Sit a spell at Papaw's Place
Swannanoa business Taps hometown roots to offer feed, seed, produce and more in local gathering place
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
March 27, 2026
Rhonda and Richard Duncan partnered with Corey and Hailey Hudgins to open Papaw’s Place, a Swannanoa business that features feed, seed, produce and more. Photo by Fred McCormick
The sights and sounds of locals catching up over a cup of coffee while picking up supplies for a busy day of work ahead have long been familiar to families growing up in the Swannanoa Valley. It is a scene that evokes fond memories for the owners of Papaw’s Place, which opened its doors, March 14, introducing a shop that offers feed, seed, produce and a variety of goods to a new generation of area residents.
Founded by Corey and Hailey Hudgins and Richard and Rhonda Duncan, the nostalgic Swannanoa setting that blends the hospitality of an old-time country store and convenience of a farm and garden center.
Inspired by Corey’s experience growing up in Buckeye Cove with his grandfather, Gerald Grant, and the memory of Richard’s hard-working father, Robert Duncan, the business at 2632 U.S. 70 represents the realization of the partners’ shared vision.
“It’s been a dream of mine, probably since high school, to run a feed, seed and produce store, because my papaw, who was really like a father to me, had a little produce stand,” Hudgins said. “Then, after the flood, we lost so many local businesses, it felt like this was something the Valley needed.”
Richard and Rhonda were eager to partner with Corey and Hailey, as the couples began developing a plan to suit a community they all knew well.
“We knew we needed to find the right place, and we originally had a few locations in mind,” Rhonda said. “One day I was driving through here and called Shane Hipps, who owns Hipps Stone right next door, and he said he had the perfect building for us.”
The owners remodeled the show room to reflect their hometown roots, utilizing wood from an old barn in Buckeye Cove to line the interior walls, accenting the space with antique tools and equipment. A mounted head of a Texas longhorn greets customers at the counter.
The east side of the open floor plan is stocked with a variety of livestock food, grass seeds, soil, fertilizer, hay and other essential farming and gardening products, while local produce, including fresh tomatoes and onions, is displayed on the opposite end. Coolers hold local meat, including one the store’s most popular items, livermush, while jars of jam, apple butter and chow chow line the shelves. Locally sourced honey and sourdough bread are also available, while packaged snacks are arranged on racks.
A coffee bar and hot boiled peanuts greet shoppers near the counter.
Corey Hudgins restocks supplies in Papaw’s Place, which opened, March 14, in Swannanoa. Photo by Fred McCormick
Customers can gather around a large stone fireplace, which warms a pair of nearby rocking chairs on cold and rainy days.
“We want people to stop in, grab a cup of coffee and be comfortable just sharing stories, or catching up,” Rhonda said. “We look at it as much of a community gathering place as we do a store.”
Hudgins envisioned the types of places he would go to with his grandfather.
“I did everything with him; he was such a huge influence in my life,” he said. “He would take me to all kinds of places, sometimes to get things, and other times just to go talk to people. That’s the kind of atmosphere we wanted to create here.”
The store is reminiscent of businesses that were once common in Swannanoa, he added.
“It’s a little bit like stepping back in time,” he said. “The kind of place where when you stop in to pick up what you need, you might run into somebody you know.”
The feedback from the community in the opening weeks has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Rhonda.
Papaw’s Place, which opened, March 14, offers feed, seed, produce and other goods in Swannanoa. Photo by Fred McCormick
“We’ve had people thank us for opening, and even quite a few who have just come in to check it out and say, hello,” she said. “I think that’s what we all had in mind when we were doing all the work to get this place up and running.”
A capacity crowd greeted Papaw’s Place for its grand opening celebration, while the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony days later.
“We’re so blessed,” Rhonda said. “I was blown away, because I never imagined seeing this place with people standing, shoulder to shoulder. That first day, we had a line going out the door.”
One of the goals of the business is to serve the needs of the owners’ hometown, while honoring the men who inspired it.
“I think my papaw would have enjoyed this. It’s rustic, and he was all about that look, plus he always maintained a garden, so it’s a place he would’ve stopped in,” Corey said. “This community still appreciates places they can stop in, grab some fresh produce real quick, and maybe catch up with somebody they haven’t seen in a while. We think we have a little something for everybody.”