ON THE JOB: Tommy Mc’s Produce and Country Store strives for homemade touch
Tommy McDowell started his produce business in Albany in 1988
By Jennifer Parks
ALBANY — After nearly 40 years in the produce business, Tommy McDowell’s plans simply involve waking up in the morning and coming to work to offer the best products he can to his customers at his south Georgia goody store.
Judging from the loyalty of his customer base, it has paid off.
Tommy Mc’s Produce and Country Store, located in Lancaster Village on 2357 Lake Park Drive, began in 1988 when McDowell was looking for a gas station with enough traffic by it to sell farm produce.
He was brought over to the current site of the store, which took six to eight months to get ready. In the meantime, he sold his product on a nearby corner until the space — starting off as 1,000-square-feet — was ready.
“As time went on, we got a following and we started listening to customers,” McDowell said.
After 10 years, Tommy Mc’s was able to acquire another 2,500-square-feet of space that included a kitchen. They continued listening to customer input, even trying things they were not sure about — and they have kept adding to their product lines, including soups last year and homemade bread this year.
There are three types of soup, which are homemade from scratch.
“We don’t have a schedule (for the soups), we just keep it constantly rotating,” McDowell said.
Several years ago, the business began the practice of closing down for two weeks at the first of the year. They did the same thing this year, opening up again to its customers on Jan. 12 so McDowell, his wife Wendy McDowell and another full-time employee could continue serving things such as fresh fruits and vegetables, cakes, brittles, bread and jams and jellies.
They even supply products upon request for plantation hunts, a popular draw to the Southwest Georgia area.
“The whole thing since being here is listening to the customer,” McDowell said. “We have a good customer base to keep us in business.”
The store uses a variety of suppliers, doing business with Southwest Georgia farmers when they can. The produce comes in as it is in season, and the three employees working there are familiar with about 90 percent of people who walk in the door.
“Whatever we can do locally, that is our No. 1 priority,” McDowell said.
This includes the tomatoes from Tommy Bryan, country singer Luke Bryan’s father, who has been supplying his product to the store every summer for the last several years.
“People buy a lot of Tommy Bryan; (customers) call in March and April,” McDowell said. “Some customers get them because they are really good tomatoes.”
McDowell has experience working in Atlanta’s farmer’s market, in grocery and in wholesale produce — learning a lot about the industry. When he built roots in his current location, there was not a big motivation other than needing income.
“I just needed something to do. … It just happened,” he said. “We’ve got a loyal customer base that keeps us in business.
“I just came here with something to do. One thing led to another, and after 10 years, I needed to either add on or relocate.”
The loyal base will often call in requests — some seeming to the staff to be “off the wall” — for things such as cakes or casseroles for family gatherings.
Over the years, he has gone through trial and error, sometimes stubbing his toe when something did not work out. The cost of produce fluctuates over time, so that is a reality the store has to deal with, but that does not stop McDowell’s motivation for making sure his customers get the best possible products.
“We always try to use the very best ingredients we got, and the best costs a little more,” he said. “Of course price matters, (but) if we try to offer the best out there, that is what people get used to.”
He is 67, so he does not put too much thought into long-term plans. It is more about making it from one day to the next.
“Getting up and going to work the next day, that is what my plans are,” McDowell said.
Working from day to day, the staff takes pride in their homemade touch — which is what its owner thinks is likely the big draw for many of his customers.
“We cook it as we are going to take it home and eat it ourselves, and there are just the three of us doing it,” McDowell said.
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