Santa came to town for a visit
By Stan Schwartz
The owners of the Patterson Family Farms General Store and Boutique in Eolia brought in Santa on Sunday for a visit with area children and their families.
Co-owners Deborah and Tim Patterson thought having a store in Eolia that carries a little bit of everything would do well. And it has. Even though they’re normally closed on Sundays, they opened this past weekend from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to thank the community with some Christmas cheer. That cheer included a visit from Santa and some tasty refreshments.
“This part of the store used to be an antique shop,” Deborah said. Now it’s their event space, where companies and individuals could book for parties, etc.
“We have a kitchen where we make our food,” she added.
The store carries a variety of items, but their biggest sellers are their meal kits.
“At the end of the workday, people are always asking themselves, what’s for dinner,” Tim said. He pointed the wide array of bags hanging on the wall. Now they just call ahead and it’s waiting for them to pick up, he explained.
The bags come complete with all the ingredients and the recipe so customers can fix their own fresh meal at home.
“Deborah tries to get all the items for the kits from local farmers and businesses,” Tim said, or there are ready-made meals in the refirigerator cases that only need a little re-heating.
“This is a retirement business for us,” Deborah said. And Eolia became the perfect place for them to set up their store right along the town’s main street.
They started small on Jan. 5 of 2023. Since then, they’ve expanded into the space next door and they are still looking to do more.
“Well, she expanded,” Tim said. “I’m just here to help out.” He credits Deborah with getting the business off the ground and keeping it running and growing.
He noted that traffic to see Santa had been steady most of the day. Family after family came through the store and into the event space where the Jolly Old Fellow had his chair.
Some children were eager to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas, while others were just a bit worried about getting too close. In the end, most were able to tell him what they wanted.
Tim said the store is open Wednesdays through Saturdays. They’re still figuring out the hours, but they can be reached at 314-713-7428 or at dapatterson1111@gmail.com. The store is at 109 N. Main Street. Check out the Facebook page or go to the website at pattersonfamilyfarms.org.