By Natalie Dunbar Latham, Owner of The Old Farmstead Mercantile and Third-Generation Prescott-Area Native
For Natalie Dunbar Latham, small business has never been simply about owning a store. It is about family, community, connection, and carrying forward a legacy that has been part of Prescott for generations.
A third-generation Prescott-area native, Natalie comes from a long line of local entrepreneurs. Her grandparents owned the Pine Cone, her uncle owned Prescott’s historic Palace Bar, and her grandparents, followed by her parents and now her sisters, have owned and operated Dunbar Stone Company, a family business with roots dating back to 1945. Her family’s entrepreneurial history also includes Marler’s Furniture. Today, Natalie’s twin boys represent the fourth generation growing up with those same deep Prescott roots.
Different businesses and different generations, but the values have remained much the same: work hard, take care of people, contribute to the community, and leave things a little better than you found them.
Those values are at the heart of Natalie’s own business, The Old Farmstead Mercantile.
A Dream That Started Small
In 2008, Natalie opened The Old Farmstead in a building on the family farm. The beginnings were humble. Some of the first furniture inside the store came directly from her own home.
At the same time, she was raising twin boys and learning how to grow a business while growing a family. There was plenty of hard work, uncertainty, creativity, and figuring things out along the way.
But there was also a dream.
Over time, that dream grew. In 2021, The Old Farmstead Mercantile moved into Pine Ridge Marketplace, bringing Natalie’s story full circle.
Long before she imagined owning a business there, the mall was part of her family’s life. She remembers shopping with her mom, date nights, taking her boys to the arcade, grabbing a pretzel, and lining up for pictures with Santa and the Easter Bunny. When the boys outgrew Santa photos, the family started taking their annual pictures in the mall’s photo booth instead.
Those little moments became family traditions, and eventually, treasured memories.
It is one reason Natalie believes places like Pine Ridge Marketplace and the locally owned businesses within them are about much more than shopping.
Every Storefront Has a Story
When Natalie walks through the marketplace today, she does not simply see storefronts. She sees people.
Behind every local business is someone who took a risk. Someone invested their savings, time, creativity, and heart into an idea they believed could work. Someone is providing for a family, creating jobs, building a future, or hoping a new customer walking through the door today becomes a regular tomorrow.
Local businesses also become gathering places. They are where friends meet, families spend time together, and people discover a sense of belonging.
That connection is especially important in a community like Prescott.
We proudly call ourselves “Everybody’s Hometown,” but that spirit does not come from a slogan alone. It comes from neighbors showing up for neighbors and businesses supporting one another.
More Than a Boutique
At The Old Farmstead, Natalie has worked to create that feeling of belonging with a simple philosophy:
Enter as a stranger. Leave as a friend.
Yes, the store offers clothing, jewelry, gifts, nostalgic candy, and plenty of fun finds, but the heart of the business is connection.
Sometimes a customer discovers a candy they have not seen since childhood and suddenly begins sharing memories about a grandparent. Someone else finds the perfect gift for a friend going through a difficult season. Another person simply stops at the counter for a conversation and a laugh.
Natalie’s goal is for people to walk out a little happier than when they walked in, whether they purchased something or not.
Those small moments matter.
Shop Small. Make a Big Difference.
This November, The Old Farmstead Mercantile enters its 18th year in business.
For Natalie, reaching that milestone comes with deep gratitude. Small businesses do not make it 18 years on their own. Customers, family, friends, employees, neighbors, and people who tell others about the places they love make those years possible.
That is why her message is bigger than simply asking people to shop at her store.
Shop local.
Visit the businesses inside Pine Ridge Marketplace. Explore downtown Prescott. Walk into the little shop you have driven past a hundred times. Eat at the locally owned restaurant. Hire the local contractor. Buy a birthday gift from the shopkeeper who remembers your name.
Supporting local does not always require spending money, either. Share a social media post. Leave a positive review. Attend an event. Recommend a business to a friend.
Every effort matters.
When we support local businesses, we help create jobs, strengthen families, preserve traditions, and protect the unique character that makes Prescott feel like home.
More importantly, we show the next generation that there is still room for someone with a dream, courage, a strong work ethic, and a whole lot of heart to build something beautiful.
Everybody’s Hometown is more than a name. It is something we create together.
And keeping that American dream alive starts right here at home.
Learn more at https://theoldfarmstead.myshopify.com/
