Lowcountry Street Grocery teams up with House of Brews to offer fresh produce in West Ashley
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
You may have driven down Wappoo Road and noticed a dark green and white school bus and wondered what the heck that was all about. Well, her name is Nell (or Nellbus) and she’s a 1988 Ford B700 bus. She’s also the mascot and mobile market for Lowcountry Street Grocery (LSG), a mission-driven local market and food pharmacy intent on making fresh, local food accessible and affordable for everyone in the community.
“Mostly, she is a vital part of Charleston’s community fabric. Not many businesses can call so many unique and neighborhoods home. We’ve seen folks move, watched kids grow-up, and walk groceries to elders’ homes. Nellbus is truly for everyone, by everyone. Nothing is more Charleston than that,” says LSG founder Lindsey Barrow Jr.
According to Barrow, LSG is like a multi-tool for a healthier, more robust local food economy. “Much more than meets the eye, we operate a sliding scale mobile farmers’ market, an online local food delivery service, as well as a clinical food is medicine program for folks struggling with diet-related illness,” says Barrow.
Barrow says LSG’s mission is two-fold. First, is to provide reliable, affordable, fresh food access to their neighbors who need it most: those experiencing social, financial or transportation disadvantages that may preclude them from equitable food access and security. He points out that South Carolina’s food insecurity rate is 18 percent higher than the national average. Secondly, LSG provides a reliable, direct-to-consumer outlet for local farmers and producers.
“We currently work with nearly 250 local and regional farmers and producers. We are their grocery store. We take it one step further and connect many of these producers to Charleston’s disadvantaged populations so that the highest quality, local foods are available to those that need it most,” says Barrow.
Starting on Oct. 25, LSG teamed up with West Ashley House of Brews (HoB) to be even more accessible to the West Ashley community. HoB assistant manager Cayla LaCosta has been instrumental in bringing this collaboration to fruition. Calling it Hoppy Harvest Wednesdays, LSG sets up in at the bar every other Wednesday from 4-6 p.m.
“I try to shop local in any and every way possible but I find it hard during the week to make it to a lot of local farmer’s markets due to my work schedule and the traffic patterns throughout the week. One day I thought to myself, ‘wouldn’t it be awesome if I could bring some local produce and goods to House of Brews?’ says LaCoste. “It’s a match made in heaven. Sipping local craft brews, buying local produce and goods, all while supporting local food trucks!”
Barrow agrees that it’s a great fit, not only for his business and the bar, but for the residents who live on that side of West Ashley.
“While the shady oaks provide some nice sleepy-time country market feels, the congestion and narrow roads prove a little suspect for our big ol’ school bus loaded down with fresh produce etc.,” he says. “So we collaborated on a time that works for our logistics and House of Brews’ schedule. The HOB folks are so incredibly nice, they open their gates and give Nell her own space.”
So what if a beer bar isn’t your scene. You can still help LSG with their mission and score some really great local produce. Barrow says the easiest way to participate is to start shifting at least a portion of your food budget to local food grown right here in the Lowcountry.
“Simply by purchasing produce on the bus, close to 90 percent of your purchase will stay right here within our community, with a portion going directly to our programming that prioritizes low-income, low-access neighbors and folks that might need a little assistance. Win, win, win,” he says. “On the contrary, purchases at national chains only put about 30 percent of your dollars back into our community.”
Though almost at capacity, Community Supported Grocery, LSG’s convenient local food delivery arm, is far and away the ultimate way to get involved without much effort, according to Barrow.
“We’ll save you a trip to the grocery store and deliver far better food right to your doorstep. CSG members also get access to an a la carte online retail experience with over 500 products including bread, pasture-raised meats, cheese, pastas, vegan options, regular stuff, and so much more.”
With the holidays right around the corner, Barrow says LSG’s mission is more important than ever.
“The holidays are über important for us, and very important for many of the folks we’re servicing especially those that lack regular, healthy food access,” he says. “We typically operate multiple food drives of sorts in partnership with our partner clinics like Fetter Health Care to make sure that everyone that we service can have full cupboards for the holidays with family. Once we’ve checked that box we look inwardly and focus on our own family and our staff. They work incredibly hard all year, so we prioritize giving everyone ample time to spend with their families and loved ones.”
Community Supported Grocery (in cahoots w/ Lowcountry Street Grocery) is located at 1108 Wappoo Road. LSG sets up from 4-6 p.m. every other Wednesday at West Ashley House of Brews, located at 2376 Ashley River Road. For more information, visit www.communitysupportedgrocery.com.
