Snacks! Ballard Bodega made its grand opening this morning in a time when many local businesses are shuttering.

With shelves packed, soft serve ice cream ready to eat and the "to go" hot dog window open for the lunch rush, owner Dante Rivera is as ready as he can be.

“It’ll be a huge learning curve, I’m guessing for the first month,” Rivera said. “The idea is to keep people somewhat happy with free soft serve ice cream the first week.”

Rivera has been selling his Dante’s hot dogs as a street vendor for several years in Ballard and has now found a location at 5219 Ballard Ave. N.W., Ballardites can find it at the end of the parking lot between Bop Street Records and King’s Hardware.

Snacks! will be offering everyday needs and staples in addition to bringing in Ballard market vendors and offering retail space to sell their items, Rivera said.

“Because of the refrigeration, it’s not so much produce, but we’ll have some fruits that aren’t quite as perishable (...) we’ll also have some of the finer pastas, Molly Moon’s Ice Cream and fresh flowers,” he said.

Rivera said people are excited for his coney dogs, which he ships from Detroit and bacon wrapped hotdogs.

Rivera said that the bodega will also be giving back to the Ballard community. A percentage of their sale will go to the Ballard Food Bank and Ballard Boys and Girls Club.

“This place will be constantly changing and we also have a wish list," he said. "If you see something here that you want us to continue or add let us know."

Snacks! Ballard Bodega will be open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information call 453-3806 or email snacksballard@gmail.com.