Colorado Springs neighborhood farm stands turn porches into mini bakeries
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
The hottest new bakeries in the Springs don't have storefronts, cashiers or checkout lines.
Why it matters: The porch-stand boom is turning home baking into a hyperlocal side hustle — powered by sourdough, social media and shoppers hungry for food that feels less mass-produced and free of contamination.
Driving the news: At least nine self-serve bake stands have surfaced across the city, stocking driveways and front yards with bread, cookies, jams and other treats, the Gazette reports.
- The businesses are commonly called farm stands — even when the dominant crop is sourdough.
How it works: Customers choose their goods and pay with cash or apps, such as Venmo.
- Most operate on the honor system, though security cameras sometimes offer a little extra accountability.
Zoom in: Dainty Dough Farm Stand, launched by friends Ashley Elliott and Carlee Duran in May, attracts an average of 30 to 40 customers per day when it's open.
- It started as a hobby and became a weekend ritual. The menu features sourdough, apple butter, cookies and cake pops, generally priced from $9 to $15.
- The owners reported only one apparent instance of someone taking goods without paying.
What they're saying: "I think people are definitely drawn to the farm stand because farmers' markets and grocery stores have raised their prices," Duran told the Gazette.
- "You can actually taste how fresh everything is and how no preservatives and minimal ingredients are used."
Reality check: Cottage baking is affordable, but not necessarily easy to run.
- Stephanie Courville in northern Colorado estimates she spends about 60 hours each week preparing dough, baking, packaging, shopping and managing customers.
- Her business eventually grew large enough to require a second kitchen, NoCo style wrote.
The fine print: Colorado currently allows certain shelf-stable products that don't require refrigeration to be produced in home kitchens. Cottage food producers must complete a safety training
- Starting Jan. 1, a new state law— dubbed the Tamale Act — will broaden the program to include some foods requiring refrigeration or containing meat. Producers will need to register.