The return of the roadside stand

The return of the roadside stand

By Kathy Feist and Kristina Light

Thanks to technology, the old-fashioned roadside stands are making a comeback. Charming cupboards filled with fresh bouquets of flowers, jars of honey, lotions and plastic-wrapped homemade goodies can be purchased with the click of your cell phone aimed at a piece of paper with a QR Code. 

We checked in with a couple of roadside entrepreneurs to investigate this new trend.

Cable Acres Farmstand neighborhood duo 

By Kathy Feist

Last year Christina Brontoli planted 75 varieties of flowers on her property south of Belton. 

This year she has narrowed her focus–only 15 varieties. That’s all she needs to make beautiful dried flower bouquets and wreaths that she sells at Cable Acres Farmstand, a rustic hut she shares with neighbor Ashley Scherer. On Saturday and Sunday, she fills her portion of the stand with fresh cut flowers, dried flower bouquets, herb and petal infused oils, sugar scrubs, balms and salves. Herbal tea bags and candied pecans also join the selection of handmade merchandise. 

Brontoli’s specialty has centered on dried flower arrangements–wreaths, bouquets, crowns, greeting cards. “I like building something that lasts for a while, that doesn’t die in a week,” she says. “It takes more time but it’s worth it.”

Her interest coincides with a growing demand for dried flower bouquets within the wedding industry. She also sells her products on Etsy under Flutter Farms.     

Brontoli, a former engineer and a mother of two homeschooled boys, says beyond flower arranging, she enjoys investigating the medicinal benefits of herbs and flowers and incorporating them into her apothecary products. 

Joining Brontoli is her neighbor Scherer, a mother of five children, ages 2 to 8, whom she homeschools. Somehow she finds time to bake as many as 20 loaves of sourdough bread (multiple varieties) and muffins, brownies and other baked goods for weekend sales at the Farmstand. Her older children help collect fresh-laid eggs for sale (they get to keep the proceeds). Jars of honey are harvested from the family’s beehives. 

Scherer requests pre-orders for baked products (peckandpollen@gmail.com).  Otherwise, its first come, first serve. 

Cables Acres Farmstand is located at 20012 S. Cable Rd. in Belton. More information can be found on Facebook under Cable Acres Farmstand.  

A Family’s Sweet Lesson in Entrepreneurship

By Kristina Light

Most Saturday mornings, a weathered wooden hutch appears in the driveway at 629 E. 108th Street, just south of 435 off Holmes Road in Kansas City’s Red Bridge neighborhood, its shelves filled with jars of amber honey, fragrant bouquets, and loaves of sourdough bread fresh from the oven. It is the Rank family’s modest driveway farm stand, where four children are gaining firsthand experience in the day-to-day work of running a small business.

Melissa Rank oversees the stand alongside her children, including her 14-year-old daughter, Ellie, whose curiosity about honeybees helped spark the family’s beekeeping venture. The Ranks joined the Midwestern Beekeepers Association to learn the craft. Ellie also completed a mentorship program and the family now tends hives humming with tens of thousands of honeybees on their backyard urban farm. 

For the Rank family, who homeschool their children, the farmstand doubles as a classroom. The venture gives the children practical lessons in running a small business, from choosing and pricing products to serving customers and saving toward a shared goal.

The stand runs on an honor system. Customers leave cash in a small lockbox or pay by scanning a Venmo or PayPal code posted on a price list. Typically open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with occasional weekday appearances announced in advance. 

Among the stand’s most popular offerings is raw honey harvested from the family’s own hives, its rich, golden color and delicately floral flavor capturing the character of neighborhood blooms. Priced at $15 a pint, it tends to sell quickly.

Straight from the garden, they also sell fresh-cut bouquets, handpicked each morning and brimming with lush zinnias, cosmos and wildflowers gathered into loose, romantic bunches. Each $20 arrangement comes with its own vase, making it an easy gift or a cheerful way to brighten a kitchen table.

Rustic sourdough loaves and dinner rolls, both made with organic flour, round out the stand’s food offerings. The loaves are known for their crisp, golden crusts, and soft, chewy centers, while the rolls offer a smaller, pillowy option with a subtle tang. Loaves and six-roll packages sell for $7 each. Customers can also place pre-orders to make sure their favorite items are set aside.

Handmade crafts fill out the remaining shelves, with the selection varying from week to week to include delicate embroidered pieces, charming wooden table centerpieces and rustic planters fashioned from reclaimed tree stumps.

For the Rank family, the stand provides real-world experience in building something of their own while contributing to a shared family goal. 

Additional Area Farmstands

By Kristina Light

The southland is home to a handful of honor-system farmstands. Shoppers take what they’d like and leave cash, Venmo or Cash App payment in the box. Most can be found on Facebook by searching the stand’s name below (exceptions are noted); hours can shift, so it’s worth checking before visiting.

South Kansas City

• Back to Basics: Bread, Broth and Beauty 411 E. 90th Terrace, Kansas City, MO. Hours posted on Facebook. Organic sourdough bread and date scones.
• Elate Bakery 4307 E. 110th St., Kansas City, MO. Hours vary and are posted on Facebook; recently Fri-Sat, 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Rotating self-serve sweets, like cookies and cake pops.
• Whistle Stop Variety Farmstead 13319 Cherry St., Kansas City, MO. Open when the sign is out. Quail eggs, chicken eggs, quail meat and chicks, tea blends, fresh herbs and produce.

Cass County

• Copper Moon Still Company Farm Stand 7303 E. 155th St., Belton, MO. Hours posted on Facebook. High-quality produce: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, green beans and new red potatoes.
• Crooked Creek Farmstead 1204 E. 183rd St., Belton, MO. Hours vary; check Facebook for current availability. Fresh flowers and sourdough baked goods.
• Four Oaks Farm 501 E. Hubach Hill Rd., Raymore, MO. Order online for farm pickup; days and hours posted on Facebook. Vegetables, herbs, berries and eggs.
• Davies Homestead 1406 E. 187th St., Belton, MO. Hours posted on Facebook. Sourdough banana bread, honey-cinnamon-vanilla granola, protein balls and garden produce.
• Northrup Sourdough Stand 602 Cedar Falls, Raymore, MO. Hours posted weekly in the Missouri Farmstand Collective Facebook group. Sourdough bread, cinnamon rolls, homemade pop tarts and brownies.
• Parkview Flower Farm 1510 Farview Rd., Raymore, MO. Fri-Sun 8-7. Indoor stand with fresh flowers, baked goods, farm-fresh eggs, seasonal veggies and handcrafted gifts.
• Sweet Peaks Cookies 20819 S. Dean Rd., Belton, MO. Fri 4-8, Sat-Sun 10-8. Self-serve sourdough, granola, seasoning packets, muffins, cookies, burger buns and banana bread. 

South Johnson County

• Karlee’s Kitchen 6925 Slater St., Overland Park, KS. Hours posted on Facebook. Sourdough bagels, cookies and brownies, plus fresh garden produce like cucumbers and tomatoes.
• Lillian’s Farmstand – 19400 Mission Rd.  Baked goods. 
• Haas Homestead – 20003 Riggs Rd. (near Metcalf). Fresh baked goods and eggs for you to pick up.