Eight years ago, the Keller Market House started with an empty room and a vision. Located at the corner of South Columbus and West Chestnut streets in Lancaster, the business has seen substantial success over the years. Recently, the board and staff celebrated the completion of an expansion project that took a couple of years to complete. The expansion was made possible through a $195,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Manager Erin Harvey explained that the focus of the expansion was on renovating the back part of the building, which had been unusable and in poor condition since the business acquired the building through the county land bank. The redesign included creating a dedicated delivery entrance that opens into a vendor workspace, freeing up more retail space in the front. Additionally, the expansion allowed for the installation of three new refrigerators and freezers.
The Keller Market House prides itself on being a non-profit community grocery that functions as a year-round farmers market. All the products stocked at the market are sourced from Ohio, with an emphasis on local, Ohio-based producers. In addition to being open six days a week, the market also operates the Lancaster Farmers Market during the summer months.
David Keller Miller, a descendant of the family that started the original Keller Market on the same spot, expressed his excitement and admiration for the current market’s success, noting that it was overwhelming to see how far it had come. The Keller Market House is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.