Hidden along Highway 50 in the small community of Centertown is Shirk’s Country Market and Shirk’s Greenhouse. The market and greenhouse are family owned and offer flourishing plants, homemade sandwiches stacked high with fresh toppings, a large selection of bread and pastries that are baked daily, and specialty items from over 40 local vendors that line the shelves. Shirk’s has served up great quality baked goods, lush greenhouse-grown plants, and friendly hospitality for more than 20 years.
While many people travel to Shirk’s for the greenhouse plants, the produce, and the canned goods, co-owner Randy Shirk says that one of its major selling points is the bakery.
From the ovens wafts the scent of freshly kneaded dough being baked into bread. It is then sliced and bagged for sale or placed at the build-your-own-sandwich bar in the deli where it awaits the next hungry customer. Similar to a Subway, but with a home-grown twist, customers can order sandwiches, choosing their bread, meat, cheese, toppings, and sauce to create their lunch. Customers can also purchase old-fashioned sodas and bags of chips to complete their filling midday meal. Along with the fresh-baked bread, Shirk’s staff also bakes pies, such as strawberry rhubarb, gooseberry, and lemon meringue, which are available year-round.
Many of the products sold at Shirk’s are from local businesses, including Buttonwood Farm’s fresh eggs, Three Story Coffee, and Blackberry Hill Farm’s apple butter. Shoppers can also browse through local nonfood products like Amish-made, eco-friendly patio furniture made with Polywood, handmade wooden cutting boards, and home decor items. Shirk’s Country Market focuses on supporting local farmers by bringing in fruit and vegetables that are grown in Missouri. In the summertime, Shirk’s carries Missouri-grown peaches from Bader Farms and Amish-grown strawberries by the crate. In the fall, it offers Missouri-grown Jonathan apples. Just a few feet from Shirk’s Country Market is its sister store: Shirk’s Greenhouse. The greenhouse is a large metal structure with multiple different spaces where customers can browse or shop year-round. The greenhouse employees work year-round to grow flowers, potted plants, herbs, and more.
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During holiday seasons, the garden center carries specialty plants, including pumpkins, gourds, and mums in the fall; poinsettias and Christmas cacti in the winter; and hibiscus and sunflowers in the summer. “Spring is by far our busiest season with Mother’s Day as the peak. The whole winter our eyes are on spring,” says Michael Shirk, general manager of Shirk’s Greenhouse.
Shirk’s Greenhouse is both a grower and a retailer, and the business grows a wide variety of plants on-site. “The most rewarding part about the business is being able to grow a beautiful product that brings joy to our customers,” Michael says.
Alongside the plants, Shirk’s Greenhouse sells pots in all shapes and sizes, plant stands, watering cans, plant seeds, and plant bulbs.
“I believe our greenhouse is special because we are a family-owned business that started from the ground up, and we are blessed for the livelihood it provides for us and our community,” Michael says.
Visit Shirk’s Country Market and Greenhouse in person at 345 Route U, Centertown, or browse the website: ShirksCountryMarket.com.
This story originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Missouri Life magazine.
