Port Orchard Grocers Blend Local Flavor With Big-Hearted Values
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOD STUFF GROCERY
By QUINN PROPST
Ward Media Staff Reporter
Good Stuff Grocery in downtown Port Orchard is exactly what the name implies – just the “good stuff.” Every item on the shelf is something owners Andreas Zellweger and Barb Alaina Burck stand behind.
There’s no high fructose corn syrup, and the focus is on organic, local, and high-quality products. Zellweger, a chef by trade, bakes fresh sourdough bread and sourdough brownies daily, and those alone have drawn steady attention from the neighborhood.
Good Stuff Grocery makes the most of its cozy space, offering a thoughtfully curated selection that feels full but never cluttered.
In the kitchen, Zelleweger whips up fresh sourdough bread, sandwiches, pastries and other goodies daily.
You’ll find a wall of fresh spices, cheeses, and other picnic-ready bites, along with bamboo toothbrushes, natural supplements, eco-friendly laundry products, and all-natural moisturizers.
The drink selection includes sparkling water, kombucha, natural sodas, and protein shakes—only in the brands and flavors the owners personally enjoy. Rounding it out is a rotating lineup of Pacific Northwest wines and craft beers.
When the couple opened the store, they weren’t chasing a lifelong dream of owning a grocery store; they were simply responding to a need they saw in the community.
“They’ve really wanted this small community grocer for a long time and we’re just happy that we noticed that that was a need,” Zellweger said. “I’ve always dreamed about having my own kitchen. So this is how we’re contributing to the culinary culture.”
Burck said the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. At the store’s grand opening in April, Zellweger and Burck were both blown away by the amount of community support.
The store located inside the Port Orchard Public Market on Bay Street, is open Wed. through Sunday. But since running the business is a seven day a week commitment for the couple they are there most days working. Even when the store is closed people are constantly stopping by hoping to buy a fresh loaf of sourdough or some of the store’s other delicious offerings.
The shop serves a wide range of customers: boaters, locals who live nearby, jurors from the nearby courthouse, downtown workers on their lunch breaks, and foodies looking for specialty items without having to travel to Tacoma or Seattle.
A well-curated bulk section was made possible through a bit of good fortune when Oregon-based Hummingbird Wholesale donated extra containers to help them get started.
The price of the containers would have made the bulk section cost prohibitive for the couple. A bulk section was something important to them because they want to be able to keep their prices reasonable and offer quality items.
“My number one thing that I love hearing is like, ‘Oh, these are the same prices as Albertsons or Safeway’,” Burck said. “Because there’s nothing more that I hate than going into a tiny cool store and it’s like, I can’t buy anything.”
Burck, who has a background in community development, is passionate about accessibility.
“We’re hoping to get EBT soon too, because I really do think healthy stuff should be accessible for everybody,” she said.
“My background is in community development,” she said. “I served in the Peace Corps, and that is something that I’m really passionate about. So he has the food background, I got the community background. And I’m like, we need something like this in Port Orchard, but I don’t want it to be exclusive to just people who are rich. I think that’s crazy – Barb
Everything about Good Stuff feels intentional—and deeply personal. The couple, along with a team of friends, painted the walls and laid the flooring themselves. Zellweger handcrafted the wooden counter and table inside the shop.
Their support system helped them make the shop a possibility. Their families, friends and neighboring business owners helped them in countless ways.
Fellow shop owners in the Port Orchard Public Market have helped the couple in countless ways. Lizzy Rolando who owns Salmonberry Books, Mallory Jackson who owns Custom Picture Framing, and Anne Kelso who owns Twisted Beautiful Permanent Jewelry have formed a community of friendship and support with Burck and Zellweger.
“We did not get a single bank loan,” Burck said. “All of our loans were private. Literally none of this would be possible without our support system.”
“I believe, like when things are supposed to happen, they work out well, not always easily, but things just kind of align where they’re supposed to,” she said.
The store has even partnered with the Kitsap Food Bank and People’s Exchange to donate unsold food each week, creating a closed-loop system with minimal waste.
“It’s cool to offer something at a good price point that is also good for you and good for the community because that’s often lacking, especially when you talk about the cycle of poverty and what is offered to people that aren’t, you know, in the 1% or that can have more access to things like that,” Zellweger said. “Cheaper stuff is worse for you.”
For Zellweger and Burck, Good Stuff is about more than groceries.
“We want to be a space that is open to everybody,” Burck said. “It sounds weird for a grocery store, but I want people to feel safe and welcomed here.”
In a world of self-checkout lines and online ordering, they’re doubling down on human connection.
“When people walk in, they think they’re just going to shop quietly. But Barb breaks down that wall,” Zellweger said. “You’re going to meet somebody. You’re going to meet Barb if you haven’t already. And that makes the difference.”
“I grew up with a mom who always said, ‘When you’re with people, be with people,’” Burck said. “We don’t just sit and be with people anymore. And I think that’s the number one thing I want when people come here. Even if they’re in and out, I want them to have a moment of human interaction.”
Zellweger found his niche in Port Orchard’s food scene through sourdough—something that consistently sells out at local farmers markets.
“There was no place for bread lovers to get fresh, quality bread all year,” he said. “That was the gap I could fill.”
And while opening a grocery store wasn’t the original dream, it’s become the perfect medium for their message: food is joy, food is medicine, and food brings people together.
“Food is a precious part of life,” Zellweger said. “It’s one of the joys every human experiences on a daily basis.”
“Food heals,” Burck added. “That’s why our country is so sick—because we eat a lot of crap food.”
At the end of the day, they just want people to feel better when they leave than when they walked in.
“I want people to come in a bad mood and leave in a great mood,” Burck said.
“And it happens all the time,” Zellweger said.
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