THE INITIAL IDEA

When Shawn E. Massey purchased approximately 220 acres on the Combs Road in the town of Watertown in 2009, he knew it wouldn’t be long before he turned it into something.

Given that he’s had entrepreneurial blood in his veins since birth, Mr. Massey, president of Massey’s Furniture Barn, Arsenal Street, Watertown, has a hard time sitting still.

After his house was built in 2009 on the property, Mr. Massey founded Massey Ranch, a hobby farm, you-pick pumpkin patch and maple syrup making operation, last year.

“It was humble beginnings and it’s all a labor of love,” Mr. Massey said about Massey Ranch. “I have all this land and I knew I wanted to do something with it to keep me busy but that would also be to the benefit of the community. The ranch does that.”

TARGET CLIENTELE

“Families and children, most definitely,” Mr. Massey said about his target customer.

Massey Ranch offers you-pick pumpkins in the late summer and fall months and tractor rides around the property, including a visit to the pond, which are aimed at bringing together families and getting them outdoors. A giant sand pile near the parking lot ensures that kids will go home just a little dirty from their day on the ranch.

“Another major customer is the soldiers and their families from Fort Drum,” Mr. Massey said. “They don’t always get to see the country and go for wagon rides. They are always overwhelmed by how much fun it is and they don’t have to go that far, or even pay a lot of money.”

THE JOURNEY

As if running one of Watertown’s longest-standing locally owned furniture stores for more than 15 years wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Mr. Massey decided to fill his free time at Massey Ranch by constantly adding to it.

“When I bought the property I had a vision to do something there, but I wasn’t sure what the best thing to do was,” he said.So he built a hay barn and began a hay baling operation. Last year he baled more than 5,000 bales of horse hay, which he sold to local farmers. During last year’s maple syrup season he decided to tap 200 trees and see where it led him.

“My dad tapped trees when I was younger,” he said of his experience with maple syrup production. “I was small at the time but I remember there being a sugar shack and a turkey fryer that he’d use to try and make syrup.”

This year, Mr. Massey tapped more than 500 maple trees and built a sugar shanty on the property, opening just in time for Maple Weekend in March. In the future, he hopes to tap more than 700 trees.

“We sell the maple syrup in a little cottage we have on the property,” he said. During the maple season he also is offering Amish baked goods and other treats for sale, including honey harvested from his own bees on the ranch.

Continuing with the ranch’s evolution, Mr. Massey will turn his property into a year-round destination. He said he does it for the love of being outdoors and seeing families enjoying themselves.

“[The ranch] is my hobby, it’s what I enjoy doing,” he said. “I’m not in it for the money really, I charge for pumpkins during the you-pick season, but it’s nothing meant to make me rich. The Furniture Barn pays my bills and with [the ranch] I try to give back a little.”

IN FIVE YEARS

Though one may think that Mr. Massey is content with his you-pick pumpkins, tractor tours, honey and maple syrup production and hay baling operations, he’s not.

“I planted grapes three years ago and should get my first harvest this year,” he said. “They take time to get established and grow. We will see how they mature, whether we turn them into wine or just sell a grape crop.”

This spring, Mr. Massey is planting 10 acres of raspberry plants as well, in hopes of having an offering of locally-grown fruits in coming years.

All of the excitement doesn’t reside only at Mr. Massey’s newest venture; there are some interesting plans in the works for his furniture business as well.

“[Massey’s Furniture Barn] is not going anywhere,” he said. “It’s been in business for more than 50 years and we’ve got some big plans coming up in the near future in terms of expansion. But I can’t talk about any of that yet.”

Kyle R. Hayes is associate editor of NNY Business. Contact him at 661-2381 or khayes@wdt.net