For dozens of locals and out-of-town visitors each week, Crawford resident Viola Miller is the face of delicious, home-baked goods of all kinds.
Viola and her husband of 42 years, Dennis, both Mennonites, for the past six years have been operating a roadside market in front of Gary’s Pawn and Gun store across from Kmart on Highway 45 North in Columbus.
For years, customers have been enjoying her smorgasbord of homemade goods, which includes everything from peanuts to the “best caramel cake in the country,†she said.
“Everything out here was either prepared by us or some of our friends,†Miller said. “We just try to do things the way we would want to feed our family.â€
What inspired you and your husband when you originally began selling out here?
Well, we needed something we could both do. My husband is disabled, and we wanted something we could both work towards. This is something that we work together on, and we really enjoy it. He and I kind of grew up together. He was born in Kansas and I was born in Illinois, but we met down in Noxubee County.
How long are you usually out here selling every Friday?
We usually set up at about 9:30 and stay out until about 6:30 or 7 at night.
Do you ever completely sell out of everything you bring out here?
On Saturdays, we usually go out the Farmers’ Market in Starkville, so whatever is left over from here we take to Starkville. Of course we have a lot of friends and even a couple good dogs that will eat our food if we don’t sell it all.
Do you sell throughout the year?
We usually take a break after Christmas until about Easter of every year. People don’t come out after Christmas because they’re all going to the gym. By about Easter, people are ready for food again. We also have seasonal things like fruit cakes and orange slice cakes in the summer and chili and vegetable soup in the winter.
All of our bread is sourdough. We even do 100-percent whole wheat breads. As far as I know, we are the only ones who make that. We do have special orders, too. We cater some events and cook food for people like that. In fact, we just got done cooking the bread for a wedding tomorrow.
Do you get a lot of catering requests like that?
Not a lot, but we do get some from time to time.
Since you are out here selling year-round, does it ever get hard to deal with the extreme heat or cold?
We actually have a new tent now that we had to buy after the storm last week took our old one. We lost a tent and an umbrella, and all of our stuff got wet, so last week was a little stressful.
It does get cold in the winter, and very hot in the summer. We have two fans that we run in the summer, and we have a butane heater that we use in the winter to try to stay warm. We definitely bring lots of water in the summertime.
Now that we have a bigger tent, our customers can be in the shade while they are here looking.
Do you think you will keep doing this for a long time?
As long as the Lord doesn’t bring something different around. We don’t have any plans to do anything else. I would love to start a bakery in Columbus, but I think I’m a little old for all that work. It would take a lot of finances to do that, but Columbus sure could use a bakery.
Has business been pretty good this year?
Yeah, we can’t complain. We can’t see where the economy has hurt our business at all. When the weather gets stormy, that really hurts our business.
Do you have a lot of regular customers?
We really have a lot of loyal customers. I’ve been out here six years, and to my recollection I’ve only had two checks bounce. Only one of those wasn’t made good. I have very good clientele, and we have no hesitation about taking checks.
Is it mostly local or out-of-town residents who stop by?
It’s not just local; we do have a lot of out-of-town customers who come here. I had a lady this morning that used to live here, but moved off. She was home to visit, so she came by to buy a lot of stuff to take home. We have people coming from Alabama and Tupelo and everywhere. It’s definitely not just a local business.
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