New boutique in ‘quirky’ space another reason to stop in this small Pierce County town

Passing through Wilkeson on state Route 165 without pulling over would most assuredly be a mistake.

Home to about 500 people, this former coal-mining town en route to Mount Rainier National Park has found new life as an unexpected destination for Neapolitan-style pizza, house-roasted coffee with a side of empanadas, the family friendly, Simple Goodness Sisters Soda Shop and cocktail bar, and a bacon-and-eggs skate park.

On May 7, a clothing store, gift shop and makers’ marketplace called HSC Boutique will join this special strip.

Rebecca Naval has revamped the former saloon at 521 Church St., built in 1900.

“I love the small-town vibe, first of all, but something about my business — I never, ever saw my business going into a mall or a strip mall or anything like that,” she said this week. “I’ve always felt like a unique building fit my unique business.”

She retained the old bar as the checkout counter. Along the way, she lamented, someone covered up portions of a mountain mural on the wall with shelving, but in an effort to keep that history intact, both will stay.

“It’s quirky — it’s a saloon! But that’s me,” she said. “It’s so different and unique, and I don’t know of anyone else who has turned a saloon into a boutique.”

With a freshly painted facade and interior, the store is an extension of her original online-based custom clothing business, Happy Sew Co.

Naval launched HSC in 2017 at her dining room table in Orting, about 15 minutes west of Wilkeson. As a new mom, she recalled, “I’m gonna teach myself a hobby to do something fun,” and so she learned to sew on her mother’s 70s-era Kenmore sewing machine. “It kind of snowballed into this big thing where I would do pop-ups, holiday and summer events.”

Her signature items include toddler pants in vivacious prints, with waistbands and ankle elastic that can be cuffed to accommodate growing legs. She later added women’s clothing, testing patterns and designs on herself before rolling them out on her Etsy page. In an effort to accommodate more price points, she began curating items sourced from other U.S.-based companies and moved everything to her own website.

“I specifically source small-batch, unique items,” she said. “You can’t find this stuff on Amazon.”

At HSC Boutique, she will continue that mission, focusing on brands from the Pacific Northwest. Since expanding to the marketplace concept in 2019, most of her partners are women-owned businesses, she said.

In the back half of the store, Naval has room for makers to showcase their wares — jewelry, candles, vintage signs, photo prints — or host classes. She already has a candle-making class scheduled, and vendors are lined up for opening weekend May 7-8 and May 14-15. Memorial Day Weekend, she is planning a plant pop-up.

“I know what it’s like to start as a small business,” she said. “I know how hard it can be to get into some of these vendor events.”

Shop, eat, drink in Wilkeson

The timing coincides with the anticipated season debut of Simple Goodness Sisters Soda Shop down the street.

Belinda Kelly and Venise Cunningham opened their Wilkeson business in 2020, serving ice cream floats, sodas and cocktails featuring their line of drink syrups, which are made with ingredients grown on Cunningham’s farm just a few miles north in Buckley.

Having another retailer join the small but strong community “really shows how people are discovering Wilkeson,” Kelly told The News Tribune in an email. “Having nearly every commercial space in town occupied is bringing a new energy to town after years of boarded-up businesses. It is just so nice to see.”

Naval learned the saloon, owned by fellow neighbor Pick & Shovel, was available for lease through the sisters, who had welcomed her to the soda shop for a holiday pop-up market last year.

The landlord received several queries, according to Naval, but she figured he didn’t want to open another bar or restaurant. In between their storefronts, Wilkeson Grocery has closed.

“It’s a unique space, but it’s a safe space. We welcome everyone,” she said. “I’m just so excited to bring something new to Wilkeson.”

Once she moves all of the inventory out of her home studio space and into the store, she will also get back to sewing her line of clothes and accessories.

Happy Sew Co. Boutique

▪ 521 Church St., Wilkeson, happysewco.com

▪ Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (expanded hours later in the season)

▪ Details: boutique and gift shop in the Old Wilkeson Saloon, grand opening May 7-8

This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.