02/07/2026
Small businesses rely on community. Show your support!
Unfortunately, we need to inform the community that we will not be allowed to return to the Kalama Waterfront this summer. For the past three seasons, we have had the privilege of serving this community, and we are deeply grateful to the friends, families, and neighbors who supported us along the way. We invested in this community through sponsorships, donations, and support for local small businesses, and the Kalama School District. We showed up consistently, operated responsibly, and built meaningful relationships with families and neighbors who supported us week after week.
We are deeply disappointed by the Port of Kalama’s decision not to renew our lease, and by how the situation was handled. From the beginning, we worked hard to demonstrate that we were operating a responsible, community-focused business. We completed the 12-week small business program that was recommended, presented our concept to the Port, and were approved as a food cart vendor without concern raised about our seasonal model. We even successfully operated even before the market was fully open.
Despite our cooperation and continued commitment, we were ultimately told we would not be invited back because our presence could impact sales of a similar product sold by an indoor vendor. It was communicated to us that the inside vendor’s business would be prioritized over ours, despite the overlapping product representing only a small portion of their overall offerings. After years of investment, support, and good faith effort, this decision feels unfair and wrong.
We are disappointed and we believe the way this decision was handled deserves to be shared. If you feel compelled to support us, we invite you to attend the Port Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, February 11 at 5:30pm where we will share our experience directly.
Thank you for standing with us over the past three summers. Your support has meant more than we can put into words. Thank you Kalama.
