![]() Now open is the long-awaited Fayette Merc, in you guessed it, Fayette, Utah! Located in the heart of Sanpete County, business owner Breanne Mashek and her family opened a locally-focused mercantile that is a must-stop spot on your next trip. Keep reading to learn more about this new shop located at 9 N. Main St in the old ZCMI! UMLF: Hi Breanne, we’re excited to interview you as our Business of the Month! Tell us about yourself. Breanne: "I'm Breanne Mashek, I’m a serial entrepreneur, mom to two teenagers, wife, and caregiver to my dad - a Vietnam veteran living with dementia. My family and I moved to Utah almost two years ago after traveling throughout the West during Covid. We were looking for a place to start writing our family’s next chapter and here we are in the middle of Utah.“ UMLF: Can you tell us why you chose Fayette and how you came up with the idea for the Merc? Breanne: "We chose Fayette because of this house! (and that it was an acceptable distance my husband Zach felt he could commute to work up North). We looked at just one other property because this one stole all of our hearts and checked all the boxes we were after, so why complicate the search? We wanted a small rural community, a little bit of acreage to dream up big things with, and easy access to the great outdoors which we get to utilize and admire daily. The home’s history and charm really sold us, our house is part of a former ZCMI building, so The Merc has always been a part of Fayette’s history. The decision to revitalize the old and bring it into the 21st Century was a natural one. Utilizing my previous entrepreneurial knowledge, I started doing the work to bring it to reality.” UMLF: What are some of the products you will be featuring in the shop? Breanne: "We are meeting with local producers in Sanpete County and the surrounding areas to get regenerative beef, pork, and chicken (that is, meat raised responsibly on pasture that is good for the soil and better for our health). We also have pasture eggs, homemade baked goods, smoothies, home-brewed kombucha, high-quality skincare items, and convenience snacks that are free of “natural flavors” and seed oils. Hyper-local wherever possible, and just really tasty food that is really good for you.” UMLF: Do you have any long-term goals for the Merc that you can share with us?
Breanne: "We hope to create a community hub where people can meet and enjoy good food together, having farm-to-table dinners and breaking bread while the stars come out at night. Long term, we’d like to start a community garden where we can collectively raise and grow more of our own food together. I see this place as the beginning of creating a secure food network in our county where there are a lot of people interested and invested in the wellness of one another.” UMLF: How has the local community responded? Breanne: "There is a lot of buzz around The Merc’s opening, so I think people are excited. We get people stopping by a lot who have some tie to this place and we love hearing and collecting their stories of what they loved about this place when they were growing up. So more of that, and now with good food while they visit!” UMLF: Entrepreneurship most definitely has its highs and lows. Can you tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Breanne: "This is the first business venture I’ve started that included asking for funding. I was super intimidated and almost let the hurdle of asking squash my dream. Rather than giving up, I started asking a lot of questions to people in my community, people in banking who are really good with numbers and spreadsheets, and attending UMLF’s online classes and orientations. Basically, building a network of competent and caring individuals who are on our team and want to see us succeed.” UMLF: How do you feel like the Utah Microloan Fund has helped your business? Breanne: “It’s been nothing but encouraging and educational. We couldn’t have started this without their help and belief in our vision. We’re super grateful and excited for this new adventure!” To stay in touch with Breanne and visit the Fayette Merc check out:
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