DOWAGIAC — Thursday evening, workers at Wright Farms Market in Dowagiac were still unboxing inventory and placing items on shelves, but by Saturday morning, the new storefront was ready for business.

Wright Farms Market hosted a “soft opening” Saturday on Railroad Street in Dowagiac. The store will sell locally grown and farmed meats, specialty food items and produce. The store is owned by Steve Wright, who also owns Wright Farms in Cassopolis, which is known for producing local, steroid- and hormone-free meat. Much of the meat stocked in the market will be supplied by Wright Farms.

The store will sell a variety of meats, including beef, chicken, pork and lamb. The store will also sell farm fresh eggs, produce, a variety of local products, such as noodles and pancake mixes, and organic products.

“We have local things, and we have unique things that you can’t really find anywhere else,”

Wright said of his store. “It’s going to be pretty unique to this area.”

Making Wright Farms Market a reality has been a long process, Wright said, with the process taking more than a year. He said that he has long wanted to open a storefront to make the meat buying process easier for his customers and to allow them to choose the exact cut of meat they would like.

“It’s been a long haul,” he said. “But it’s almost done, and we are finally making it happen.”

According to Wright, the store will not be functioning at full capacity until its grand opening in May, but he wanted to open his doors now because many in the community have expressed excitement and curiosity about Wright Farms Market.

“We’ve had so many people in here wanting us to open up,” Wright said. “So many people have been wanting to come in and buy … We decided to open now with what we have.”

The store had many visitors on opening weekend who seemed excited about the new business, but Wright said the store will be even more impressive in May, when everything is ready.

By May, Wright is hoping to sell hot sandwiches for carryout, fish baked goods from The Bread Box, an Amish company from Shipshewana, Indiana.

In addition, Wright will begin to sell a small selection of fresh meat in May, as currently most of the meat in the market is frozen.

Wright also said that the interior of the store will continue to be finished into the final look of the store from now until May.

“We still have some finishing touches to do before our grand opening,” he said. “But we hope people come in and like what they see, and know that we are going to have a bigger selection. … We are not limited to what is in here right now.”

Wright Farms Market is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The store is located at Manor Plaza, 11 W. Railroad St., Dowagiac.