Meet Matt & Kristen Gray | The Gray Family

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt & Kristen Gray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt & Kristen, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We love all things family, community, design …old buildings so we tried hard to think of a way we could tie all of those things into one!

At The Chouse, a 1903 church converted to our home as well as a venue we get to enjoy all of those items in one place.

As our home it is a place we get to live together, make memories & relax…a place we truly love!
As a venue it’s a place where we get to work together and help others make incredible memories for themselves during their event!

In any building we build or design for a client we do it together and all while building not only a building or home but a forever relationship with the family or business.

At The Exchange formly known as The Farmers Exchange it was once a place where community would gather and buy feed, sell their grain, grab a cold glassed bottle soda all while seeing and conversing with their neighbors…it was our dream to bring that back in some form as a family so now The Exchange houses Local Coffee & Cream a coffee house and ice cream shop, The Bus Bar featuring deli sandwiches and amazing tacos, axe throwing, sand volleyball, free yard games and a yard where families and kids can gather and play, a community garden available for anyone to pick and enjoy the produce, axe throwing, airbnbs & more. It is our families hope that community, friends & even those passing through will be able to stop and enjoy for years to come.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Just a normal family trying to live life doing school, work & play together and love on people while we do it🖤

I don’t know that anything is ever easy but each journey helps shape who we are! We are thankful for the struggles that make us stop and look at ourselves, our priorities, our why & reassess.

We are thankful for the small things that may come easy every so often.

We are thankful to be able to have the opportunity to do what we do together as a family and with others as a community.

We have learned so much, we’ve made some bad decisions, we’ve made some good but we are thankful for all of them…well we are thankful for most of them! Ha!

Our brand!
Family
Community
The love of all things old, metal, wood & black

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First I’d set them up in a night or two in each of the airbnbs.

First 2 nights in the Pink Silo at The Exchange. We’d have them settle in for the night with everything they needed for a long soak in the soaking tub and then binge watching Netflix in the most comfortable bed.

The next morning have them enjoy a the best matcha from Local Coffee & Cream as well as a warm homemade breakfast muffin.

A quick ride down to the river and we’d let them adventure the Stillwater River in the kayaks after a few hours we’d picked them up and bring them back to shower and clean up in the most amazing handmade copper shower and then have them enjoy Haren’s Meat Market gourmet deli sandwiches from The Bus Bar.

We’d spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the yard…sand volleyball, ping pong, foosball….strolls in the garden enjoying fresh veggies as a snack.

Finishing the night up with an ice cream cone or milkshake flight from Local Coffee & Cream.

The next night would be spent the in the most comfortable fully customized RV. Relax the night away enjoying the hammocks, s’mores around the fire & a bed you would believe!

Next day would be filled with all things country….axe throwing, country line dancing & unbelievably amazing tacos from Vida Tacos on The Bus Bar!

All this without leaving The Exchange

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We are so thankful for those who share in the love of community with us🖤

Website: https://graycoexperience.com

Instagram: _gray_co_

Linkedin: Kristen Gray

Facebook: theexchange_pleasanthilloh

Image Credits
@krystallgrace
@casskeslerphoto
@jesscpphotography
@maiyalynn.photography
@hazelandhoneyphoto