The Farm Store Wins Ignite Schuylkill Business Competition, $100K in Startup Capital

A farm-to-table grocery store set to open in Pottsville this Fall won the first Ignite Schuylkill business competition this week.

Four startup ideas advanced to the final round of the competition, which was held before a jam-packed Orwigsburg Veterans Community Memorial Hall on Thursday evening.

Each of the startup owners had a chance to present their ideas for a new business in Schuylkill County to a panel of judges and a crowd of mostly members of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the event and competition alongside Wise Owl Consulting.

The final four business ideas were:

• The Farm Store, owned by Angela and Josiah Meck, a farm-to-table grocery store based in Pottsville
• The Villa, owned by Lexis Brownstein, a revived popular restaurant and pub in Coaldale
• The Rosalia Hotel, owned by Hannah Corbacio and Nick Hair, a transformed bank into a boutique hotel in downtown Pottsville
• HomeBox, owned by James Metsopulos, a shipping container home construction business based in Pottsville

Each of the contestants gave about a 15-minute presentation on the idea and inspiration behind their business and detailed its viability for Schuylkill County and why it should be awarded the $100,000 in startup capital up for grabs that night.

In the end, judges chose The Farm Store, owned by Josiah and Angela Meck, who also own Honey Brook Farm, outside Schuylkill Haven.

The Mecks were allowed to show a pre-recorded presentation to judges and both Josiah and Angela answered judges’ questions, with Angela connecting to the Memorial Hall via Zoom.

On Thursday, Josiah Meck got emotional as he accepted the award on the couple’s behalf. The victory capped a whirlwind week for the family as they just welcomed their fourth child, Titus, a few days prior to the competition finale.

The Ignite program has been wonderful. The support of the community, the support of our vendors, the support of everyone here tonight … thank you,” Josiah said. “I function on stress but the last five days have been stressful. I can’t thank you all enough. We are so excited to serve Schuylkill County and the community.”

The Farm Store will be located at 113 E. Norwegian St. in Pottsville, a former bank.

The Mecks’ plan is to offer their meat products and bring in products from local farms and other vendors. They also plan to offer grab-and-go foods and drinks for the local lunch crowd.

Once it’s opened, The Farm Store looks to address the food desert that exists in downtown Pottsville since the 2020 closing of the former Giant supermarket.

The $100,000 won in the Ignite Schuylkill competition will be put to use on further building renovations and inventory.

You can learn more about The Farm Store and its path to opening this Fall through its Facebook page.