BY DONNIE JOHNSTON

CFC Farm and Home Center, formerly known as the Culpeper Farmers Cooperative, will open its newest store in Caroline County tomorrow.

The new store, which includes a 13,000-square-foot showroom and 30,000-square-foot warehouse, is on Coop Drive near the intersection of State Route 607 and U.S. 1 at Carmel Church. It is CFC's first expansion since 1989, when it added a store in Marshall.

The Remington store was shifted to Morrisville last fall. Headquartered in Culpeper, CFC also has stores in Sperryville, Warrenton and Maurertown.

"The Caroline store will be a bit smaller but will be very similar to the Culpeper store," assistant manager Philip Brown said. "We will carry lawn mowers, appliances and farm supplies, such as feed, seeds and fertilizer."

The Caroline CFC, managed by Phil Palenkas, will also carry a complete line of Laura Ashley and Valspar interior paints.

Brown said Caroline was a natural choice for CFC's expansion.

"We already had the customer base down here," he said. "It just took so long--sometimes all day--for our trucks to service the area."

Brown added that most of CFC's 14 Caroline employees were hired from the immediate area. More part-time help is being sought.

CFC Farm and Home Center, founded in 1932, is a cooperative, not a stockholder-run corporation. Customers make up the board of directors and also share in year-end profits.

Donnie Johnston:
Email: djohnston@freelancestar.com