With Christmas just around the corner, shoppers have a variety of local merchants to choose from where they can purchase local and handmade goods. One of the newest local shopping destinations is JC Mercantile, located just off of U.S. Route 23 in Greenup, Kentucky. JC Mercantile is owned and operated by Jason and Carma Crum, both graduates of Greenup County High School. The Crums had owned the building where the store now sits for several years before deciding to convert the space into a mercantile, located only a few miles from where Jason was raised. The building was converted from a dilapidated, empty warehouse into a beautiful space with a rustic-industrial feel, reflecting the unique items that shoppers can find within the store.
JC Mercantile began by exclusively offering Brazilian-made goods after Jason made several trips to that country for work. Although he thought it would only be a one-time trip, after a few trips, he fell in love with the country’s food, furniture, and coffee, and began bringing Brazil’s unique goods back to Kentucky. After Jason began bringing jewelry and candy back from his trips, people would ask him about the items and where they originated giving the Crums the idea to open a store.
“After about the tenth trip, I began studying the Portuguese language,” and from there, Jason began researching how to efficiently export goods from Brazil back to Kentucky, a process that took several years. Jason now works with a select group of manufacturers in Brazil who not only produce many of the items found in the store, but also work with the Crums to hand-select items from Brazilian markets and craftsmen to feature within the store.
In addition to locally-made goods, JC Mercantile offers Brazilian jewelry, furniture, candy, and coffee, and the duo even has plans to open a café featuring authentic Brazilian dishes and desserts, including pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread), a popular snack and breakfast food, and Brazilian barbecue. The store has launched its own coffee brand, 37 Coffee, with beans sourced directly from farmers in Espírito Santo and roasted by Jason on site. Jason has been roasting the coffee in-house since about March of 2018 after learning the process directly from growers and roasters in Brazil.
37 Coffee offers both single-origin beans and blends in single-serve compostable brew cups, which disintegrate after about nineteen days in the ground or in a compost pile, as well as 12-ounce whole bean bags. 37 Coffee has partnered with Wurtland Elementary where students may sell the coffee as a fundraiser to raise money for field trips, school technology, and playground renovations. The school even has plans for a “Warrior Café” where the coffee will be sold in order to raise money for the school. Parents in the drop-off line, for example, may purchase a cup of coffee to enjoy on their way home.
The Brazilian furniture featured in the store is handmade, can be customized, and is made from peroba rose wood, which is reclaimed from buildings in Brazil. According to the Crums, “[t]he store is about re-use, recycle, repurpose,” which is also evidenced in the custom-made light fixtures fashioned by Jason. The fixtures have an industrial flair and “turn things not being used into something useful.” Shoppers can also purchase unique pieces by local artists and artisans, which are showcased around the store.
The store offers a variety of other unique goods, including handmade soaps and bath products from Karma Soapery of Lexington, Kentucky: clocks made from natural metals fashioned by a local artisan in Portsmouth, Ohio; and hand-loomed brooms from Bluegrass Brooms based out of Ashland, Kentucky. JC Mercantile also features a Greenup County and University of Kentucky Corner, which includes custom-made apparel, bags, and accessories. The store has plans to begin featuring other local schools as well. In total, the store has about 3,600 items available to order, and most items can be customized to the customer’s liking. Carma explained “If you want something different that nobody has, that’s what people are coming in for.”
JC Mercantile is located at 62 Sampson Hill in Greenup, Kentucky, and may be reached at (606) 939-1175.
