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Earlier this year, every time Tim and I drove over the Hogsback (on Center Road just north of the Smokey Hollow Road intersection), we’d wonder about the new little building on the right side of the road heading north, in the little valley there.
We later learned that this is the new home of Little Fox Farm, owned by Nate and Erin (Courtade) McManus. If those last names sound familiar to you, that’s because they both belong to longtime northern Michigan families.
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Deep Roots in Northern Michigan
We recently talked with Nate, and when he told us his grandpa was Tom McManus, Tim and I both said in unison, “Well, then, you know how to work hard!” When I was a kid, Tom McManus was a familiar sight as he drove his tractor along OMP roads to work on his farms. Nate spent time working on those farms, too, and it’s clear that hard work is wired into his DNA.
Then I learned that Nate’s wife Erin has deep ties to northern Michigan, too. Her parents, Matt and Sue Courtade, are longtime friends I went to school with. Matt worked on our cherry shaker crew back in the day, and now has an awesome business called “The Wooden Wall,” where he makes artwork, chairs and other cool items out of reclaimed wood. Check them out on Etsy and Facebook.
Needless to say, Nate and Erin’s family has a long history on the OMP and in northern Michigan, and I’m very excited to help promote their businesses, Little Fox Farm and Oliver & Company, an outdoor services company. They will basically do anything you need done outdoors – landscaping, shoreline erosion control, hauling, tree removal, snow removal, seasonal maintenance, storm cleanup, light excavating, you name it. If you need anything done, give Nate a call at (231) 233-8836.
Let’s talk about Little Fox Farm, Nate and Erin’s brand new garden and nursery business at 15402 Center Road (on the Hogsback). Their grand opening is tomorrow, May 1, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.!
Can’t make it to their place in real life or want to continue sheltering at home? No worries, they are big on Facebook and are already busy posting virtual tours, what plants are available and lots more. You will even be able to pick out some plants for your own garden without ever having to leave your couch. Talk about service!
Little Fox Farm – The Basics
What is Little Fox Farm? A small, but mighty plant-focused and family-run Farm Stand and Display Garden located at 15402 Center Road on the Old Mission Peninsula.
What can you buy from them? A variety of annual and perennial plants, shrubs, trees and even vegetable plants. Many of their products are cared for right there on the farm. To best serve you, they also have connections with a wide network of local nurseries. If there is something you want, they very likely can get it!
What is a “Display Garden”? Little Fox Farm’s Display Garden is where you can walk through and see examples of many of their plants. Think Ikea showroom, but with flowers. It’s a place where you can explore and take notes, take pictures, take your time and dream.
How can you order from them? After visiting their Display Garden – either in real life or virtually – fill out an order form, and they’ll schedule a delivery to you (hands-free delivery at this time). If you’d like a copy of their order form, please email [email protected].You can also order directly from their beautiful website here.
What are their hours? They will be on site Tuesday-Saturday from 9-6 and Sunday from 12-6. They have reserved Mondays, by appointment only, for their elderly or otherwise immunocompromised customers.
A word about social distancing in our current world: For the safety and convenience of their customers, Nate and Erin are strongly encouraging folks to shop with them virtually as much as possible. They will be posting updated photos of available plants on their Facebook page and website. Their goal is to make it easy for you to get the plants you need without having to leave your home.
And if you do visit the farm, they kindly ask that you come prepared to follow all CDC guidelines.
Need more information? Email [email protected], call (231) 233-8836, or send them a message through their Facebook page. They are happy to help!
Oh, and check out this cool vintage Ford at Little Fox Farm. We love that!
SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
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That is where Terry’s parents lived. I can’t figure out where the plants etc are there. Behind the green phone co building?????? They’d be happy to have it being farmed there!!!!!!!!!!
I know, right? Yep, behind the phone co. building, in that little valley there.
Thanks, Jane. We rarely go North in that area and not often South either but South, we wouldn’t see it!!!!!! I’ll have to go for a drive and check it out!!!!!!
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[…] Nate and Erin McManus own this farm and garden stand that opened this spring. They offer a variety of plants, flowers, shrubs, trees and more, and also have a variety of u-pick […]
[…] of the lovely quotes scattered around Little Fox Farm, the new farm stand and display garden that Nate and Erin McManus launched this spring at the north end of the […]
[…] Erin is married to Nate McManus. Erin and Nate run Oliver & Company Property Solutions and Little Fox Farm. Matt also worked on our shaker crew back in the day, and I went out with his good friend Chip […]
[…] That kind of service is unheard of these days, and I highly recommend him. And, he let me take pics! Thanks for such prompt and speedy service, Nate! (Read more about Nate and Erin McManus here.) […]
[…] Earlier this year, I managed to sneak in a photo of owner Erin McManus. Thank you, Erin! Read more about owners Erin and Nate McManus here. […]
[…] on their Facebook page that Little Fox Farm will not be open to the public this year. They launched their flower and garden stand during the pandemic on May 1, 2020, on Center Road just north of the […]