TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — What began to fill unused space at Terra Cotta Nurseries has developed into a market connecting more than 20 local producers with a permanent place to sell their products.

Owner Levi Duke said the idea was not originally a part of the plan for the garden center. When Terra Cotta began construction, most of the business’s investment went toward plants and garden supplies, leaving Duke with a second building and not enough inventory to fill it.

“We were trying to figure out, ‘What do we do with this building?’” Duke said. “That’s when we got the idea to reach out to a couple local vendors to see if they wanted to rent space.”

Many of those producers typically travel between festivals, farmers markets and other temporary events to reach customers, Duke said. A permanent location gives them another way to keep their products available between those events.

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As Duke began meeting more producers, he said what started as a practical business decision began changing how he viewed the space.

“The more we met these farmers and producers, the more we got to know their business and that market, and the more we kind of fell in love with the aspect of providing a brick-and-mortar spot for local vendors and local practitioners to provide their goods and services here in Troy,” Duke said.

“It almost felt like a community, a local community market, and we really liked that feel.”

The market has since grown to about 22 or 23 vendors, according to Duke.

Managing that many businesses under one roof also requires Terra Cotta to consider how those vendors fit together.

Some of the businesses represented in the market serve specialized customer bases, particularly around natural, holistic and homestead-style products. Those vendors bring customers who may not have initially visited Terra Cotta for its plants or landscaping services.

“They bring a lot of business because there are a lot of specialized niche markets here,” Duke said.

That means a customer coming through the door for one producer can also encounter products from the other businesses sharing the space as well as Terra Cotta itself.

For Duke, the relationships formed through the market have become one of its more significant results.

“Really what I think the best feeling is, is just the relationship,” Duke said. “We’re all kind of similar. We’re just small business owners trying to make it, and we’ve got kids and families.”

The vendor market is only one part of Terra Cotta, and Duke said the garden center remains the primary focus of the business.

“The garden center is the priority right now,” Duke said. “That’s our bread and butter, selling plants and garden supplies.”

But the response to the vendor space has affected how Duke is approaching the property’s continued development.

Duke said there is still undeveloped property around Terra Cotta, including land across the street from the existing business. He expects development of that property to take place gradually rather than as a single expansion.

Some of Duke’s ideas involve expanding the classes and events Terra Cotta already hosts and creating additional space for community activities.

Duke said some plans have made it onto paper while others remain ideas, and he expects the property to continue changing over atime.

“I’ve got kind of a 10-year plan to develop this place,” Duke said. “So, we’re here for the long term.”

For now, the vendor market remains one part of that development, with more than 20 local producers occupying space that Duke originally was not sure how to use on his own.