By Laura Swanson
Have you been wondering what that little building at the east end of Kendra’s River Inn parking lot is for?? We are happy to announce the opening of “Shelly Bowe’s HomeGrown” farm stand.
The farmstand has been a dream of Kendra’s since she moved to North County in 2016, and revitalized the riverside inn. With her restaurant and inn closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, Kendra charged ahead on her dream for the farmstand.
“Shelly Bowe was one of the first people I met when I moved to Tillamook County,” explains Kendra. “We connected at a garden in South County as I was opening the Whiskey Creek Café. We recognized kindred spirits in each other with our mutual loves for food, gardening, family and community. It just seemed so fitting to dedicate the farmstand to the woman who almost single-handedly taught our entire county about growing and gardens.”
Shelly Bowe was the founder of Food Roots and a lifelong community volunteer dedicated to addressing food insecurity in our county by establishing community gardens and improving access to local foods. Shelly lost her battle with ALS in 2017 and is doing a happy dance looking down upon this newest outlet that supports local producers and provides the community with fresh local produce. Kendra’s vision is to provide another option for bringing farmers and neighbors together at an accessible, convenient location to sell locally produced plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. “We want to help both the larger producers and the backyard gardeners, who may be experiencing an overabundance of a shareable resource,” said Kendra. “And provide items for sale to the community.” Kendra’s great vision includes donating the revenue from the farmstand to local food programs. “This isn’t about making money for me, it’s about feeding our community,” said Kendra. “I’m just providing the venue and making the connections so everyone can have access to our wonderful locally, homegrown products.”
The HomeGrown Farmstand will open on Wednesday May 6th with organically grown vegetables and flowers from Brickyard Farms in Tillamook. The farmstand is an honor pay system, allowing for physical distancing. HomeGrown will be open from 7:30 am to dark, seven days a week.
“A big thank you to Laura Swanson for her ongoing support, who never doubted my vision,” added Kendra. “And to my fiancé Allan Bramall, who’s physical and financial support have been what has breathed life into the project for the final finishing touches it needed to take shape.”
“We will be adding to the stand as we receive new products, and throughout the seasons,” explained Kendra. If you have produce or products that you would like to sell at HomeGrown, please contact Kendra at 503-368-7488 or email to kendrasriverinn@gmail.com.
Visit Shelly Bowe’s HOMEGROWN farm stand at Kendra’s River Inn, located at 34910 Hwy. 53 in Mohler at the intersection of Hwy. 53 and Miami River Road, just across the river from Mohler Co-op and the Nehalem Bay Winery.