PORT TOWNSEND — The Quimper Mercantile Co. is seeking two consultants to pave the way to opening a new general store in Port Townsend by June.
“We are proceeding as quickly as we can so things can fall into place,” said company board Chairman Peter Quinn.
The publicly owned Quimper Mercantile Co., or QMC, was formed in response to the closure of Swain’s Outdoor at 1121 Water St. in Port Townsend, which shut its doors in February.
QMC aims to provide a place to purchase clothes, sporting goods and other items that were offered by Swain’s, which had operated at that location since 1996.
It was a separate retailer from Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles, which remains open.
The two consultants are for a concept design and store design, the first to select store inventory and the second to test-fit the projected products into a selected space as well as design the facilities.
Contract projections are up to $2,500 for the concept designer and up to $86,000 for the store designer, according to requests for proposals at www.quimpermerc.com/jobs.htm.
Quinn said the two consultants would work closely together, and he does not expect that one firm will bid for both jobs.
The initial pay for the consultants, along with other startup costs, will come from $50,000 in seed money raised to get the process started.
The request to submit proposals for the two positions was published about three weeks ago, and responses are just starting to come in, Quinn said.
Proposals are due by Sept. 15, at which time the board will vet the applications and choose the best candidate, Quinn said.
Not included in the request specifications is the selection of a site for the store, which Quinn said will “run in parallel” with the consultants’ functions.
The former home of Swain’s Outdoor — the approximately 2,200-square-foot space has been vacant since the store closed — is still under consideration, as are several other locations that Quinn has declined to name.
The concept designer will “test-fit” the product mix into a hypothetical space, listing rooms with projected square footage allotments, and develop a rendering to suggest the general character of the remodeled store.
Lighting and furniture will be part of this proposal, with the work taking place in October and November.
The product designer is expected to create a product development plan that includes stocking the store, determining sources for all these products and creating a relationship between QMC and suppliers.
The product designer’s job will take place between Nov. 30 and Feb. 29.
Applicants for both jobs are asked to describe how they will accomplish the tasks as part of the application.
QMC’s product selection has yet to be determined, and representatives have said they could use all or part of Swain’s former location should they choose to lease the space.
In addition to Quinn, board of directors members are Gigi Callaizakas, Shannon Davis, Frank DePalma, James Frazier, Marty Gay, Ian Keith, Steve Moore, Shelby Smith, Deborah Stinson and Tim Whyte. Port Townsend/Jefferson County Leader Editor and Publisher Scott Wilson is on the advisory board.
Questions about the proposal process can be sent to jobs@quimpermerc.com, which is also a channel for submitting the proposals.
Proposals also can be delivered to 2410 Washington St., Port Townsend, WA 98368.
For more information, visit www.quimpermerc.com.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
