Fort Mill’s Peach Stand is closing, but not permanently. Here’s what will change inside
One of Fort Mill’s most iconic businesses will close in February, but only for a month.
The Peach Stand at 1325 Hwy. 160 West will shut down Feb. 2 and won’t reopen until March 1. The popular grocery store, filling station and fresh fruit purveyor posted the decision Saturday on its Facebook page.
“After nearly 50 years of service, our building will be undergoing some necessary updates to help us continue to run efficiently and safely,” the post read.
The Peach Stand is one of the town’s oldest and most identifiable businesses.
Generations of Fort Mill residents have counted the seasons in part by the availability of spring strawberries or summer peaches from Springs Farms. The store at the intersection of S.C. 160 and U.S. 21 has grown to include a restaurant, butcher shop and bakery.
What changes are in store for The Peach Stand
On Monday morning, store manager Sherri McMurray offered details on what will change and what won’t. Some people, McMurray said, took the post to mean the store would get a full remodel.
“That’s not happening,” she said. “What we’re doing is back of house type things. We’re upgrading our entire electrical system, upgrading plumbing, rebuilding a freezer in the back.”
McMurray doesn’t know the total investment amount for the upgrades. The building has been there since the late 1970s. McMurray arrived in 1998.
Some people who read the initial post may be disappointed, she said, to find out most of the changes are internal.
“It’s a lot of work,” McMurray said. “It’s work that we can’t do and remain open at the same time, but it’s not something that’s going to be immediately noticeable when people walk in the door.”
Others, though, may be relieved.
Some of the many dozens of people who posted comments on The Peach Stand post didn’t want too much to change. Others did a double take when they saw “closure” in a Peach Stand post.
“I just let out the biggest gasp and my husband was like what’s wrong?” Shannon King commented. “Then I kept reading. So glad it’s just renovations.”
Jan Rogers stated that the store will be missed, even for a month.
“I value The Peach Stand, and go there several times a week,” Rogers wrote. “This hits home with me. I will definitely welcome the month of March, 2025 when you re-open for business!”
‘It feels like a big deal’
Comments called The Peach Stand a go-to place for raw milk, Amish butter, fresh meat cuts and, recently, Christmas shopping.
All the same local produce and products will be available in March, McMurray said. The February closing was strategic, since it fits in between busy seasons.
“That was exactly our thinking,” McMurray said. “We got through the holidays which is a real busy season. It slows a bit in January and February before we get ready for strawberries. We definitely wanted things to be done prior to strawberry season.”
McMurray considered leaving the gas station open, but opted not to since there will be periodic power outages due to the upgrades. Also, it might have confused customers if they could use the gas pumps but not come inside the store.
The main way customers can support the store is to stop by this month to shop, then again in March.
“It feels like a big deal, closing for a month,” McMurray said. “It’s big to us. It’s things that we need to do to ensure that our building is going to last a long, long time.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 11:16 AM.
