Erin Douglass
The opening of a new grocery store in Cashiers naturally stirs curiosity. So when Grey Fox Grocery owner Erin Douglass begins answering questions about her new business, she doesn’t start with shelves or inventory. Instead, she talks about farmers, growers, bakers and ranchers. Ask where the produce comes from and she’ll tell you about the farmers who grew it. Mention the bread and she’s soon describing the baker who crafts it. Before long, you realize every product has a story – and usually a person behind it.
That philosophy grew naturally from Douglass’s own journey. Although she and her husband have called Cashiers home for the past five years, her connection to the Plateau stretches back much further. Her family spent summers in Highlands while she was growing up, and after two decades building her Peacock Republic soap and candle company, she imagined a neighborhood market centered on organic foods, local producers, seed‑oil‑free products and foods whose stories she knew by heart. Even the store’s name honors her great‑grandfather, whose nickname was “Grey Fox.”
The result is Grey Fox Grocery, a 1,200‑square‑foot specialty market that Douglass laughingly describes as “small but mighty.” “We’ve packed a lot into that little footprint,” she says. Since opening in late June, she has filled the market with organic produce, grass‑fed meats, wild seafood, artisan cheeses and fresh‑baked breads. Nearly everything in the store is organic or naturally produced, and Douglass has built the market around foods that are free of seed oils, a commitment reflected in every product she stocks.
Spend a few minutes walking the aisles with Douglass and you’ll quickly discover she knows every product’s story. Highlands’ Ole Rustic Barn Homestead supplies grass‑fed beef and organic sourdough bread and baked goods, while Maddie and Me Baking in Cullowhee delivers gluten‑free muffins, cookies and cakes. Honey comes from Bee Honey + Hive in Brevard, and fresh‑pressed juices arrive in glass bottles from Deeply Rooted Juice in Franklin. Douglass speaks about each producer with genuine affection, as though introducing friends she’s been eager for you to meet. Most recommendations come with the story of a farm, a family business or an artisan, revealing that what matters most to her isn’t simply what’s on the shelf, but the people who made it.
That same philosophy extends to the prepared foods. Chef Ken Naron prepares seed‑oil‑free meals using ingredients sourced from regional farms – chicken salad so popular it requires twice‑daily deliveries, wild salmon bowls, turkey wraps and fresh baguette sandwiches.
The response from the community has been overwhelming, fueled largely by word of mouth, and Douglass plans to stay open year‑round. Located at 356 Valley Road, Grey Fox Grocery invites shoppers to discover the growers, bakers, ranchers and artisans whose work fills its shelves. For Douglass, every product has a story, and she’s happy to tell it.
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