A message from the owners…
Pete and I grew up in Merchantville and Pennsauken and have long established ties to the area. We were long time customers (as were Pete’s mother and grandmother!) of Philly Fruit and especially loved the fabulous butchered meats and the intimate feel of a small grocery. When the possibility to purchase the business arose, we felt it was a terrific opportunity to recreate the concept of the friendly “downtown” market complete with a great butcher shop and deli, adding the convenience of some prepared foods for today’s busy families. Those who know us can attest to the fact that we love to entertain, serving both Pete’s (Italian Hoagies) and my (pita with brown rice & tofu) favorites in the company of close friends and family. At McFarlan’s Market our goal will be to bring that same sense of hospitality to the neighborhood, providing a variety of food that everyone will enjoy.
We have always had an affinity for older structures and during the renovation process we have had a great time trying to figure out the history of the building. As we have peeled back the layers, we have learned that William McFarlan operated one of the first markets on the site. We chose the name McFarlan’s Market to honor his legacy, the history of the building and the traditions of the Merchantville community.
Pete and I are optimists and hope that we can pull together the building renovations, equipment installation and inventory by November. Pete was the most optimistic, wanting to be open by October 1st, but it seems to be more realistic to try and open the doors in November. Last year we had to celebrate Thanksgiving without our usual Philly Fruit turkeys (2 of the 22 pounders were just enough!) and we don’t want that to happen again!
We would like to thank everyone in Merchantville for your tremendous support and positive comments about our new venture. We have really enjoyed meeting the people who have stopped to introduce themselves and appreciate all of your kind words. It has been a pleasure working in town and we owe many thanks to the township and its employees. We would also like to give a huge thank you to our neighbors at the Half Moon Café; Laura and her staff have been very patient with our demo work.
Our website, www.mcfarlansmarket.com, is under construction but soon we hope to post renovation pictures and provide you updates on our progress. In the meantime, please call us at 856.662.1400 (you guessed it: the old Philly Fruit number!) if you have any questions.
Pete and I, along with our three children, look forward to the opening of McFarlan’s Market. We hope to create a friendly place where our neighbors will find both high quality products and great customer service. We can’t wait to be part of the community!
Pete Burgess and Janet Stevens
Proprietors, McFarlan’s Market
