By Mary Owen
Moxieberry takes the Stayton-Sublimity Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 First Impressions award.
The Stayton eatery and impetus behind The Grove retail mall was credited with matching the historic aesthetic of Third Avenue while enhancing the walkability of downtown.
“I enjoyed the ambiance,” said nominator Donna Dugan of her recent trip to the café, which provides customers with a nice outdoor patio beside the waterway.
“There is plenty of open space, sunny and bright. Made me feel welcome right off the bat!”
Dugan also called the food “great.”
“Friendly people, fast service,” she said. “Can’t beat that. It’s a nice addition for the community, a good place to gather and enjoy a good meal.”
Moxieberry opened in 2014 to sell flowers, coffee and “encouragement” to local patrons, owner Teri Mesa told Our Town.
“Our mission is to spread encouragement through everything we do,” she said in an earlier interview. “Moxieberry by our own definition means ‘the fruit of encouragement.”
To give back to the community, Mesa partners with many local organizations to provide flowers at cost.
“And sometimes no cost to enhance their events,” she said.
“Some of our favorites so far are the ‘All Dressed Up’ event where our corsages and wedding bouquets were in the runway fashion show and the annual ‘Father Daughter Ball.’”
In addition to the restaurant and bakery, Mesa and her husband, Jon, opened The Grove, home to a collection of boutiques and artisans, including Break the Chain Apparel, Mama Roost Vintage Market, Paul Toews Art Studio, and Friends of the Library.
“By offering a wide variety of gift and décor items, we are bringing shopping local again,” Mesa said in an interview about the small retail mall that showcases offerings in “a beautiful, upscale setting at modest prices.”
