A New Rural Pantry at Tiny Town Farm Store & Grocer

Just off the Taconic Parkway in the hamlet of West Taghkanic, a small barn has taken on a new life. Opened January 3, Tiny Town Farm Store & Grocer is a new market and specialty grocer founded by Alejandra Stewart and her husband, Peter Stewart, in partnership with Chul Kim. The shop blends everyday essentials with curated regional products and globally inspired pantry staples.

“We’re an approachable small market with high-quality products,” Stewart says. “If I wouldn’t serve it to my family, I’m not going to sell it to yours.”

The project began when Kim, a restaurateur and longtime friend of the Stewarts who has divided his time between Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley for several years, encouraged them to relocate and help open a store. The couple, raising three children in Brooklyn at the time, saw an opportunity for a change of pace. “We thought, ‘Why not try something new?’” Stewart says. “More space, access to the outdoors, and a chance to build something for our family.”

Food has long been central to Stewart’s life. Born in Mexico, she grew up cooking as a household responsibility from a young age, and worked in restaurants and hospitality while finishing her degree. After graduating, Stewart stepped back from the workforce when her first child was born. With her children now older and in school, opening Tiny Town felt like the right moment to step back in.

Though the original vision included launching a farm operation, the partners pivoted to opening the retail space first, stocking it with products from Hudson Valley farms and food makers while continuing to explore future expansion. “There’s an embarrassment of riches here,” Stewart says of the region. “We wanted to support as many local farms as possible.”

Much of Tiny Town’s inventory comes through word-of-mouth connections with area farmers and producers. Pierre Friedrichs of Overlook Farm helped introduce the team to other regional suppliers, reflecting the collaborative spirit Stewart says she’s found in the local food community. “He stopped by the store and just started walking around pointing things out—you should call this person, get in touch with that one,” Stewart recalls. “We were just writing everything down.”

The shelves reflect that network. Dairy comes from Ronnybrook and local cheesemakers Churchtown Dairy and McGrath Cheese; produce and shelf-stable goods like pickles, relishes, and hot sauce from Deep Roots Farm; mushrooms from Tivoli Mushrooms; honey from Taconic Range Apiary; jams from Les Collines; and meats from Kinderhook Farm and Overlook Farm. Letterbox Farm supplies broths and frozen goods. 

Alongside the local products, the store carries specialty pantry items like preserved lemons, white peppercorns, and za’atar, products Stewart once struggled to find even while living in New York City. Weekly bread deliveries from Sparrowbush Bakery and Bartlett House have quickly found a following, and a new partnership with Parlor Coffee offers drip coffee to morning commuters.

The store occupies a property with local roots. The adjacent building once housed Miller’s Tavern, and the barn that now contains Tiny Town reportedly served as the tavern’s after-hours hangout—complete with a dirt floor and a pool table. The Stewarts and their partners renovated the structure largely themselves, drawing on Peter Stewart’s construction background and working with a small team on a tight budget. “We’ve been bootstrapping this whole thing,” Stewart says. “I’m proud of what we built with what we had.”

The location’s proximity to the parkway, and a neighboring diner slated to reopen later this year, has helped attract both locals and passersby. Six weeks after opening, the shop already counts regulars and has become something of a neighborhood resource. “It feels like an old-school grocer,” Stewart says. “People call asking if the bread is in, or whether we have a certain ingredient. My husband will pick up the phone and ask how far away they are.”

The partners envision Tiny Town evolving into more than a market. Ideas include expanding product offerings, hosting pop-ups, and eventually introducing prepared foods that reflect the founders’ backgrounds—Stewart’s Mexican heritage and Kim’s Korean roots among them. But for now, the focus remains on establishing the store as a welcoming hub for the community.

Tiny Town Farm Store & Grocer is located at 920 NY-82, Ancram, NY.