QUILCENE — First open only for gasoline sales, then only on weekends, the Quilcene Village Store now is offering thousands of items — including local food — seven days a week.
“People come in all the time and tell us how glad they are we are open,” said Tom Brotherton, store manager.
“We are getting a lot of positive comments, and people are glad they don’t have to go to Sequim to get what they need.”
The newly renovated store at 294235 U.S. Highway 101 in Quilcene is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Its grand opening will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Area food vendors‚ including Mama’s Harvest, Mt. Townsend Creamery and Chocolate Serenade — will be on hand to introduce their products.
The store is a community effort.
It is owned by QVS, which was created to support the Village Store, with investors kicking in for startup and initial operational expenses.
Much of the store’s renovation over a three-month period was accomplished by volunteer labor, provided by stockholders and community members alike.
The idea for the store came out of discussions during initial meetings of Quilcene Conversations, a community group dedicated to local improvements.
The main store area is about 4,000 square feet and has “several thousand” items, Brotherton said.
He said the store doesn’t seek to compete with any existing business but strives to offer items that are not available anywhere else in town.
Prices also are competitive, with customers telling Brotherton that the store is not any more expensive than others.
On Thursday, gas prices were $4.15 for regular and $4.55 for premium and diesel.
The gas is ethanol-free, which has fewer impurities than standard gas and runs more effectively in older engines, according Greg Brotherton, Tom’s son, who serves as clerk in the store.
The inventory is not standard convenience store fare.
It includes gluten-free foods, organic goods and dairy-free cheese.
The store’s mission is to provide organic meats, dairy and vegetables, as well as a full range of convenience and essential food items.
It also provides a way for people to buy food grown by their neighbors.
“We want to carry some of the locally produced food,” Brotherton said.
“A lot of things are grown or produced here, but people need to go out of town to buy them.”
The store sells food that is prepared off-site, and the hope is that it can open a kitchen as soon as the septic system is upgraded.
The surveys need to be completed to determine an exact price for this improvement, but Brotherton estimates the upgrade could cost between $30,000 and $50,000.
“It’s not cheap,” he said.
“We don’t want to take out a loan to get this done,” he said.
“We’d rather use any profits to support the operations of the store .
“We don’t know when we’ll be able to upgrade the septic but hope it will be sometime in the summer.”
Over the next few weeks, the store hopes to install a credit card reader that will make gas available 24/7 and will start honoring food stamps, according to Greg Brotherton.
For more information, phone 360-765-0090.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
