In 2016, Manchester residents Tami Paumier and Glen Warren purchased a 500-acre property in Ipswich, complete with buildings dating back to the early 1700s. They named it Marshview Farm. The couple first discovered the North Shore as summer renters while their son attended classes in Manchester in 2009. At the time, they were based in Denver, Colorado, and also spent time on eastern Long Island. Over time, the region drew them in. “We came to love it,” Paumier says. “And we were like: Why are we renting a house up here?” Eventually, they decided to put down roots.
Four years after purchasing the farm, in 2020, Paumier and Warren brought on farmer Jamie Barrett to manage operations. Barrett had previously worked at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, where he ran a CSA program for five years before spending nearly a decade farming in Virginia. He approached the couple with a vision. “He came to us and said that ‘a CSA would be a great direction for this farm—I’d like to farm it,’” Warren says. “2020 was the first season of the CSA.”
Barrett moved onto the property and launched the program, which quickly gained traction, starting with about 150 members and growing to roughly 220 today. During the pandemic, the farm delivered shares directly to members’ homes. At the same time, Marshview expanded into raising chickens, cattle, and pigs, investing further in animal husbandry. The next phase of the farm’s evolution came with the opening of the Marshview Farm General Store in Essex this past fall, just ahead of the holiday season.
Located along Route 133 in the heart of Essex’s marshland, the store was the result of several years of planning. “We saw that as a natural offshoot of the farm,” Warren says. “We looked at several locations and had near-misses, and then we finally landed on this one. It’s really the ideal spot.” The general store operates on limited winter hours—currently open Thursdays only—but expands to five days a week in warmer months. It offers produce from Marshview Farm alongside prepared foods, pantry staples, wine, and local craft beer. The shop also serves as a platform for other North Shore and regional producers.
“We really saw it as a way to support other farmers and purveyors,” Warren says. In addition to Marshview’s own products, the store features goods from local vendors such as Grassy Roots, Down River Ice Cream, Ippy’s Bagels & Donuts, Bonny Breads, Wildly Rooted Culinary Garden, Crescent Ridge Dairy, and Seaview Farm. Beyond retail, the space is designed to foster community. During the quieter winter months, it has become a gathering place for locals. The team has hosted events including wreath-making workshops, wine tastings, and an oyster collaboration with Great Marsh Shellfish Company in Rowley.
Plans for the space are still evolving. Paumier and Warren are considering expanding the rear of the store to include a coffee bar and additional seating to encourage more community interaction. “So many things happen organically,” Paumier says. “We have really amazing community vendors.” For Paumier and Warren, Marshview Farm and its general store are about more than agriculture—they are about relationships. “We’re really looking to establish more connections,” Paumier says. While plans remain under wraps, one thing is clear: Marshview Farm’s community-driven vision is just beginning to take shape.