A real family affair

The Hedmans have been busy lately.

Really, they're busy all the time.

Marla is occupied with running the family's two stores in Silver Lake Mall. She and her daughter, Ellisa, make the business' baked goods from scratch, her son, Larch, whips up jams and barbecue sauce from their secret recipes, and her youngest, Clancy, helps sell their tasty products.

Even her husband, Al, pieces together gift boxes.

"It's a way of life for us. That's all we do," Marla said. "Most of us work seven days a week."

It's worth it to provide a quality product, she said. The Hedmans offer homemade, organic desserts, jams, and sundry other goodies, often featuring the region's popular purple berry.

The family sells gift products at Elle's Northwest, and also runs a cafe, Huckleberry Thicket, serving up espresso, desserts, soup and sandwiches.

Products have low or no sugar content, are never made from mixes, and boast a long list of natural ingredients, Marla said.

Even the bread for sandwiches is, you guessed it, made from scratch.

"We're all-natural and organic," Marla said. "We have a goal to serve foods that are good for you."

But since the Montana natives opened the shops in Coeur d'Alene this July, word hasn't spread as fast as the family would prefer.

"It's not as busy as we'd want it to be," Marla said.

So to help promote the store and the family's vision, the Hedmans are throwing a grand opening this weekend that will allow folks to sample enough products to add huckleberry as a new food group.

On Saturday and Sunday, visitors can indulge in free treats like little smokies, ice cream, pie, brownies, pumpkin rolls and cookies. Folks can sign up for prizes, and can choose from 15 kinds of jams to dress up free pancakes. There will be free espresso or fresh brewed coffee.

"We would do an open house where we come from every year, and had a lot of fun," Marla said, adding that the business relocated when sales slowed down in Montana. "It will be that way."

Fun has been the priority since the family business, Larchwood Farms, began in 1986, she said.

She started the company with the intention of running it at home in Trout Creek, Mont., she said, to spend time with her children.

"They started helping me when they were just little kids, when they could barely pack a jar," she said.

At fairs and shows, she let the kids take money, but only when they turned 8.

"They couldn't wait to be 8, just to take the money," she said with a laugh. "When they figured out how to do it, they wanted to move on to something else."

Operating a family business is ideal, she added.

Her children are her best friends, she said.

"We all get along really well, and it's nice to be able to see them every day," she said.

She recommended folks stop by to order pies, rolls and buns for the holidays.

Their products are good options for any day, she added. That's why she isn't worried about owning a business in a challenging economy.

"I think people are going back to the simple pleasures," she said. "They can't afford a big trip, but they can still afford jam."