The Table Farmhouse Bakery

Dustie Gregson + Team

📍139 S. Church St, Asheboro, North Carolina

Among the handful of attractions that bring people to Asheboro, The Table Farmhouse Bakery might be the most unexpected jewel found in this little city. The twinkling patio lights lead to the front door where the smell of espresso and chocolate drift out all day long. With an excellent seasonal menu and a staff who make every effort to know your name, there’s no denying the bakery has a magnetic attraction, drawing in loyal fans locally and across counties for the last seven years. And if you were to think of businesses in Asheboro who are undeniably FOR the city, it’s likely The Table would be near the top.

The real question is, how did a place like this end up here? Owner and head home-maker, Dustie Gregson can answer that question.

“You know how the Lord does something and you don’t even know where He’s going with it? He put a desire on my heart to do something but I wasn’t sure what it was yet," Dustie says. "I knew this town needed some life, so I wondered what it would look like for us to open a coffee shop. I knew nothing about coffee and I’d never worked at a restaurant, but I knew hospitality because of what our house looked like my entire life. There were always seats open at the table. My parents had such a heart for people and it was common for us to have strangers at the table with us for dinner."

Dustie learned the building was for sale and that it was being purchased by another developer. She asked to look inside anyway, just for curiosity. While waiting in her car for her contractor to meet her, she says, “I opened up my Bible to Isaiah and this scripture popped out at me and it said, ‘the Lord longs to be gracious to you, but wait upon the Lord.’ The word 'wait' was so significant to me, I circled it and put a date next to it.”

Dustie knew she couldn’t afford the current asking price, but continued to wait. Eventually the developer backed out and Dustie woke up the next morning knowing the Lord was asking her to put an offer on the building at a specific price.

A month later, Dustie says, “the Lord gave me a Scripture in Luke 24 when the two disciples were on the road to Emmaus and they didn’t know they were walking with Jesus. When they’d arrived, they broke bread together at the table and gave thanks and their eyes were opened to Jesus. And in that moment, I knew it was supposed to be The Table.”

Months passed and the building was going into foreclosure. Dustie got the call, bid on the building at the courthouse, and once everything was signed, the Gregson’s paid the exact number she’d offered months prior.

Dustie was patient in pursuing this unknown dream and was rewarded with a restoration project that would take so much more than elbow grease to complete.

She said, “I felt like this project was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done and I had to ask the Lord to work supernaturally to equip me for this. I’d never done anything like this and I was scared to death.”

Now, seven years later, Dustie is undeniably the heart of The Table, not only in her incredible attention to detail and ability to turn a bakery into a magazine-worthy setting, but in her willingness to serve as a member of her own staff. Dustie is never at a distance; she is often seen taking orders, clearing tables, and welcoming the regulars to their seats.

Dustie says, “I want The Table to be known for being a place where people felt seen and known; that people would feel cared for and loved while they were here. My hope is that they leave here and, maybe not even knowing it, felt Jesus.”

Since its opening, The Table has been bringing people together, not only as a fan favorite for brunch but also as the setting for community events like their occasional screening nights on the terrace, fairs for local non-profits, events with the soup kitchen, and their annual Makers Collective to showcase local artisans, vendors, and nearby businesses.

Giving back to the community has always been a part of their core values, but when COVID hit Asheboro, Dustie had to rely on the community to keep their doors open.

She says, “We really want to excel in our generosity and I say that having experienced generosity from this community since March. Because of our city, we were able to keep our doors open. In our time of need, they gave and supported us in such an incredible way and now we’re anxious to be giving back in the coming years.”

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