When Ethan Shelton first opened Shelton’s Farm Market 70 years ago, he sought to build a fresh food empire founded on integrity, customer kindness and hard work.

This week, as the family-run Niles market reached the milestone anniversary, they sought to celebrate seven decades of business the same way they have for anniversaries past: with more hard work.

On a Tuesday afternoon, several members of the Shelton family talked with customers or worked behind the scenes unloading the day’s truck. 

Carrying on the founder’s philosophy, those two words have helped the company achieve a loyal, widespread customer base.

Today, customers can purchase a variety of specialized produce straight from the Shelton’s family farm in Berrien Center, including 23 varieties of apples, grapes, sweet corn and strawberries. What the family does not grow they obtain through mostly local farmers, while also offering customers fresh deli meats and cheeses, as well as a variety of other groceries and garden plants to choose from.

The market is also in the wholesale business, providing fresh produce to a variety of restaurants, stores and businesses across a 150-mile radius.

The business first took root on the family farm in Berrien Center. Operated by Ethan and Rose Shelton, the couple initially sold their farm produce from a stand by the road — the very first Shelton’s Farm Market.

Their son, Jim “Jimbo,” helped them to expand customer outreach by peddling the farm’s products to about 13 vendors along what was then U.S. Highway 31.

But the vendors often gave Jimbo a hard time — offering to pay for the family’s products for only a fraction of their worth. 

“I made the comment one day, ‘You better be careful, I might come down here and retail them [the produce],” Jim said. “They laughed about that. They said, ‘Farm boys stay on the farm.’”

Jim shared the idea to open their vending location closer to Niles customers with his dad. In 1959, the family built an open-air market near its current location at 1832 S. 11th St. In 1974, they built the current market and converted it to a closed market.

Customers responded favorably.

“It was insanity,” said Mike Shelton, Jimbo’s son.

Customers, who had come to know the family for its fresh produce lined up from the register to the front door on multiple occasions to fill their baskets with the items.

“All you saw was a sea of heads,” Jim said. “If you died, you could not fall down.”

At a time when customers have many places to choose from for their fresh fruit and vegetables, many customers have stayed loyal to Shelton’s.

Customer care was key to getting that following, and that could only be established by spending time getting to know customers out on the floor. By talking with customers and helping them to find what they were looking for while sharing information about how the produce on the shelves was grown, customers put their trust in the market.

“We believe in taking the long-term view,” said Joe Shelton, Jim’s brother. “We have always taken the long-term view. We want to develop friends and relationships. Be nice. Have fun. Hopefully success comes out of that along the way.”

To get customers to return, the family understood that they had to put customers first.

Being in the business of perishable goods inevitably has its challenges. There was one day Jim recalled ending with $8 in the till.

To survive, a strong team has to exist. Mike said he feels lucky that he only had to look to family to get a sense of a team leader.

“I feel really blessed, because there are a lot of people in this world that have to look to sports stars or astronauts for heroes,” Mike said. “I do not have to look any further than my family.”

Among many examples was Jimbo’s wife, Betty, known as “Miss Betty” among customers and co-workers. While Jimbo operated the farm, Betty ran the store.  To do, so she woke at 5 a.m. and operated the store until closing time at 10 p.m. 

Betty kept scrupulous notes of the store’s daily activity, often times including details that still bring a smile to Jim’s face as he recalls them.  This included how nice customers were to what the weather was like outside.

“She made a little story out of each day,” Jimbo said.

The market also takes pride in hiring a great team — many of whom have gone on to accomplish great things, after learning a thing or two from working in the market.  One such employee is today’s mayor of Niles, Nick Shelton.

Nick first started working in the store at the age of 14 and continues to help peddle the family’s fruit and run the store’s IT system.

The store recently hired a fifth-generation Shelton.

On March 19, 2014, Ethan Shelton passed away at the age of 110 years old, but the family continues to carry on the legacy of the store and the core principles that he originally established. Some in the Shelton family still work seven days a week and they do not plan on quitting any time soon.

To celebrate their customers with the anniversary week, the store will offer the chance to be in a drawing for a $700 shopping spree, as well as a variety of other prizes through out the week.