Driving around Fort Collins, you can see a lot of fruit and produce stands, but our stand at Bath has what no other stand has: The Peachy Family. Husband and wife Luke and Christy run the stand with their two adorable children Katie who is 9 years old and Charlie who, his mother says, is a “boisterous 6.”
Life at the peach stand is fun with all the hustle and bustle of different people who come to buy fruit. However it can also be grueling. The Peachy Family works 6 days a week, sometimes for 12 hours a day during the summer when they are selling fruit. With an open stand in the heat, it definitely makes for long days. For some people, the thought of spending the hot summer at a stand selling fruit is less than appealing.
I decided to ask Christy about their story. I set up a time with her to come into my office and as she strode in, I was taken aback at how lovely and spritely she is. She has floppy, mahogany hair, a smile that warms your heart and a glint in her eye that whispers mischief and radiates life. She never has even a hint of tiredness about her.
I posed the question to Christy, “What made you want to get into the business of selling peaches?”
She told me that before they started selling peaches, her husband Luke was an accountant and put in long days for his profession. She said it was not unusual for him to work 16 hour days and her life as a mother often felt lonely. She said that they craved a different lifestyle for their entire family, one where they could spend more time together, build a strong bond and where they could navigate through life as a united family. Their children, young Charlie especially, were not getting the time they needed when Luke was working as an accountant.
Christy looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “There has been so much improvement with Charlie’s behavior due to his interaction with the nursery staff. My children get good life experience here and it is fun. The Bath staff bring Charlie joy, and my kids are treated with respect. It would be different if we were selling fruit on the side of the road in front of a gas station. With the Bath family, we become family for the summer and we cry when we leave at the end of every season. I have seen improvement in my children and my marriage is closer. We are fit and active. The work is hard but rewarding.”
She went on to tell me they were living in Palisade at the time they needed a change for their family and decided to try selling peaches. Christy’s eyes lit up as they always do when she is about to tell you something she loves as she said, “There is a canyon that breathes warm air on the peaches and that is what makes Palisade Peaches especially sweet.”
The farm she gets her peaches from is special because they pick their peaches within 2 days of ripeness while it is common practice among some sellers to harvest much earlier. The fruit will change color but will never become as sweet as Palisade Peaches. The Peachy Family gets new fruit every other day so that it is as fresh as you can get it and they don’t sell anything past 3 days old at full price.
While she assured me that selling peaches at a stand is not an arrangement that would work for every family, it has been perfect for hers. Even through chaotic days, the Peachy Family can be found here with a smile on their faces. They are here at Bath, Tuesday through Sunday from 9am-6pm, or until they sell out. They are only here until Labor Day so don’t miss out on what we consider the world’s best!