Penley Produce was an active farm from the early 1900's until 2010 when Mr. Lloyd Penley died at 102 years of age. Mr. Penley and his brother ER raised chickens, fruits, and vegetables through the Great Depression and retiring from the Enka Plant in 1973. During the 1960s-70s, the Penley Clan grew to over 50 family members who all lived within FIVE (5) miles of the family farm. The entire family attended Francis Asbury United Methodist Church and attended school in Buncombe County. More recently in 2000s, through the leadership of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Fields of Hope at Penley Produce grew and distributed several tons of potato to Mana Food Bank.
Over the years, family and friends have celebrated weddings, holidays, and birthdays at 'GranLloyd & Grannie Laura's'. Most notably, Grannie Laura's 90th birthday was an all day gala with hot air ballons, blue grass band, carnival tent, BBQ, horse rides, square dancing/clogging, bike/motorcycle riding, volleyball games, frisbee toss, 90 red roses and wonderfully decorated picnic tables, and local fruits/vegetables. It is from this context of family, history, and community service that Penley Produce Spa Retreat & Gallery was born.