Our Story
Why We Do It:
I’d like begin by introducing you to my great-grandparents Clyde and Pearl Phillips pictured here circa 1924. How do they connect to Traverse PNW Market? Here’s our story.
Clyde and Pearl opened Phillip’s Watkins Products, a mercantile store distributing J.R. Watkins goods in the early 1960’s. I recall imagining their shelves displayed with bottles of potions and old tins filled with powders and spices. From my great-grandfather’s roll top desk (restored many years later by my grandmother Hazel) I could almost see him conducting daily operations, maintaining records, and providing goods to his local community in Rainelle, West Virginia.
Something about those imaginings resonated and led me to begin envisioning my own retail market at a very early age. What products would line my shelves? What would my storefront look like? What customers would I serve in my community?
My questions began finding answers in the fall of 2019. As co-owner of Walking Man Brewing since 2014, I was inspired to unearth the space above the brewery from a graveyard for old restaurant equipment, retired outdoor gear and dry goods hidden behind papered windows, into a lively event space. We began hosting our own brewer’s dinners in addition to pop-up events, private parties, and weddings. It’s a beautiful space with vaulted ceilings, wood beams, reclaimed flooring and divided light windows. It was unearthed but not fully reimagined.
Robyn Legun began her retail journey in 1993 at the Holmes Book Company, a century-old business in the Lake Merritt neighborhood of downtown Oakland, CA. She recalls the magic and charm of the historic building as something out of a children’s book with an incredible staircase and mezzanine, secret rooms and a notoriously haunted basement. There was also a giant, four-story dumbwaiter she and fellow booksellers used to ride.
“I got to experience the profound impact that a retail shop could have on a community. I learned what it felt like to hold things that people had poured their heart and soul into. The honor and care shopkeepers held for their family of makers and the customers' lives they touched was inspiring,” Robyn recounts.
Our histories led to musings and eventually joining forces to co-create the shoppe you’ll now discover. Traverse PNW Market represents our vision for a neighborhood store in Downtown Stevenson that nods to all the ways we traverse our picturesque landscape. From the mountains to the rivers, we strive to honor our heritage, admire our local community and remain open to all we endeavor to become. We hustle and we play; we bluster and we giggle; we adventure and we unwind.
Working with regional artists and craft makers, we’ve curated a market to highlight a sampling of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Showcasing locally crafted beverages, provisions, gifts and novelties, that pay tribute to all the ways we may traverse this magical region. Whether you’re a neighbor or a visitor, we welcome you to find goods and tokens to share and remember your adventures here.
~ Tabatha
September 2022
Traverse PNW Market opened September 2022 in Downtown Stevenson, Washington. Located above Walking Man Brewing, we invite you to enjoy a beverage while you browse our selection of Pacific Northwest goods, gear, gifts and specialty groceries.