Meet Becca Bay | Proprietor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Becca Bay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Becca, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
CF&G Public Market is one of a handful of businesses on Timnath’s struggling Main Street. Since 2018, we have become our town’s intersection of community and culture. We revive traditions, support local producers, and foster inclusivity. Through our coffeehouse, farmers markets and local mercantile we support the local food system and reduce the barriers for fellow small businesses to thrive.

Motivated by my own identity as a queer, female entrepreneur, I have created my business to be a diverse and inclusive environment for my staff and customers. I leverage my background in education to cultivate a workspace that not only supports, but celebrates, the LGBTQIA+ community and individuals with disabilities. Our goal is for both our team and customers to feel safe, welcomed, and valued.

Our partnership with Timnath Main Street and Together for Timnath, a nonprofit I co-founded to lead the revitalization of the downtown core, demonstrates my commitment to community development. We also host monthly community forums and serve as a liaison with town officials to support Timnath’s sense of place and identity as a whole.

CF&G is more than a market, we’re a hub of culturally responsible commerce. I operate based on the values of connectivity, diversity, and historical preservation. My team and I continuously offer our community a model for future economic growth based on inclusivity and cultural identity through my team’s efforts to embody sustainable community development.

What should our readers know about your business?
CF&G Public Market is a community hub with a café & soda fountain, a local mercantile, and a community event venue. Inspired by our location inside a historic early-1900s grain elevator, our café and soda fountain menu revives local history with items like the “Fizzy Lizzy Palmer,” which celebrates a local black female entrepreneur of 1880. In addition, our local mercantile serves as a creative business incubator in a cozy corner store ambiance by featuring local artisan products.

Hosting everything from book clubs to the farmers market, even our event venue provides a rare opportunity as a town gathering space. Our diverse offerings preserve local history and culture and cater to a wide audience. We serve everyone from retirees seeking a local hangout to young families and students looking for a safe, social environment.

Planted in my childhood experiences on the Colorado Front Range, I deeply value community and interpersonal relationships. My career journey transformed me into an coordinator at a girls orphanage in Mexico to a bilingual elementary teacher back in beloved Colorado. Even as I have changed, two themes remain constant. First, greater community impact is what motivates me, and second, I love my role in creative placemaking. My passions only deepened when I began to envision a business that would extend my impact beyond the classroom, inspiring a ‘Public Market’ as a physical location that fosters Timnath’s growing economic, social, and cultural infrastructure.

Thus, I wrote my mission: To cultivate community through culturally-responsible commerce. My business is realized as a communal hub where neighbors of all backgrounds connect and support one another. Using my leadership skills, I am immensely proud to foster a safe, inclusive space that nurtures cultural respect and mutual support.

Of course, all journeys contain trials and tribulations, and mine is no different. Being a life-long learner also means I have a constant feeling of ‘never arrived.’ This, along with uncontrollable factors such as a pandemic, economic instability, and local governmental decisions, provides a never-ending stream of problems to navigate. Only with the support of my team and the guidance of my advisors can I take each step forward in this contribution to my community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Sharing Northern Colorado with friends and strangers is truly one of my greatest life pleasures. I love a casual, history-laced walking tour of Downtown Timnath and Old Town Fort Collins – featuring my favorite watering holes and community hangout spots.

Often I will start my guests’ day with a morning brunch at my cafe and walk to The Hidden Stem, then hop on the bikes for a ride up the Cache la Poudre river trail into Fort Collins, where the Dairy Queen from my childhood still stands. Along the beauty of the CSU campus we go to a lunch stop at the legacy of Limonata (formerly Painino’s) Italian restaurant.

Next stop is a lazy afternoon patio at Odell Brewery (or OBC Wine Project) followed by a Lucky Joe’s Saloon people-watching perch. The day can’t end without perusing the vintage and artisan shops tucked away from the main drag – and Postcard Pizza with a Equinox brew refills the crew while we plan what evening entertainment fits the mood. Whether it’s a stand-up at The Comedy Fort, a live band at The Coast, or a night cap at High Point, I find my guests never fail to inhale the essence of what makes Northern Colorado unique.

A quick drive back to Timnath’s downtown core closes the day with the most beautiful sunset scene over the Rocky Mountains atop the historic Colorado Feed & Grain building – where art nouveau charm and a cool night’s rest await at Railside Loft. All for me to wake them up with artisan coffee again in the morning!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Leadership is nothing without the support of a team. Each team member, past and present, is the reason my business has been able to succeed. From my first consultant Johanna who guided me through build-out to Amanda, my first barista hired mid-pandemic, to the interns through the Department of Vocational Rehab, the foundations of my business were laid. Then growth came when my team grew with Sean, roommate-turned-employee, and Dixie, customer-turned-employee. Finally, after 5 years, and with the addition of my managers and leads Nasa, Taz, Malcolm, Amelia, Caroline and Paige, I am able to see my vision come to life more than ever before.

I have learned from every single person in ways that never would have been possible in my own silo. They continue to give me immeasurable inspiration, mental fortitude, emotional support, and lessons in leadership. So here’s a shoutout to my team – words cannot express the gratitude I have for helping me build this community hub.

Website: cfgpublicmarket.com

Instagram: @cfgpublicmarket

Facebook: @cfgpublicmarket

Other: https://linktr.ee/cfgpublicmarket