"We thought, why not build a permanent store?" Kyndle Erhard told NewsChannel 5 in September, a few days after she and her husband Zach opened the Oak Grove Farms Store in Gallatin.
The timing matters. The Gallatin Farmers Market at 160 W. Franklin Street ran Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and its 2026 season was set for "May through the end of September." Today is the last day of September. In past years, the end of the market season was also the end of easy access to local produce downtown. This October is the first one where that's no longer true. A grocery owned by a farm family now sits at 517 West Main Street, on the same lot where Oak Grove's seasonal farm stand operated for years. Most of the rest of the fall, the gatherings and the evenings out, is booked into the Palace Theater and the square a few blocks away.
From Four Saturday Hours to Sixty a Week
Start with the hours. The farmers market was open four hours a week, one morning only. The Oak Grove Farms Store is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and closed Sunday. That's sixty hours a week. Oak Grove calls the new store year-round, so the schedule doesn't stop when the weather turns.
The building also opens earlier than the grocery side. Sow Coffee, the in-house coffee shop, opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It serves beans from Crema Coffee, Oak Grove's Nashville partner. Oak Grove describes the space as a place for meetings, small gatherings, and remote work. So a Tuesday at 7 a.m., when there was never a market to go to, now has an open door on West Main.
Interest in the store was obvious from the start. Close to 300 people came to the ribbon-cutting on Friday morning, Sept. 4. Main Street Media's Gallatin News reported that the crowd filled the parking lot and packed the entrance. NewsChannel 5 found the lot nearly full again on a Tuesday morning and throughout opening weekend.
What Comes Off the Farm and What Comes From Neighbors
The store's produce comes mostly from a farm close by. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists Oak Grove's farm as 71 acres in Bethpage. Oak Grove says the farm is within 10 miles of the Gallatin store and that about 90 percent of its produce is grown there. The exceptions are peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, and apples. The farm isn't open to visitors and doesn't offer pick-your-own. The Gallatin location is where you buy what it grows.
The Gallatin News opening report listed farm-grown produce, local and regional products, dairy, refrigerated and freezer items, pantry staples, specialty foods, and an in-house bakery making breads, pastries, and seasonal treats. NewsChannel 5 counted more than 60 vendors on the shelves. The store keeps the farm stand's loose rule about sourcing. "We like to focus on local, and the items that we can get local, we'll get local," Kyndle said.
Pumpkins are one of the farm's crops, and Oak Grove's FAQ points customers to the Gallatin market for pre-picked produce. We haven't seen a 2026 announcement about fall pumpkin dates or holiday preorders. If you're planning a Thanksgiving table around the store, ask at the counter before you count on anything.
The state also invested in the store. At the ribbon-cutting, Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt explained the funding to the Gallatin News:
"Oak Grove Farms received $1 million through a program funded by the American Rescue Plan, called FARM, which stands for Forestry, Agriculture and Rural Markets. The second program is our Ag-Track program, which shares 25 percent of costs up to $1 million, which is what the Oak Grove Farms Store received. So, as you can see, Tennessee's Ag Department has supported this project to the tune of about $2 million."
Two state programs put about $2 million toward a store in downtown Gallatin, so the state is betting this one lasts.
The Market's Own Calendar Still Has Two Dates on It
The end of the Saturday season doesn't mean the Gallatin Farmers Market goes quiet until spring. The Chamber of Commerce's farmers market page lists two more events this year.
- Harvest Halloween, October 24. It's on the Chamber's event list. The separate 2026 season listing says the market ends in September, though, and no hours or venue have been posted. Check the market's Facebook group before you go.
- Yuletide at the Station, November 13 and 14. This one is confirmed. It moves to The Station at 117 W. Main Street and runs Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, and the listing promises handmade goods, artisan crafts, festive finds, and live local music.
Yuletide puts the market's last big weekend of the year on the same street as Oak Grove. The market spent the summer on West Franklin and closes its year on West Main.
The Palace Theater Holds the Rest of the Fall
The store covers the weekday errand. The Palace Theater covers the evenings. Nearly every dated event on downtown Gallatin's October and November calendar uses the Palace or the square around it:
- Saturday, Oct. 3: Main St. Fest Powered by Historic Downtown Gallatin. Downtown streets, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's free and advertises more than 240 vendors.
- Thursday, Oct. 15: Downtown Gallatin Fall Fashion Show. At the Historic Palace Theater, hosted by Honey & Suede, Sassy & Brassy, and Tennessee Honey.
- Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17: The Town Creek Film Festival. This is the festival's first year in Gallatin. Independent short films from around the world screen at the Palace from 7 to 9 p.m. both nights. Late-night screenings run 10 to 11 p.m. at The Annex at Prince Street Pizza and Pub, and there's a special presentation in The Basement at Public Square 106. The all-access ticket is $32 plus fees and includes preferred entry to the after-parties.
- Friday, Oct. 30: Trick-or-treat on the square. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with downtown merchants, aimed at preschool-aged children.
- Friday, Oct. 30, Nov. 6, and Nov. 20: Gallatin Rotary Club Free Family Movie Nights at The Palace. Hocus Pocus, then Back to the Future, then The Mighty Ducks. Admission is free, and each movie starts at 6:30 p.m.
- Friday through Sunday, Nov. 13 to 15: Tinsel & Treasures Holiday Retail Open House. At participating stores in and around Gallatin, the same weekend as Yuletide.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: "After the Fire Is Gone: The Music of Conway & Loretta." Music Amplifies presents this at the Palace from 7 to 9 p.m. as part of its #AMPUP4KIDS night. Proceeds help fund Christmas assistance for local children. The group says it served 1,391 children last year.
October 30 is the busiest day on the list. Trick-or-treat on the square wraps up at 2 p.m., and Hocus Pocus starts at the Palace at 6:30. A family could spend the whole holiday within a few blocks of the square.
Mid-November follows the same pattern on a larger scale. On Nov. 13 and 14, Yuletide at the Station, Tinsel & Treasures, and the Conway and Loretta show all overlap. That makes it the busiest downtown weekend of the fall. If you have holiday shopping or dinner reservations in mind, plan around it. Event calendars can change, so confirm times with each host the week of the event.
Two Changes at the Edges of Town
The fall's other news is outside downtown. O'Charley's at 1009 Village Green Crossing was on the list of Middle Tennessee locations closing on Sept. 9. WKRN later reported that corporate had confirmed the closures.
Looking ahead, GBT announced plans on Sept. 16 for The Crossroads of Gallatin. It's a planned retail complex of nearly 300,000 square feet at Green Lea Boulevard and Harris Lane, near SR-386, with groundbreaking forecast for early November. No tenants have been announced yet. The Oak Grove Farms Store, Sow Coffee, and the Palace calendar are already open this fall.
If you'd like to talk Gallatin over a cup at Sow Coffee, whether it's about the town, your street, or a move you're starting to think about, Kim Rowland - Oak Leaf Real Estate would be glad to meet you on West Main. Let's grab some coffee.
