Story and photos by Danielle Wallingsford Kirkland
If you’re driving through Woodville on a Saturday morning, don’t blink or you might miss a local gem. White Peake Market, located across the road from the bank, is a quaint and lovely indoor farmer’s market and retail store that offers locally grown produce, home baked goodies and troves of other treasures.
The store opened last year after farmers Mary and Kirk Peake saw a need for a location where they could sell their extra produce.
“When a local building went up for sale, it seemed like the right thing to do,” said Deidra White, the market’s manager. “Not only would it allow us to sell extra produce, but it would also serve the community. The market opened May 28, 2022 and quickly became something much bigger than a little extra produce.”
While White manages the market, and Mary and Kirk help with planting and harvesting, it is Mary’s mother, Sally White, who plans and manages a 2-acre garden on the local farm.
“Sally is also an avid baker and makes a variety of fresh baked goods for the market every week,” White said.
The market sells seasonal, locally grown fruits and vegetables, and it also offers fresh cut flower bouquets, fresh baked goods, spices and soup mixes and canned goods.
“We have partnered with other local farmers to provide fresh eggs, beef, pork, honey and crafts,” said White. “We are actively looking for local partners to provide chicken, butter and cheese.”
While White Peake Market has only been in business for a little over a year, there are already a few established customer favorites.
“Sally's fresh baked cinnamon rolls are always a big hit,” White said. “The lettuce mix is a popular item, as well as the potatoes and tomatoes.”
For White, this project has been an opportunity to meet and get to know the locals in Woodville and the surrounding area. It has also been a great opportunity to collaborate with her family.
“Running this market is definitely a family affair,” she said. “I handle a lot of the business side of things, like licensing, database management and developing relationships with other local farmers. Sally plans and manages the garden, while Mary and Kirk help with planting and harvesting. We all pull together every week to ensure everything is presented nicely. Our children, nieces, and nephews have even been known to help with farm chores or assist people to their cars with their groceries.”
Above all, the White family and the Peake family want to provide quality, honest food to their customers.
“Whether we have grown it on our farm or (it comes from) one of our local North Alabama suppliers' farms, we believe it’s important to know how our food has been grown and handled,” explained White. “That’s why we have made it our mission to provide quality food through honest and transparent farming practices, and to partner with others that share our values. White Peake Market values the local community, and we believe it is important to support local businesses. As we expand our product offerings, we strive to source locally grown products from like-minded farmers and crafts people in the North Alabama region.”
White Peake Market is currently open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook to see what they have to offer each weekend.
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