The Portlances Realize Their Community-Driven Dream

ALEXANDRIA, VA-When Jay and Edea Portlance cut the ribbon to officially open the Del Ray Farmhouse Market + Garden on May 10, it wasn’t just a celebration of a new business. It was a moment that captured a neighborhood rallying behind a vision and the emotional release of a couple who have put everything on the line to bring that vision to life.

What began a year ago as a side idea to sell a few plants at the local hardware store has now blossomed into a full-fledged garden center and community marketplace. But the journey from inspiration to inauguration was far from easy.

Jay Portlance and his wife Edea saved Del Ray Hardware from closure last year by buying the store on short notice to preserve its legacy. But that was just the beginning.

“I knew this community vision would grow from there,” Jay said in a quiet moment after the ribbon-cutting. “But it’s not been easy to realize it.”

The Portlances took possession of the Farmhouse Market and Garden, formerly Bellies & Babies, on Feb. 1, with the garden center opening on March 22. In just a few months, they transformed it into a welcoming space overflowing with color, abundance, and character. But the physical transformation of the venue was only part of the story.

Jay faced mounting legal and logistical hurdles as he tried to rezone and repurpose the location. “At one point, we were told we couldn’t operate a garden center so close to residential zoning,” he explained. “We had already invested everything financially and emotionally.”

Yet through each setback, the community rallied, and so did city leaders. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mayor Alyia Gaskins addressed the crowd with heartfelt words.

“It is so exciting to be here, we are bursting into the streets,” she said. “It is remarkable to see how many people have come here today.”

Sharing a story from her childhood, Gaskins recalled, “My mother would always say, ‘April showers bring May flowers.’ As I got older, I began to understand a whole other meaning behind it. Sometimes you have to go through hardships to experience joy at the end of it. Sometimes you go through some really hard stuff in order to fully blossom on the other side.”

She acknowledged the road for Jay and Edea had been anything but smooth. “There have been many twists and turns, frustrations and setbacks, and unfortunately, a lot of those were caused by the city. Because we had never seen a vision like this,” Gaskins said. “Sometimes, when someone introduces a new idea, it takes time for others to understand the change they want to bring. But Jay and Edea never gave up. They never stopped explaining that the Del Ray Farmhouse is more than just a market and garden, it’s a continuation of the vision that saved the hardware store. It’s a space where community can be built. And today, that’s what we are celebrating: their perseverance, and their vision for our community. We’re all behind you.”

The outpouring of support from across Alexandria and Del Ray was evident. Among the crowd, resident Dana Robert Colarulli captured the spirit of the day:

“This isn’t just a store and a garden center. It’s not all about meeting immediate needs, it’s about building something beyond that. Throughout the ages, people have gathered around the proverbial bonfire, and now we must find ways to emulate those communal gatherings. Jay has achieved just that. It is all too clear to see here today with how many people have turned up to share this moment.”

The garden center is just one part of a larger vision. The Portlances are currently constructing a mercantile market and a farmers-market-style grocery store, both of which will showcase small and local vendors. Edea, a passionate curator of sustainable goods, is spearheading that effort.

“Our goal is to create a hub where local products thrive and shoppers feel good about where their money is going,” she said.

Even now, as the Portlances build toward their October goal of opening the full grocery concept, the guiding principles remain simple: serve the neighborhood, support local economies, and do it all with heart.

For Jay, that means stocking products he would want for his own home, practical, useful, and responsibly sourced. For Edea, it’s about curating beauty, sustainability, and purpose. Together, they’ve tapped into not only the tangible needs of Del Ray residents but something deeper and harder to define, a sense of shared investment and belonging.

At the heart of this endeavor is not profit, but purpose. And as the garden center takes root, it’s clear the Portlances’ vision is one that the community has already embraced as its own.

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