By By Adrienne McKenzie
John and Sharyl Stewart will be opening the Garden of Eden Fruit and Vegetable Market at 523 N. Main Street in the first of May.
The Stewarts are new to the Atmore community, they moved to Atmore from Missouri this past October.
John Stewart is a peach grower who moved to the South for pleasure and to get away from the cold climate.
"I came down here to fish and to get away from the cold weather," he said. "I don't like the cold weather, even though I've lived in it my whole life, so we moved down here."
The Garden of Eden will be open five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, and will sell peaches, watermelons and all kinds of vegetables, John Stewart said.
"I have a good friend in south Florida who sells watermelons," he said. "We are going to sell a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables."
The Stewarts bought a home in McCullough. The reason they chose this region as a dwelling place is because they wanted a home in the country. First, John Stewart bought a home near Pensacola, Fla. but was encouraged by some friends in Alabama to move to this area.
"About a year ago I bought a place near Pensacola," John Stewart said. "I met some people from Alabama that encouraged us to get within the Alabama state line. In September I came to Atmore to look for property. We moved here at the first of October and have been here ever since and we really like it."
Sharyl Stewart takes in stray cats, assists them in becoming healthy and then finds a good home for them, which is why the Stewarts wanted a country home, John Stewart said.
"My wife takes in cats, fixes them and gives them away," he said. "We wanted a house in the country and we really like it out there on Jack Springs Road."
Sharyl Stewart wanted to open a fruit and vegetable stand, so the search began for a building to purchase.
"At about Christmas time my wife wanted to start a produce stand," John Stewart said. "We found this place and bought it. It used to be a little grocery store."
The Stewarts are looking forward to getting to know the members of the Atmore community.
"We're going to try to fit into the community," John Stewart said. "We really do like it here. Everybody is so friendly and I have no desire to go back to the cold."