The deal.

Who we are

Homestead Keys is a Frederick-area marketplace operated by Made By 1891 LLC on behalf of Kara Grossinger. The merchant of record for transactions on this site is Made By 1891 LLC, which collects from buyers and pays vendors via Stripe Connect.

For buyers

• Goods on this site are sold by independent local vendors. We qualify them; we don't make their products.
• Local pickup or popup only — we don't mail orders. A single-customer local delivery add-on is available within 10 miles.
• Cancellations: any time before pickup. Refunds to your original card within 5 business days.
• No-shows: three strikes and we ask you to come back when you can keep meetups.

For vendors

• You must be qualified by Kara before listing. Qualification considers your category-specific permits.
• You're responsible for your own products, labels, and inventory quality. We're a marketplace, not the producer.
• Platform fees: 12%–6% per order depending on tier (Sprout 12% · Roost 10% · Homesteader 8% · Founders 6% — see /sell/). Cash sales reported through the dashboard: 0%. Buyers pay a 4% card fee on card orders at checkout; cash at pickup is free.
• Payouts via Stripe Connect. Weekly default.
• Permit lapses suspend your listings until renewed.
• Founding Frederick Homesteader (free for life). Vendors who join by Aug 31, 2026 pay $0 in monthly plan fees for the life of the account, on any tier. Free status is kept while the account stays both (a) permitted — a valid Maryland permit for the vendor's category — and (b) active and verified — a verified account with at least one live listing and at least one completed sale per calendar month (card order or reported cash sale). Permit-help consulting is a separate paid service and is not part of the free-for-life plan. Per-order platform fees and the buyer card fee still apply. If an account lapses on permits or goes inactive, monthly plan fees may resume at the then-current tier rate after written notice.

Maryland law

All food sold on this site is governed by Maryland Department of Health and Maryland Department of Agriculture regulations as applicable. By listing, vendors warrant they are complying with the rules for their category (cottage food, egg handler, small-volume dairy, produce, etc.).

Last updated: 2026-05-31.