Growing community at The Coffee Shop’s ‘plant swap’

THE DALLES — Plant lovers united at The Coffee Shop on April 4 for its monthly community plant swap, which invites familiar faces and newcomers alike to trade and chat about their botanical belongings.

Founded by Amada Thayer in 2024, exactly two years ago, The Coffee Shop is an independent café, harmoniously nestled into the same downtown building as gift store and DIY bar The Workshop. Its vibrant, open interior, decked out in art and greenery, offers a unique gathering space for crafters and caffeine seekers.

Originally from White Salmon, Thayer worked as a barista off and on for 20 years, including a decade at 10 Speed Coffee Bar in Hood River, before Lindsey Giamei, owner of The Workshop, enlisted her help to create a supplementary space for customers to enjoy refreshments while they shop.

Shortly after The Coffee Shop opened, Thayer stumbled upon a local Facebook group searching for a potential plant swap venue and quickly offered the space. As a plant person herself, it just made sense.

On the first Saturday of every month since, a rotating and expanding cast of 15 to 25 individuals have brought plants, cuttings, seeds, dirt, pots and other plant-adjacent items for non-monetary exchange. Some bring plants that have outgrown their spaces or plants that don’t agree with them; others bring ones they have an excess of, big or small. In any case, participants can expand their collection free of charge and inherit helpful gardening tips — in a way that suits them and their herbal counterparts.

“Plant people famously have too many plants because we’re all obsessed,” Thayer said. “Plant swaps bring a large variety of people that can come together, and be passionate about something, whereas, in other parts of life, they might not agree on everything.”

“Connecting over coffee is really cool for people,” added barista Natalie Bridgman. “Gathering over plants deepens connections even further, and it brings people together who might be introverted.”

Although The Dalles resident Louise Brown grew up on a farm and has been gardening her entire life, she still finds caring for plants endlessly fascinating. After discovering the event on Facebook a couple of months ago, Brown has attended The Coffee Shop’s plant swap routinely, typically accompanied by succulents, which she grows most often. This time, though, Brown bore a different haul: seeds, accumulated over time, and lemon balm, an outdoor herb used to make tea. “You meet people you would never meet any other way,” she said.

For fellow plant enthusiast Vickie Schafer, on the other hand, Saturday’s gathering was a first and a quick way to find new friends, she said. Schafer brought begonias to share and left with a Peperomia prostrata (String of Turtles) — new to her compendium — and a coleus.

“This is something we’ve needed. You learn so much about different plants and people and the stories behind them — the memories and how we came to have what we have,” Schafer said. “I really do feel strongly we need that community connection and to be with people who share our passions.”

Naturally, Schafer will be back next month, Saturday, May 2, at 11 a.m. with more plants and wisdom to share. The Coffee Shop is located at 116 E 2nd St in downtown The Dalles, online at https://www.thedallescoffeeshop.com/.