What began as a desire to bring the people of Greencastle and Putnam County something they wanted and needed has turned into a celebration for business owners Tosh and Joel Everson as their business, The Bodega, turns two this week.
"I think for Tosh and I with The Whisk and The Bodega, it's not as if we assume everyone likes the same things we like, but we do believe and have always believed if we can be authentic and genuine about something we care about, there is a better chance that the enthusiasm will become contagious and people will be curious. It is niche, and you go out on a limb and don't know if it will work, but it has. The Whisk will celebrate its four year anniversary in November, and we have gotten our legs under us a little. We were talking about another way to highlight the local farmers that we have, and Tosh and I had the opportunity to travel a lot, especially when we were playing music for years, and we would notice in the downtown boroughs of New York, there were neighborhood bodegas. We thought what if we do that and the primary focus was the local growers and farmers, and that became the idea. We thought what if we could do that here," Joel Everson told The Putnam County Post.
Everson said The Bodega is their "love letter to Greencastle."
"We really want to say there are so many amazing things happening here and just to get the chance to highlight them, feels really special. Bringing it back home is maybe my favorite thing about all of it. Tosh and I never had any aspirations to open restaurants or do any of this. It wasn't on our radar, but it just so happens there was a global pandemic. We were playing music and all of a sudden, all that shut down. We had a little space and time to think about what we wanted to do, and it organically happened. We wanted to follow where the magic happened, and we kept taking steps. I remember the specific conversation we had and thought what if we move to Savannah or move to France or do this, and I remember we sat there and said, "What if we double down on Greencastle, do our best to invest ourselves and be a part of this community?" It is one of the best decisions we ever made," Everson said.
Having grown up in Greencastle, Everson said owning the Bodega in a place that means so much to him is a little extra special.
"Growing up in a small community, you sometimes have the thought of where everyone knows your business. It is so funny to be on the other side of that, and I love the fact that if I need something, I can call someone immediately or the idea that I can impact change. If you are in a big city and you have something you are passionate about, it is a lot harder to get momentum. In a small town, your voice matters and you get to see the ripple effect," he said.
To celebrate the Two Year Anniversary, Everson said there are some special things planned this week.
"All week we will be celebrating. We will have a free cup of coffee or iced coffee with the purchase of a breakfast sandwich. We have two new sandwiches available, and we have free cupcakes every day. We also have some special things planned and some giveaways to say thank you. Our team is so special and we love being a part of this community," Everson said.
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