Top 25 Questions of 2025
As we kick off 2026, we want to take this opportunity to reflect on the past year and all of the questions and conversations we have been able to have since opening our doors in August 2025. While we have enjoyed each and every conversation within its own nature there have been some questions that keep coming up time and time again. We want to share some of those with you and hope that it helps to spark new conversations in your home as we head into 2026. As always, if you have any additional questions or want to talk more about this please come see us or email us at temarket24@gmail.com.
Where does the beef sold at T.E. Market come from?
All beef sold at T.E. Market is family cattle that we are proud to carry here in store. We use Back40 Butcher in Upstate ,SC and they have done a wonderful job for us! We really wanted to be able to offer our own product here in store that we have control over quality, living conditions, and what the animals are exposed to. The cattle rotationally graze pastures until the final 60 days where they are separated and fed grain to help increase marbling and provide the quality product we have come to love.
What was the toughest decision we had to make when having Collins (our first daughter) this year?
Each decision we made for Collins was tough in its own way as first time parents. We had a huge decision to make when deciding on prenatal care with an OBGYN or a midwifery based approach. We ended up with a hospital based midwife who did a wonderful job helping us to have Collins and supporting our rights as parents to make informed decisions regarding her healthcare.
Who built T.E. Market?
Funny enough Weston did actually. We are so lucky to have someone who is capable to take our dreams and physically bring them to life. While it was a true labor of love and a sacrifice for our family we are so proud to look back and reflect on the time spent truly creating this space from nothing.
What is our best advice for becoming parents and starting a business at the same time?
Don’t do it! Only kidding, I think our best advice is to come up with your ‘why’ and don’t lose sight of it. There are so many days that if we didn’t cling to the purpose and vision of T.E. Market and how it was intertwined with our family goals we would have quit.
What does T.E. stand for?
T.E. was the initials of my father (Todd Edward). He passed away in February 2024 from stage 4 colon cancer. During his 3.5 battle I learned so much about traditional healthcare, integrative approaches, and holistic practices. He was so full of life and always wanted to be part of his community. His legacy inspired us to start this business.
What is next for T.E. Market?
We have so many new things coming to T.E. Market. I think our biggest is the event space that will be ready in the next few weeks. We are so excited to be able to host these events and be able to share in special moments with each of you.
What did I do (professionally) before opening T.E. Market?
Before opening T.E. Market I taught in the college of business at Clemson University. I genuinely love to teach, but felt a strong pull to start a place that would allow for me to talk about the independent research I have been doing for the past few years that I believe will really help the community.
What product are we most proud to carry at T.E. Market?
Truthfully that’s a hard one for me because I believe (and use) every single product we have in store. It is a philosophy of mine not to carry products in the store I wouldn’t put in my own home. I think what I am most proud of is our u-pick garden that we have. The hands on experience it gives families and the ability to have access to safe quality produce is something we always envisioned as part of the market. It made me very happy to see families come in on Saturdays this fall and spend time in the garden together. We hope to expand this further in the spring and summer of 2026.
How do we pick the products we carry in store?
We carry what we use and love. It truly is that simple for us! This store started as people continued to ask us what we use and how we navigate the headache of digging through products. So one of my goals was to simplify options and carry the things we love. Also, we feel strongly about supporting local agriculture and farmers so you will notice that a lot of our products are SC based.
Where do we research to make informed decisions/who do we trust for information?
Being a skeptic is in my nature, but I believe that is the case for anyone with an academic research background. I always want to see the proof, and I want to see the quality of the studies, evaluate bias, and watch out for false or misrepresented data. You’ll notice most of the time I actually source the CDC or NIH in journals I post as they have great research. I do use the Environmental Working Group as well and have been really pleased at their research requirements to post .
I am going to go slightly in depth about vaccination research as this is usually the content in which this questions is asked. I am not a medical professional, just a mom who used this strategy to make informed decisions for our family. For me, I liked to look at Vaccine Adverse Reaction Event Reporting (VAERS) it told me a ton about vaccination reactions. Also we pulled and compared vaccination requirements from when we were born until now and tried to get a full picture of the changes that have happened (these are straight from the CDC website). A great book is called the Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears MD it is the least biased resources that talks comprehensively about vaccinations for babies. In addition, all vaccinations have inserts just like any medication you would take that you can access online and they give information as well, that was very helpful.
Why did we choose to start a business in a remote location?
We wanted to create an experience. Not just another stop in the middle of town that you run in and out of in 20 minutes. We wanted something for our community that allowed us to slow down and enjoy the shopping experience, enjoy taking classes and continuing education, and spend time at the farm. We wanted to get back to the model of the community market where you can stop and get all your essentials with people you know and an environment that feels like home.
What can we expect to see in 2026?
Such a loaded question for us! We have so many big plans for 2026 from expanding class offering, carrying new vendors, more children events, market days at the farm, and event rental spaces. Also, we want to get back to posting these journals more frequently!
PART TWO COMING FRIDAY!