Chris Thigpen, 57, of Washington, D.C., is the owner of Thigpen Farms where he grows everything in South Carolina from his highly sought after sweet seeded watermelons in the summer, along with berries, mushrooms, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, turnips, sweet potatoes, pecans and more. Mr. Thigpen retired after a 15-year career in IT, printing and media with IBM and Eastman Kodak. He is the founder of Pure Shea, a natural products line of handmade soap and lotion with retail stores in Detroit and Baltimore. On Sunday, Nov. 20, he participated in the last RVA’s Black Farmers Market before Thanksgiving Day.
