Gorge Local - In Business

Farm Stand in The Dalles kicks off with soft opening

By Kelsie Cowart Columbia Gorge News

Farm Stand in The Dalles' store’s deli, where everything is made from scratch. Kelsie Cowart photo

THE DALLES — Farm Stand in The Dalles opened its doors to the community for the first time in a soft opening July 2. The farm-to-table deli and grocery store is located on Federal Street in the former The Dalles Chronicle building.
Customers can peruse the brand-new shelves of organic goods and products, and enjoy a variety of fresh, non-GMO food and smoothie options from the deli. 
The original Farm Stand is located in Hood River. Both locations are owned and operated by the Stelzer family.
“We are family owned; we wanted to bring in a small store feel and vibe that’s child friendly,” said Raya Stelzer, general manager of Farm Stand. “We want to support the local people in the area and also be able to support things that they’re selling us.”

Raya Stelzer, general manager of Farm Stand in The Dalles, stands in the farm to table grocery store and deli’s new space. While some work is being finished, the store is open for business.

According to the Farm Stand in the Gorge website, the stores focus on clean and healthy food choices and products, selling brands like Oregon Brineworks, Stoked Roasters + Coffeehouse, and Blue Skies Bakery. Their deli offers a variety of breakfast and lunch foods as well as smoothies.
“All our [deli] food is made from scratch here in our kitchen, from our mayonnaise and pesto, to our soups and sandwiches,” reads the website. “We only use organic produce, free range organic local eggs, and healthy ingredients. The only oils we use are organic sunflower, olive and coconut oils.”
The deli also has a Kombucha bar.
The store additionally offers a pharmacy of natural-based products, including tinctures, tonics, teas, supplements, cosmetics and toiletries.
“I love the natural pharmacy stuff — I want to have some available for moms and for anyone in the area that has an emergency,” Stelzer said.
According to Stelzer, The Farm Stand is open to partnering with community members to carry their products in the store.
“I like to feature local people, so if local people come in and sell, I want to try and bring on their stuff,” she said.
While the store and deli are open, preparations continue on the rest of the building.
“We’re just ironing out kinks so we can get our grand opening in,” Stelzer said. She noted the details on a grand opening should be announced soon. “We’ll have to have that be just a little bit of a surprise,” she said.
Stelzer thanks the community for their excitement and support in bringing the business to The Dalles.
“Just really, really happy for the support that we’ve had — we couldn’t have done this without the support of the community, everyone has been so encouraging,” she said.

The Farm Sand in The Dalles is currently open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the store, with the deli open until 6 p.m. On Sundays, the store is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the deli closing at 5 p.m.
The store is located at 315 Federal Street.