For more than a decade, Glass Pound Studio has occupied the storefront at 117 North Main Street in Spring City, best known as a smoke shop selling glass pipes and related merchandise.
Fresh corn and cantaloupes were not traditionally part of the inventory.
But owner Peter Hayes recently began bringing produce back from weekly trips to Lancaster County and selling it outside the shop, turning an unlikely Main Street business into a source of fresh fruits and vegetables. He puts the produce out for sale Tuesday afternoons and continues selling it Wednesday until the week's supply runs out.
Hayes was already making regular Tuesday trips to Lancaster and occasionally bringing food back for neighbors and customers when the idea came to him, almost by accident.
“Why don't we just fill the car and let people come and take what they want?” he said.
Filling a Need in Spring City
The response has largely come from the immediate neighborhood.
“It's literally people on this block are buying it all up,” Hayes said.
That demand is notable in Spring City, where residents do not have a grocery store within the borough and generally travel to surrounding communities such as Royersford or Phoenixville for a larger selection of fresh food.
Hayes said that can be particularly inconvenient for residents who don’t have cars.
“A lot of these people walk, they don't drive,” Hayes said. “They have to get on the bus. Nobody wants to carry a watermelon on the bus, right?”
On Tuesday, Hayes had cantaloupes, corn, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, onions, and red potatoes available outside the store. The selection varies depending on what is available in Lancaster that week.
Hayes expects to continue the trips through the remaining summer produce season, with apples likely joining the selection as the season changes. He said the informal stand could continue through September.
The produce is just the latest addition to an eclectic inventory at Glass Pound Studio. In addition to the shop’s smoking accessories and Hayes’ handmade glass, customers can find BB guns, Vietnamese gemstones, tapestries, 3D-printed items, and gold and silver coins. Hayes also buys precious metals and offers to test customers’ coins for authenticity at no charge using an in-store testing machine.
For Hayes, selling produce has also highlighted what he sees as a broader need in Spring City.
“It would be good to have this here all the time,” he said.
