A quiet trend is reshaping how some Colorado Springs residents shop for baked goods, as home bakers set up unattended front-porch stands stocked with fresh bread, cookies and pastries — and rely on neighbors to pay on the honor system.
Alongside flour, butter and yeast, the neighborhood stands rely on honesty to receive payment. Customers grab what they want, scan a QR code or leave cash, and head home with fresh treats, as homeowners hope they leave with a loaf of bread instead of the cash box itself. As videos of these farm stands rack up thousands of views on social media, the self-serve concept is quickly becoming one of Colorado Springs' sweetest yet riskiest trends.
Inspired by the sourdough boom that swept across TikTok, best friends Ashley Elliott, 30, and Carlee Duran, 29, launched Dainty Dough Farm Stand after deciding to see if their neighbors were hungry enough to support a bakery without walls. What started as a hobby for the stay-at-home mom and Mountain Vista Community School nurse quickly turned into a weekend ritual, open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1397 Celtic St. Since opening in May, Elliott and Duran said they welcome between 30 and 40 customers on an average day and have had only one instance where items appeared missing without payment.
Fresh sourdough loaves, apple butter, strawberry shortcake cookies, cake pops and chocolate-dipped Rice Krispie treats fill their self-serve stand each weekend, with most items priced between $9 and $15. Duran credited rising costs elsewhere for driving foot traffic. "I think people are definitely drawn to the farm stand because farmers markets and grocery stores have raised their prices," Duran said. "I think they appreciate somewhere to go in their community where they don't have to go far to get fresh food."
Across town at 6741 Nokomis Circle, Three Little Petals has found similar success, with owner Amanda Ramirez-Proctor, 27, balancing her booming farm stand while raising three children under the age of 3. With traditional sourdough loaves, jalapeño cheddar bread, chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls quickly becoming her customers' favorites, nothing on her menu costs more than $13. The stand's opening weekend on July 10 sold out, with help from two TikTok videos that drew more than 36,000 views combined.
"I have a notebook next to my stand for people to tell me their experience, and people keep saying they found me on TikTok," Ramirez-Proctor said. "I think people love it because they just want something home-cooked and prefer that over processed food from the grocery store," she added.
As more baking hobbyists turn their porches into tiny bakeries, the trend continues to spread across Colorado Springs. Active stands currently include Dainty Dough Farm Stand at 1397 Celtic St., Three Little Petals at 6741 Nokomis Circle, Oliver's Baked Goods at 4011 Foster Circle, COS Farm Stand at 7022 Grand Prairie Drive, Crumb and Kiln at 2140 Cooper Ave., Ivy's Delights at 6850 Defoe Ave., Little Heart's Bakery at 6770 Brook Forest Drive, Silly Goose Colorado at 7242 Arrowroot Ave., and XO Dipped Creations Co. at 10550 Eulcase Heights.
Whether city regulators will take notice of the growing number of unregistered home-based food operations — and how that may affect the stands' futures — remains an open question.