Fans of Shandy Acres Village, located in Covington County on Highway 49 North, have begun to see revitalization after the business was purchased by Chris and Laurin Hensley of Collins. While the Hensleys may be at the helm to assist with business and logistics, their biggest priority was keeping the authentic experience of a visit to Shady Acres- including every familiar face the community has come to know and love.
What started as a small produce stand has spent more than 30 years growing into Shady Acres Village. Complete with a garden center, bakery, gift shop and café, Shady Acres Village stands as a reminder of an authentic Southern experience.
The story of Shady Acres village begins with Martha Mixon’s father, a farmer, who would sell his produce on the property. Mixon, at the tender age of 6-years-old, began helping her father sell his watermelons in exchange for a little spending money. From a small girl selling watermelons at a roadside stand, Mixon’s family banded together in 1984 to open their own brick-and-mortar business.
Over the following years, the Mixons grew Shady Acres into Shady Acres added the gift shop, the bakery and the garden center. Following the retirement of her parents in the mid-1990s, Mixon and her husband, Tommy, decided to add the café.
“We started out with hamburgers, making them on a pancake griddle,” chuckled Mixon. “Now they have a big griddle and do lots and lots of hamburgers every day.”
Tragedy struck in 2011, when a fire brought Shady Acres to the ground. It took two years of rebuilding, but Shady Acres Village opened in 2013 and hasn’t stopped growing ever since.
“It’s been a staple here in Covington County and on Highway 49,” said Mixon. “We have a guest registry, and people have come here from almost every state and even Argentina and Germany. One of the unique and special things I remember is when we started closing on Sundays after 20 years of being open seven days a week. People would tell us that they changed their vacations and stay a day longer so that they could come to Shady Acres on Monday.”
Since taking ownership of Shady Acres Village in March of this year, the Hensleys have worked tirelessly with the Mixon family. They knew that no one was going to be better at running Shady Acres Village than the ones who have done so for more than 25 years.
“They do such a good job here,” said Chris. “I mean, think about putting out 400 to 500 plates a day. I don’t know how to do that. It’s a massive undertaking, and I’ve never heard of food being sent back or had any issues. I’m actively trying to find problems, and I can’t.”
The Hensleys love the authentic Southern experience, particularly for tourists, that accompanies a visit to Shady Acres Village and credit that experience to the incredible employees. Instead of coming into the business and changing things to suit their own wants or goals, the Hensleys have made a point to let the employees do what they do best.
The café and bakery serve food made with fresh ingredients from scratch each day. Paired with the hard work and dedication of the employees, every meal is authentic and home-made. After a fantastic meal, customers then have the bakery, general store, gift shop and revitalized garden center to complete the experience.
With items in the gift shop and general store from local artisans and farmers, the Hensleys want to continue to feature Mississippi products. While Shady Acres Village does have their own brand and countless products that adorn the shelves, other local favorites like Grin Coffee, Smith’s Honey, Okatoma River Honey, Mickle’s Pickles and Buff City Soap are also available, and the Hensleys want to expand those local products even further.
If you or someone you know has a product that you are interested in selling through Shady Acres Village, they can be contacted by phone at (601)722-4114 to make an appointment to pitch the product. Shady Acres Village is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday each week.
