THE WOMEN'S ISSUE
MELINDA FITZGERALD OWNER AND OPERATOR OF COUNTRY FARM & HOME
Melinda purchased Country Farm & Home from her father, Dallas Hurley, in 2014. Melinda and her husband, Edward Fitzgerald, live in the northern part of Chatham County with their two kids, Summer, 8, and Aidan, 11, who both attend Perry Harrison Elementary School, and their dog, Rosie.
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runs her Pittsboro-based store like an educator in chief. After 13 years of teaching, Melinda traded her Smith Middle School science classroom in Chapel Hill for a different one at 101 S. Small St., where she owns and operates Country Farm & Home. “I feel like once you’re an educator, you’re always an educator,” Melinda says. “It’s just your audience might change.” Customers line up at her store’s counter for advice on gardening, beekeeping, raising chicks, irrigation systems and more. Melinda says it’s like a bar where people exchange stories and offer advice on agriculture and life. Those conversations often evolve into friendly relationships among the customers and a staff of environmental enthusiasts. “I love Chatham County,” Melinda says, “and I love the community of farmers we’ve reached beyond that. They’re all very real, compassionate people. We’ve built friendships together through [the pandemic]. I hear their struggles, and we try to help where we can.” The store first opened in the early 1950s as the Farmers Exchange, where farmers could mill grain and trade products. Melinda’s father, Dallas Hurley, and his wife, 34
elinda Fitzgerald
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
APRIL / MAY 2021