JOHN COFFELTEditor

Local business owners Ashley and Dustin Ray, with their teenage son, Max, and Ashley’s father are the new owners of the shop formerly known to the community as Imhoff’s Landscape Supply.

Under the Ray family, the business is now going to be Kepler Group Landscape Supply and Market, located at 1873 Hillsboro Blvd., Manchester.

Avoiding a family name, the Rays landed on Kepler, the name of a recently discovered planet that could have an Earth-like environment. Ashley Ray and her father, Todd Snider, a silent partner in the venture, were looking for a constellation with a name that would roll off the tongue.

“Kepler is the planet…and this is our new world,” Ashley Ray said.

Hillsboro-area native, Ashley Ray said the changeover from former owner Brandon Imhoff was sudden, but was something of a dream for herself and her husband.

“We had talked about starting a business, and when this went up for sale, we jokingly said, what if we bought that?” she said.

The Rays approached Imhoff and three weeks later, they were signing paperwork on the deal. That was two weeks ago.

“I’m loving it. We get to utilize a lot of the skills working for other people we get to bring here,” Ashley said, referring to her time driving a forklift for Averitt Express, while her husband worked at The Home Depot in the garden department.

Dustin Ray said they get a lot of advice by asking contractors what they want to see on the lot.

“It’s a matter of catering to the customers rather than stocking just what they think is cool,” he said. “We want to keep the customers happy. If they’re happy, we’re good.”

Ashley Ray said the couple can also go to her brother, who worked in landscaping, for advice.

In addition to stocking mulch, large stone on pallets and various types of loose rock and gravel, Kepler has a general store that offers fresh, local products, including locally sourced Angus beef, dairy and eggs so fresh they were literally laid yesterday.

“We are trying to keep everything locally sourced,” Dustin Ray said. “That’s our big thing.”

“We want as much coming from the community’s back yard as possible,” Ashley Ray said. “They have an outlet to do the things that they enjoy doing, such as raising chickens … and gives them a source to get their products out there,” she said.

The Rays are looking to expand the bulk landscaping products while streamlining the general store products to only local items that you can’t find at a large retail store or gas station.

“We want to double up on the meat that we’re carrying,” Dustin Ray said.

They carry Hilltop Beef and Sunrise Dairy products.

“We had some for dinner the other night and it was outstanding,” she said. “I took some of the fajita meat and cooked it up, put a little sauce on it and – perfect.”

The dairy ranges from whole and 2% milk, in glass or plastic, to the much-loved ice cream.

“I want everybody to know we’re from here and for here. We want to keep customers happy…to get what they want,” Ashley Ray said.

Dustin and Ashley’s 14-year-old homeschooled son also works daily at the store.

“He’s a big help,” Ashley Ray said. “Does the register for us, does stuff outside for us.”

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.