Live Like a Local.

It’s a simple concept, really. Build relationships. Support your community. Be healthy. Invest in the future.

And for Quincy’s Michele Wilkerson, this philosophy has become not only a personal mantra, but a livelihood.

Grown -N- Gathered
Ben Braun (Townsquare Media)
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“To start a business and build a new market, be fearless in who you are. Stay true to your passion and trust in the community surrounding you,” she says.

And for two years now, the 34-year-old yoga instructor and founder of Quincy’s Grown -N- Gathered, has done just that.

Michele Wilkerson
Ben Braun (Townsquare Media)
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With Grown -N- Gathered, Wilkerson envisioned an outlet for those seeking a sustainable and locally-grown grocery outlet. The result? A thriving operation Wilkerson describes as “part farmers’ market, part grocery store, part family kitchen”.

Grown -N- Gathered is more than a just a storefront. It’s the embodiment of what can happen when a community comes together to achieve a common goal. To quote its founder, Grown -N- Gathered is a “social movement”.

Grown -N- Gathered
Ben Braun (Townsquare Media)
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Grown -N- Gathered is a full line grocer supplying products locally grown or locally gathered. Wilkerson derived the Grown -N- Gathered concept in 2014 after meeting a network of Quincyans who, like Michele, expressed a desire for a non-conventional grocery option free from processed, big brand food items.

“We are your neighborhood local grocer,” Wilkerson explains. “If we can’t source it locally, we will source it organically.”

Grown -N- Gathered
Ben Braun (Townsquare Media)
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And after two years at 729 Hampshire, Grown -N- Gathered has…ahem…outgrown its current space and will soon be relocating to a much larger site at 601 Maine (former site of Everything & The Kitchen Sink). Featuring a full kitchen and coffee bar, the new location will allow Wilkerson and her four-person staff to host cooking classes and generate new products from locally-grown ingredients.

The new site is scheduled to open in mid-August.

But don’t let the larger space serve as any indication that Grown -N- Gathered is preparing (nor willing) to become a "box store brand".

“We like to stay small, working with local producers and knowing our customers by name," Wilkerson says.

Coming to fruition by way of Wilkerson’s own savings and a small SBA loan, Grown -N- Gathered is quickly becoming one of Quincy’s most talked about ventures. Wilkerson is thankful for the people of Quincy and the surrounding areas for making her dream a reality.

“The support from the community has been great. The forward-thinking, health conscious individuals have expressed their gratitude more than I knew was possible.”


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