Sharon Person of The Year---2010

I thought a few weeks back about naming a person or persons whom I felt made a difference in Sharon this past year. It could have been as a coach, or as a nurse, or a doctor maybe. Perhaps as a bus driver or town road crew employee. I had numerous "possibles", and isn't that the great thing about our town? That many people do make a difference to ALL of our lives. It speaks volumes, that we all should be proud of.


Enough delay. To my pick. This year, my pick for Person of the Year in Sharon is


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none other than Chris Choe, owner and the man behind The Sharon Farm Market! Chris and his wife Annie, and their children came to Sharon, saw an opportunity, saw the need, came up with a plan and step by step they put together an incredible FRESH, CLEAN and FRIENDLY place to shop. They moved from Long Island, and have just been so welcomed into the community. Chris oversaw the whole transition from a closed, worn-out and ugly storefront to the extremely active place we have today. They started their renovation in March and said they thought they would be open by Memorial Day. Then late June. Then by the 4th of July. But the more they dug into the former market, the larger their renovation nightmare increased. Next to nothing was fixable, and things that were promised to work, didn't. It was enough to have crushed many a strong businessman. But Chris just kept digging in, and kept his "eye on the prize". He had a vision, and he wasn't blinking. October 4th, the wait was over. The "Soon" we were all waiting for finally got here. The SFM opened for business! And what business they did! And that was just their "soft" opening. Two weeks later they did their Grand Opening..........Holy Smokes! It was amazing the way people turned out. And continue to turn out to this day!


SFM has been off and running for almost two full months and all of Sharon, for the most part is smiling. We have a store. And it's also become a destination store too, with shoppers coming from all directions and miles away. And those shoppers are breathing new life into other businesses here in Sharon. My business has increased, and the pharmacy, and Becky's are all seeing new customers, for the first time in years!


So, for his vision, his commitment, and his perseverance, and for all the other things that he is plain and simple, just doing right, I salute Chris Choe. He is my Person of the Year for Sharon! Great job Chris, and continued success to you and all the gang at Sharon Farm Market!