Our Story
In May of 2015, fire caused the closure of the historic Ronsheimer building, leaving Penngrove without a place to buy staples like milk or bread. As the building lay dormant and empty, Rebecca McDowell dreamed of providing a local market and community hub in the heart of downtown Penngrove. As the building was carefully restored, Rebecca and her husband, Evan, with long time friends, Joe and Shaina Ferraro, collaborated to create the new Penngrove Market.
Together, this team has decades of experience in grocery stores, prepared foods and customer service. Passionate about locally-sourced ingredients and seasonal cooking, their mission is to create a neighborhood grocery store that nurtures connection with the community, the environment, local farmers and makers.
What We Need & What You Get
We are working hard to open the market, but we need your help! To provide the delicious prepared foods and fresh local produce our community desires, we need the tools and equipment to prepare them. The money we raise will go directly to procuring ovens, mixers, juicers, refrigeration, and shelving, that will allow us to showcase the bounty of Sonoma County.
One of our first big purchases was a wood-fire oven from Mugnaini, a local oven builder and one of the best in the business! With this oven in our kitchen, Chef Joe and his crew are able to make scrumptious pizzas, calzones, and roasted meats and vegetables. Have you ever tried a piadine? Piadine is wood-fired Italian flatbread and salad wrap with infinite possibilities of seasonal combinations. Lunch is on us if you contribute and choose the “T-shirt & Pizza”! Or have you always wanted to learn how to cook in a wood-fired oven? Contribute and enjoy a class with Chef Joe! We’ve got all levels of contributions and prizes and we appreciate any amount you’re able to help Penngrove Market!
The Impact
Your contribution to our campaign will help Penngrove Market provide:
- a central hub for gathering and connecting with the community
- employment for members of the community
- a marketplace for local farmers and artisans to share their product without having to ship it far away
- healthy delicious foods and household necessities for people that would otherwise need to leave town to find them
- the opportunity for money to stay within Sonoma County and improve our local economy
- benefits to our environment by lessening the distance our food travels
Become a Community Lender!
Our vision is to create a community market in the truest sense. This means that everyone in our community has an opportunity to make this dream a reality. In addition to our campaign, we are looking for local investors to lend capital at competitive interest rates. This will help us fund the needed construction and infrastructure to build out the market. If you are interested in putting your money to work in a grass-roots local market, and reaping the benefits of receiving interest, alongside building an asset for our community, we invite you to connect with us and explore the possibilities. Contact us for more information.
Other Ways You Can Help
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Share this campaign on social media by clicking on the links above!
- Apply to work at Penngrove Market and become part of our team!
- Buy a ticket to the Grand Opening Party and give it to a Friend!
Together we can build Penngrove Market!
