Already the owner of D9 Farms Hay & Grains, Kyle Deskins said he has wanted to build a mercantile-type store for him and his family to run and “bring down-home shopping and rural America back,” for quite some time.
So when he saw the Ethel Market & Sports property — less than a mile away from D9 Farms Hay & Grains on U.S. Highway 12 — was put up for sale a little over a year ago, he made the move to buy it last June. Now, he has also completed the sale of the business from its former owner, Derek Breitenbach.
“Two weeks ago, we purchased it from (Breitenbach) and, since then, we’ve just been cleaning and reorganizing, and it’s been fun,” Deskins said.
The business has been rebranded to D9 Country Market. The Chronicle visited on Friday, March 21, to find out what other changes Deskins has in store.
As for his businesses’s names, Deskins explained D9 represents the original nine Deskins boys who moved with the family from West Virginia to Lewis County in 1902. The family still lives off North Fork Road, where five generations of the family now rest in their private cemetery.
Reorganizing the setup inside D9 Country Market isn’t all he has planned, as he has his eyes on a lot of expansion.
Walls inside have already been knocked down to install a new walk-in beer cooler in the back, which is also where the Ethel Post Office inside will be moved.
Deskins intends to grow the market’s selection of fishing, camping and hunting gear, bringing in more ammunition for sale.
“I also want to bring in some work clothes, some rain gear and boots. And we’re gonna try to expand our groceries and try to keep them as affordable as possible for people, and be competitive in our pricing,” Deskins said. “If I can save folks from having to go to Chehalis — you know, it’s 20 minutes into town and the freeway gets plugged up all the time — I’m gonna try.”
There are also plans to incorporate a hot deli for customers.
“We’re going to start out with just the hot deli at first and expand it from there, and we’d like to offer dinners. And I’ve got a grassy area out back here. I'm going to punch a hole in the wall, put in another set of double doors so you can go in the grassy area and have some music playing, local bands. I want it to be the hub of the area, the hub of the community, and make everybody feel welcome,” Deskins said.
D9 Country Market also now offers full service gas pumping if a customer desires.
“We’ll wash your windshield, check your oil, fill up the windshield washer fluid,” he said. “... Especially on a day like today, when it’s storming and blowing, if you don’t want to get out and pump the fuel, we take care of that for you.”
Currently, Deskins also offers a 25-cent per gallon discount on unleaded gasoline on Wednesdays.
Expansion of the fresh vegetable and fruit section at the market is also in the works, and Deskins intends to source as much of his stock as possible from local farmers.
Local produce isn’t the only thing D9 Country Market will offer, as it has fresh pastries made daily by Ma & Pop’s Café located next door.
Just recently, the market also started stocking fresh raw milk from the Cozy Vale Creamery dairy farm near Tenino.
Deskins has changed the market’s hours. Originally, it was open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but is now open daily from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This was done to accommodate both commuters heading to work earlier in the morning on U.S. Highway 12, along with his many local farmers and anglers who get early starts to their days.
“As the weather progresses, we’ll stay open later, probably till 9 (p.m.), possibly 10 o’clock,” Deskins added.
Whatever changes happen at D9 Country Market in the future, Deskins wants it to remain focused on the local community.
“More than anything, I just want it to be something that everybody can be proud of and take interest in,” he said.
D9 Country Market is located at 1421 U.S. Highway 12 in Ethel. For more information, call the business at 360-978-5634 or follow the business on its Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/4wz72pcm.
