New downtown ag store opens to much fanfare
The soft opening of SHED, Healdsburg’s farm and food focused ‘modern Grange,’ has been anything but quiet.
“I was just reviewing the sales reports, and we sold a lot of plant starts over the weekend,” said owner Cindy Daniel.
The café-cum-market has been bustling with customers and the curious nearly non-stop in its first week of business. SHED’s inaugural educational event – a conversation with author Deborah Madison – sold out, as did the upcoming first Sunday supper. And event tickets weren’t the only thing selling out.
According to Daniel, the store had already sold a wide variety of merchandise: from kitchen accoutrements to gardening tools, from whole grains to prepared foods. Some items flew off the shelves. By Monday, the first round of fresh flour, milled in house, was nearly gone. The big jar of pale green bamboo rice had only a few grains left.
“We milled on Friday, and we set our flours out, and we’ve almost sold through them,” Daniel said on Monday.
In addition to bakers, gardeners flocked to the store: over one hundred seed packets were sold over the weekend.
SHED staff — the business currently employs more than 30 staff members (not all of whom are full-time) — are continuing to put finishing touches on shelf displays. Daniel noted that some items, such as the hand-crafted bulk ciders and olive oils, would in the future have signage articulating the story behind the food. But business had been so brisk that staff hadn’t yet found time to get to those final touches.
Of course, many Healdsburg residents were curious just to see the inside of the much-discussed building that rose right in the heart of downtown. But SHED already has repeat customers: local Candy Danhausen was already on her third visit.
“I’ve already had coffee, I’ve already bought bread,” Danhausen said.
She was visiting SHED with two of her friends. The three local ladies said they could see themselves grabbing coffee at SHED, or showing off the shop to out-of-town visitors.
“Also for gift shopping,” Miemaber added.
They were pleased with how the building turned out.
“I think this just fits in really perfect for Healdsburg. I like the architecture: it’s really light and airy, it feels like you’re outside almost,” said Bootee Miemaber.
“The view from the upstairs event venue is spectacular. It gives you a whole new look at Healdsburg,” Danhausen said.
“I think it’s upscale, down-home – a very welcome addition to Healdsburg. It’s inviting,” Marva Wiedemer said.
And SHED carries a few things other stores in Healdsburg do not. In fact, SHED carries some items that you might not find anywhere else in the state.
“You cannot find a very good corn husk broom, and this is the place… they are really hard to find. I got mine in Arkansas,” Miemaber said, ushering her friends over to SHED’s ‘cleaning corner,’ which is filled with an aesthetically pleasing array of brooms.
“They have some unique items that they’re selling.”
SHED is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, and is located at 25 North Street. Events will be held at SHED on April 25 (movie screening of “Queen of the Sun, What are the Bees Telling Us?”), April 27 (beekeeping workshop), and April 28 (farm dinner with the Bernier family).
