The Grey Barn and Farm announced last week that it will be pausing its operations in the fall after nearly 16 years in business as a working dairy farm and market.
The Chilmark farm’s award-winning cheeses, locally raised meat and bread and pastries consistently attracted long lines.
Eric and Molly Glasgow, the owners of the farm, said they need time to re-assess their business model, which they said is not working.
“People see 50 people in line for croissants and they think we must be printing money,” Mr. Glasgow said. “It just doesn’t actually.”
The Glasgows said their main market is wholesale cheese. Over time, the farm perfected their Prufrock, Eidolon and Bluebird cheeses which have won many accolades — in 2016 their Prufrock cheese placed first at the American Cheese Society annual awards.
“Specialty cheese is just in the tank,” Ms. Glasgow said. “Even our distributors are worried about their own businesses.”
The couple said there are many reasons why the market is struggling, the hard times beginning with the Covid-19 pandemic. While the Glasgows said their business was largely a “Covid-winner” because of the large influx of people who moved to the Island at the time, many major suppliers, such as Whole Foods, suffered and stopped selling their cheese.
The growing costs of labor have also been a contributing factor, they said, adding that many cheese shops are making more money by focusing on sandwiches and catering.
Mr. Glasgow said that from the beginning they wanted their products to serve the people who valued their business, and they wanted to keep prices affordable to reflect that. But inflationary pressures made it difficult for them to keep their prices low. Currently, one pound of Eidolon cheese can cost as much as $40.
“It’s been a struggle for us because we need to charge more,” Mr. Glasgow said.
The couple said they plan to continue farming, and while they are still deciding what comes next, they doubt they will be selling cheese. The farmstand will close on Sept. 1, and then they will sell their animals and harvest any that remain.
“We’re going to take the winter to sort of see if we can come up with something that we think makes sense,” Mr. Glasgow said.
The family washed ashore nearly 16 years ago from London. The Glasgows had two young children at the time, Noah and Jake, and they wanted to raise them in the United States and pursue a newfound passion for farming.
Mr. Glasgow was an international oil trader and Ms. Glasgow had been an art director at Hearst media company until she became a full-time parent. As a student, she had studied at the Pratt Institute in New York.
With no agricultural experience, the couple set off in a new direction, purchasing the former Rainbow Farm in Chilmark. The family moved in on August 1, 2009.
They were new to the Vineyard but quickly embraced the seasonality of the Island. The farm started with just three cows, which they named after their grandmothers. In the early days, the milk was sold at the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market. Eventually pigs were added, including Fat Sally, who Ms. Glasgow said lived her whole life on the farm and was beloved.
“You just get so connected to these animals,” Ms. Glasgow said.
In 2013 a fire broke out in their creamery and it took a year to rebuild. By 2017, they were growing vegetables and in 2019 added the bakery.
The Glasgows said they have many joyful memories over the past 16 years, including a few cow hijinks, such as a mass breakout and escape to Lucy Vincent Beach, and hosting a holiday event for Islanders to sing carols for a captivated audience of cows lined-up along the stone wall.
The farm consists of about 100-acres total. The Trustees of Reservations own 95 of the acres, which the organization purchased in 1980 and protected with an agricultural preservation restriction.
The Glasgows said a week before they announced the pause, they signed the paperwork with the Trustees to renew their lease until 2060.
“We remain committed to the farm, its conservation and maintaining a positive relationship with the Glasgows as they determine their next steps as farmers and entrepreneurs,” the Trustees wrote in a statement.
Since announcing the pause, the Glasgows said they have been overwhelmed by the amount of heartwarming sentiments they have received from the community.
On Sunday morning, a steady flow of customers lingered in the farmstand, purchasing bread and seedlings for their home gardens.
Hara Dretaki, who lives in Vineyard Haven, said she has been coming to the farm since it first opened. She said she appreciated how Ms. Glasgow has been dedicated to giving the community organic foods, and though she’s sad to hear of the pause in business, hopes they will have a fruitful summer.
“I’m Greek so I really appreciate everything that’s fresh and delicious,” Ms. Dretaki said. “I think they have delivered above and beyond. They totally fill a need we have on the Island because there’s a lot of foodies here.”
Paul Sutherland, a seasonal Chilmark resident, said he often visits the farm after his yoga classes on Sunday mornings.
“I love coming in and just looking at the place,” Mr. Sutherland said.
Others will miss the animals. Patti McCracken, a Chilmark resident during the off-season, said she loves the bunny with the floppy ear and enjoys the chickens that roam around the farmstand.
“[I like] having to shoo away the chickens to get back to your car before driving away because they’re all having a little garden party,” Ms. McCracken said.
Looking back, Ms. Glasgow said she vividly remembers the first time she saw the farm. It was a cold day in February and the fields were blanketed in snow. They had been living a peripatetic life, having moved 16 times in 10 years. Ms. Glasgow said when she saw the land, she knew it was where she wanted to stay and raise her family.
“A lot of people have asked us, ‘Are you selling? Are you moving?’” Ms Glasgow said. “And the answer to that is no. This is where we live and this is home.”
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