what people had seen before, something that was familiar but new. And, as a working mom with two kids, I know what it's like to not want to cook every day, but I also don't want to feed my family fast food when I'm not feeling like making a meal. Our store and deli offer healthy solutions." Mary-Langhorne and Kevin both see farming as a way to push people to work with the land and the seasons, to cook close to the earth. As farmers, the McManuses work with what is seasonably available from their farm. Mary-Langhorne laughs, "If tomatoes are in season, there will be

By amy bayne

tomatoes in most of the deli salads." "Living in New York, it's half your social life picking out what food you're going to try next," Mary-Langhorne says. "Kevin and I have always cooked together and explored together. We realized we were making meals with common ingredients, ingredients people saw at the grocery and the farmers market, but we were pushing ourselves to do interesting and different things with those ingredients. We wanted to bring that enthusiasm for local seasonably fresh ingredients back home to Virginia." Of Bowling Green, MaryLanghorne says, "We're really lucky. People are so supportive, and from top to bottom the town is so invested in every new business that wants to get a start here. We could not feel more at home or luckier to be in a town where the mood is that everybody just wants everyone to succeed." The McManuses are working toward being open seven days a week and are actively looking for committed food people to join their team. Until that time, their hours of operation are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Check them out @TheCornerStoreBG on Facebook and @thecornerstore_bg on Instagram. Contact them at (917) 5235043. Visit them at 100 N. Main Street, Bowling Green, Virginia.

Amy Bayne is an educator, writer, and artist who lives in Bowling Green with Leah, Atticus, Sophie, Chonky, Bella Bean, and Sweetpea, some of whom are humans and some who just think they are.

Bowling Green Events in July 2021 Nautical Art Show and Classes Thru July at The Painted Horse Gallery, 114 N Main Street Bowling Green Farmers Market Every Saturday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., 211 N Main Street The Traveling Gypsy Flea Market - July 10th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Chase Street and N Main Street Small town Friday Nights - July 16th, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. - Small businesses in town join forces to create an evening of fun at their locations around town.