PASCO — The smell of fresh waffle cones, rows of glossy caramel apples and bins of peak-season fruit greet visitors stepping through the doors of Country Mercantile – a place that feels as much like a memory as it does a store.

For 30 years, the roadside business along Highway 395 has served as both a stop for travelers and a staple for locals. But its beginnings were far simpler: one farmer, a roadside tent and a need to connect directly with customers.

“It started as a farmer trying to sell produce direct to the public,” owner Jay Wood said. “I just needed a more consistent market.”

In 1996, Wood set up tents outside a small rented building, selling asparagus, raspberries, cherries and apples grown on his land. By the following spring, he purchased the building and began expanding – not with a master business plan, but with something far more organic.

“I really didn’t have a vision of where I wanted this to go,” Wood said. “All I really had was a need to sell my product and a consistent customer base.”

Instead of following a traditional growth strategy, Country Mercantile evolved through customer demand – one request at a time.

“It just boomeranged from there,” Wood said.

When customers asked for ice cream on hot days, the store added ice cream. When they wanted meals, a deli followed. Each addition reflected a simple philosophy: listen, adapt and build.

By 2000, the Mercantile had expanded significantly, with a larger facility designed not just to sell goods but to produce them on-site – often in full view of customers.

“We wanted everything else to be homegrown and home-produced,” Wood said. “So we put our chocolate facility behind glass so people could see us making it.”

That transparency – part theater, part craftsmanship – became a signature feature.

While fresh produce remains central, another product has come to define the Mercantile’s reputation.

“Chocolate is the driving force now,” Wood said.

Made without preservatives and produced in small batches, the chocolate reflects the business’s focus on quality over scale.

“We want the best experience for customers,” Wood said. “We don’t try to keep it for months on the shelf.”

The results have turned the store into a destination. Wood recalled a moment that underscored just how far people will travel.

“A group of motor homes came in, and I asked where they were from,” he said. “They said South Carolina and I said, ‘That’s a long way,’ and he said, ‘That’s because of your chocolate. It’s worth driving for.’”

Part of what keeps customers returning isn’t just what’s on the shelves, it’s how the experience feels.

“It’s like stepping back in time,” Wood said. “To where people appreciate the customer.”

Inside, visitors can watch chocolates being made, sample salsas and sweets, and browse a mix of locally sourced foods and specialty goods. Employees greet regulars by name and guide newcomers through the store.

Manager Niki Hernandez, who has worked at Country Mercantile for 19 years, said that connection is at the heart of the business.

“Nowadays, it’s rare to have that one-on-one connection,” Hernandez said. “But that’s what keeps people coming back.”

The store is designed to encourage exploration – a place where customers wander, taste and discover.

“It’s fun to work here and just get to sample stuff all the time,” Hernandez said. “Each time you come in, you get to experience something different.”

Despite its growth, the Mercantile remains tied closely to its agricultural origins.

“Produce is how it all started,” Hernandez said. “We work with local farmers, and that’s what our customers prefer.”

Seasonal offerings still anchor the store’s identity, asparagus in spring, cherries and berries in early summer, apples and pumpkins in the fall.

Many ingredients used throughout the store are locally sourced, from dairy used in ice cream to produce featured in salsas and prepared foods.

“We try to keep it just as local as we can,” Wood said.

Over three decades, the business has seen its share of challenges. None was more difficult than the COVID‑19 pandemic.

“COVID was a situation where we weren’t sure we were going to make it,” Wood said. “I’ve never lost so much money so fast.”

Temporary closures and restrictions strained operations, but the Mercantile adapted, reopening in a limited capacity as a produce market.

“What kept us alive was Highway 395,” Wood said, referencing travelers who continued passing through the area and stopping briefly to grab items.

That steady stream of customers helped sustain the business during uncertain months.

For Wood, the Mercantile’s legacy goes beyond products and growth, it’s about people.

“When we started this, our kids were small,” he said. “It gave us an opportunity to teach them how to interact with people, how to serve others.”

Over time, that sense of family extended to employees, many of whom have stayed for decades.

“Some of these people have been with me for the majority of the 30 years,” Wood said. “That’s the Country Mercantile family.”

Hernandez said that community extends to customers as well.

“We’ve known some of them for 15 to 20 years,” she said. “It becomes part of their tradition.”

As Country Mercantile enters its fourth decade, Wood said the focus remains the same, evolving while staying true to its roots.

“We don’t know what’s next,” he said. “We just know we have to stay flexible.”

That balance between innovation and familiarity is what keeps the experience fresh while preserving what customers expect.

“You have to embrace new things,” Wood said. “But you can’t get rid of what people love.”

When asked what he hopes people think when they hear the name Country Mercantile, Wood’s answer is simple.

“I hope it brings a smile to their face,” he said.

After 30 years, Wood said that may be the store’s greatest achievement – not just feeding customers, but creating something they return to again and again.

    Two customers shop at the Pasco Country Mercantile. A majority of the products are handmade or locally sourced.
 NANCE BESTON/BASIN BUSINESS JOURNAL   

    A view into the “chocolate factory” at the Pasco Country Mercantile. According to manager Niki Hernandez during the busy months, they will sell between 700 to 1,000 caramel apples in a weekend.
 NANCE BESTON/BASIN BUSINESS JOURNAL   

    The Country Mercantile began as a tent on the side of Highway 395 about 30 years ago. Now, after an expansion, the business has become a roadside attraction.
 NANCE BESTON/BASIN BUSINESS JOURNAL