Working on a farm isn’t for everyone, but it’s what Erika Gogis has always dreamed of.

“It’s something that I have always done since the day I was born and it’s something I want to continue to do and something that I’m passionate about,” says Gogis, owner of the Plaid Farm Store.

She spends her days at Creek Acres farm in Amsterdam. She decided to open up a farm store there where local farmers can sell their meat, milk and produce directly to people in the community.

“But with the pandemic and everything that happened with COVID, people were really, I think, nervous about where their food was coming from and they wanted to be more conscious as far as purchasing food and that’s kind of what set in stone in my head that there was a demand here,” Gogis said.

It’s a self-serve store, based on the honor system. Customers come in and pick what they want, then either leave cash or send Erika money through Venmo.

Erika says she wants people to see the farmer behind what they’re putting on their plate.

“I want them to be able to buy local and ask the farmer questions instead of turning to Google … it’s all about the product, but I want to be more than that,” Gogis said. “I want them to have a place where they can go that they can ask questions, too.”

The store has been up and running for three weeks, and Erika says it’s so popular that she counts the days until her shipments arrive.

“I hope that this inspires other farmers to build a farm stand. If we had a farm stand every 15 miles, we could support the community with just the food that we raise,” Gogis said.