Intersected as it is by state routes 17, 52 and 55, Liberty sits in a perfect position for moving from town to country, from asphalt to pine needles. A downtown that's frequented by locals supports the many small businesses.
Liberty hosts the Mountainkeepers Farmers Market Fridays from June 18 to September 17, 3 to 6 p.m., rain or shine. Some of the vendors are Wild Russet Farm, offering vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, eggs from organic-fed, pasture-raised chickens and raw wildflower honey; Muthig Farm, selling maple syrup, cream jelly, candy, granulated sugar, plus one-of-a-kind butterfly, bat and blue bird houses; and Elm Garden Design, offering flowers, wreaths, tubers and their services as garden designers and stoneworkers. If it’s not Friday, make an appointment to stop by Tap Rack Ranch for honey from Italian bees, Alpaca fiber products; goose, duck and chicken eggs; and lots of lovely vegetables.
Floyd & Bobo’s Bakery & Snack Palace is an adorable, retro-decorated oasis where they welcome everyone to enjoy their home-baked pastries, lunchtime sandwiches or just a cup of coffee and the Wifi. Owner Ellen said of Liberty, “We have a very diverse community here. There are a lot of different kinds of people working here: families bringing up small children, people deciding to get out of the city and live a bit more in a decompression mode instead of always on the hamster wheel.”
Ellen and co-owner Louie were in the film and television industry in NYC, and Ellen did food peripherally all her life, before they opened their bakery in 2007. Ellen continued, “We saw the need for something; we’d come into town and go, ‘Gosh, I just want something sweet or a little sandwich with a great cup of coffee. We should be the ones to do it!’ A really nice gentleman at the Community Development Center helped us make a plan, and here we are with an amazing clientele that are so loyal and wonderful and loving.”
