Farmstand Owner, Bets Stelzer, Reflects on Growth, Family Roots, and Downtown Revitalization
The Dalles, Ore., Sept. 5, 2025 — Two years after opening Farmstand in the Gorge in downtown The Dalles, owner Bets Stelzer says the venture has grown beyond just a health-food market and cafe — it’s become a catalyst for community.
Stelzer, who also runs the original Farmstand in Hood River, appeared on the CCCNews Podcast to reflect on her journey, her family’s influence, and the revitalization of the downtown block surrounding the historic Chronicle building.
“My grandfather and father transitioned our family farm in Dufur to organic in the 1970s,” said Stelzer, whose father later founded Azure Standard, now the largest independent distributor of organic foods in the U.S. “Wellness is in my blood.”
Though she explored opening a business in The Dalles more than a decade ago, the timing wasn’t right. That changed in 2022 when Stelzer purchased the former Chronicle building with support from family. With a hands-on remodel and minimal budget, the family transformed the space into a wellness hub that includes Farmstand, the Alleyway Coffee Shop, River City Saloon, and Cherry City Property Management. A final retail space is being readied for lease.
“I’ve always wanted to do this in The Dalles,” she said. “It just finally felt like the right moment. I was driving down Third Street and remembered that building — and within a month, we got the ball rolling.”
Stelzer praised the support from fellow downtown business owners and city staff, even though she ended up funding the sidewalk bump-outs now credited with calming traffic and making the area more pedestrian-friendly. She now serves on the city’s Federal Street Plaza Committee, a project she says will create a “living room for downtown.”
“You slow down when a place invites you to linger,” she said. “We want people to park, walk, and explore the whole downtown — not just rush in and out.”
Seltzer credits her success to her upbringing and her family’s work ethic. “We put in a 50-acre orchard as teenagers,” she recalled. “There’s no quitting when you grow up on a farm — you work until the job’s done.”
Her siblings help manage both Farmstand locations, and her younger sister, Crystal, recently opened a bakery in Dufur, which supplies fresh sourdough to the store. “She’s only 20, but she’s already teaching sourdough workshops,” Seltzer said proudly.
Looking ahead, Stelzer hopes to launch a cocktail bar inside the Alleyway space this fall, expand event offerings, and explore whether catering or wellness education could be part of Farmstand’s future.
“There’s still so much potential,” she said. “But we’re taking time to ask: What does this town need next?”
As downtown The Dalles evolves, Stelzer and her family remain committed to investing in its future — one sandwich, one sidewalk table, and one sourdough loaf at a time.
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