The Grain Mill of Wake Forest has been described as "Wake Forest's Worst Kept Secret." Our business is a small, Christian, family owned and operated business that provides people throughout central and eastern North Carolina with a source for Amish-style bulk foods and a variety of whole grains available by the pound. Additionally, The Grain Mill stocks a selection of natural sugars, sea salts, baking supplies, and literature for those interested in holistic eating.
Why are we the worst kept secret in Wake Forest? For several reasons. First, it's not easy to find. We operate out of a 700 sq ft mother-in-law apartment in the house our great-grandfather built in 1946, located on the same one-way street as the town's community house and public pool. Even though we're only a couple of blocks from downtown Wake Forest, if you're looking for a commercial retail location on South Main Street, you'll drive right past us. Please study the Store Hours & Location page carefully before you come, so you know exactly where you're going.
In case you're wondering... We're not in Winston Salem! The original Wake Forest College location is one block north of our store in northeast Wake County. In 1956, RJ Reynolds paid the college a lot of money to move to Winston-Salem, economically depressing our town for three decades. Wake Forest is now a growing community of 25,000 people with a large homeschooled population; something we personally appreciate very much.
Secondly, a good majority of our customers hear of us via word-of-mouth. We often hear, "We heard about you at our garden club meeting." or, "A friend of mine told me about your store." We like viral marketing! It means we don't have to spend as much on expensive print advertising or pay for clicks on an internet search engine. By keeping our overhead costs low, we can put more food in your pantry, garage, closet, crawlspace, for less money.
Speaking of low overhead, if you're over 6'3" tall, please be careful when you enter that you don't bump your head on the exposed timber beams in our main retail space.
We ship through a variety of carriers including UPS, FedEx, USPS, and less-than-load freight. Even with gas prices as they are, you can save significantly if you can pick up your order here in Wake Forest. If you're driving in from Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Hickory, Virginia Beach, Fayetteville, Beaufort, (and even Cincinatti!) or any of the other places our customers come from, we realize that our "official" store hours might be limiting. Please let us know when you want to pick up your order, and we will make every effort to establish a time that is convenient for your schedule.
Local pickup is also available at out warehouse in Myerstown, PA. If this location is closer for you, please let me know so I can schedule a pickup time for you at the warehouse.
We look forward to doing business with you!
David & Mitzi Bissette
Proprietors
catawbacoops@gmail.com
Dave in his "Jebediah stage" with Mitzi at an outdoor concert at the NC Art Museum.