Front left to right-Scott Gardner/Pres/CEO-Wyom. Co. Chamber of Commerce, Katie Carpenter/Co-Owner, Dana Chamberlain/Co-Owner, Brian Cousins/Pres./Gen. Co. Chamber of Commerce, back left to right- Nathan Montford/Mayor/Village of Attica, Eric Szucs/Director of Tourism/Wyom. Co., Norb Fuest/Chair of the Board/Wyom. Co. Chamber of Commerce.
Greenhouse, Homemade Ice Cream and Market
The Vintage Cow Farmers Market in Attica is celebrating their 5-year Anniversary. On Friday, co-owners Katie Carpenter and Dana Chamberlain held a joint ribbon cutting with the Wyoming and Genesee County Chambers of Commerce to celebrate the opening of their newly remodeled barn and patio.
The pair opened the Vintage Cow as a greenhouse with an ice cream stand in 2018. The renovations started last October and were completed at the start of this season.
Katie Carpenter and Dana Chamberlain-Co-owners of the Vintage Cow on Rt. 98 in Attica/Alexander recently renovated their business and will be open through the Christmas season. They will then re-open again in mid-February. Both are Dairy farmers; Katie helps run All Bright Farms in Attica and Dana helps run Sand Hill Dairy in Wyoming.
The store is starting their 6th season and has outgrown their space at old the ice cream stand next to the greenhouse and needed more space.
After the wholesaler who provided the ice cream stopped selling their product to the Vintage Cow, Katie and Dana took things a step further and decided to make their own ice cream and they needed the space to make the ice cream after going to ice cream school this past January. The pair had always wanted to direct market their milk since they started, and this was their opportunity.
“When we initially started this business, we really had the goal in mind of doing value added products. As farmers we wanted to be able to connect directly with consumers, but how it evolved, the journey is a little different than I think what we had anticipated,” says Katie.
The Market barn was also renovated to include a commercial kitchen which allows space to now create hand-crafted ice cream and have indoor serving which will allow the store to be open almost year- round. Fryers and an oven were also installed, and the barn now offers a simple food menu.
The Farm Market and Ice Cream windows are open and there is indoor and outdoor ordering, a bar with stools inside and a covered patio.
The renovation included adding ice cream serving windows and renovating the inside of the barn, exposing the original beams of the barn which was built sometime in the late 1890’s according to Katie and Dana.
“We have plans with our ice cream flavors to try to work with our local businesses, we actually just made one yesterday, vanilla maple walnut fudge from Merle Maple, we plan to do a honey flavor with Bee Country Honey, so we’re excited to expand on that,” say Katie.
Cookies and brownies to go are also homemade along with the burgers.
The Vintage Cow also carries many other items from local businesses.
“I think we’re able to share a little bit more, we’re able to do local burgers so the beef comes from Dana’s cows or my farm, we’ve got fresh cheese curds that come from Eden Valley Creamery, so we can really start to showcase more local products and what we carry in the store,” says Katie.
The pair says they work together and with other businesses and it’s been fun to see that full circle.
“To be able to see the people that are enjoying your products and just the joy that it brings and having a space where families can come an enjoy time together or celebrate something is probably the most rewarding thing,” says Katie.
Celebrating 5 years with Chamber of Commerce Presidents for Wyoming and Genesee Counties/Scott Gardner(left) and Brian Cousins(right).
“We looked around, we had a dream, and this is way more, it just came out beautifully, we’re just so thrilled with it, it’s way more than we thought we would end up with, it’s been an exciting, exciting journey. It’s been a labor of love and we’re really happy with it,” says Dana.
Video of ribbon cutting-July 14, 2023
Link to the Vintage Cow website and Facebook page below:
Ice Cream and Farmers Market | Attica, NY | Vintage Cow (thevintagecow.com)
A new patio area was also added.
Helpers Vin, in the foreground, and Tage in the background have been part of the journey since opening day in 2018 and have their paw prints on the new patio.
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Happy for good businesses being recongnized by the Chambers for their hard work well deserved, and not just praising the poor statues of some business just for political gains!