This Pierce County shop has a self-serve bar, a view of the water and PNW gifts
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- Havn NW rebranded from One:11 with new ownership and different product lines.
- Store now includes a self-serve bar, women's apparel, and Pacific Northwest-themed gifts.
- Owner Aidenn Mullen plans expansion, including e-commerce and a possible second store.
A cozy, compact boutique in downtown Gig Harbor selling t-shirts, trucker hats and Pacific Northwest-themed merch and gifts now has a spot to grab a drink and take in views of the harbor while you shop.
Havn NW Trade and Company at 3104 Harborview Dr. recently finished a full rebrand after the previous owner, Starr Hall, handed over the keys to her men’s clothing and accessory store One:11 last year.
“It was the sense of a vintage nostalgia that went so well with menswear that really drew me in here,” Aidenn Mullen, who bought the business from Hall in November 2024, said. The fashion designer hails from North Carolina and said she was looking to open a business in the Pacific Northwest when she found Hall’s store online.
The store looks different from One:11, which in addition to selling grooming tools, apparel, snacks and other gifts for men had a speakeasy barbershop in the back. That back space now features a collection of women’s clothing as well as jewelry and antiques. In the front, a narrow wooden table allows visitors to take a seat at a few vintage bar stools and sip a beer from a beverage cooler while looking out the window to the street.
Prices at Havn NW mostly range from $20 to $40, according to Mullen. Some items such as leather bags range up to $100 or more.
Mullen said she wanted to rebrand the boutique to look more like a general store, and evoke a “nostalgic view of Gig Harbor.” She took inspiration from a historic sign she saw around the street corner, featuring a photo of the Pioneer Electric Co. building circa the 1930s. Electrical contractor H. R. Thurston built his electric shop facing Harborview Drive, the sign says. That’s now the building occupied by Havn NW.
“I’m still feeling out my vibe, but I think for now we’re going with like a little vintage — new clothing, not necessarily thrift but more of a vintage kind of feeling,” she said.
She said the name of her store comes from the word for “harbor” in Scandinavian languages. “Havn” means “harbor” in both Norwegian and Danish.
The clothing lines offered by the store are generally what Mullen described as “outdoor casual” or “waterside casual,” and they carry brands like Howler Brothers, Filson, Vissla, Pendelton and Outdoor Research. Most of the store features men’s apparel including surf and golf gear. They also have their own branded tees.
As a men’s clothing designer, Mullen said she sees a need for more stores like hers, including in Gig Harbor.
“They’re really few and far between, and so men end up shopping at big box stores like Target, Costco, Kohl’s, right?” Mullen said. “ ... So it definitely fills a special void.”
She has a background in user experience, or UX, from her master’s degree in Design Management at Savannah College of Art and Design. It informs her approach as an entrepreneur.
“I focus on the needs and wants of the customer and finding white spaces in the market,” she said.
Freeze-dried candy and other snacks, cocktail syrups and bitters and hair and grooming products are also arranged on wooden shelves and display stands, alongside artwork and old-fashioned lamps scattered throughout the store.
The store will host a grand opening event Saturday from 5-7 p.m. to celebrate their rebranding and new ownership, the business posted on Instagram. They’ll have live music, free beer from Evergreen State Brewing Co, raffle prizes and merch giveaways, the post said. Mullen said they also plan to offer cornhole games, face painting and free bracelets for kids, along with snacks.
A separate ribbon cutting will take place Friday from 3:30-4 p.m. and is also open to the public, the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce announced on Facebook.
In the future, Mullen said she hopes to open another store, most likely in Tacoma. She’s also working on the e-commerce side of the business and plans to create more branded products, she told The News Tribune.
Her current Havn NW-branded gear, labeled with Gig Harbor and Puget Sound, are the items she’s most excited about right now, she said.
“I spent all winter working with my designer on the rebrand, and really taking into account all the things that make up Gig Harbor: the boating, the Sound, the bridge, the octopus, all kinds of things,” she said. “... I feel like I have so many ideas to create new merch and keep everything fresh for years to come.”
Havn NW Trade and Company is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday.
