Homegrown businesses cultivating the culture of community By Jillian Chandler
Shopping. It’s a favorite pastime for many—especially when you stumble upon that hidden shop or specialty product you never knew existed! And there’s always a reason, if not occasion, to gift yourself or someone special a thoughtful “just because.”
Though online ordering through big-box companies has made life much easier for everything from clothes shopping to beauty and household items, holiday gifting, food and so much more, it is vital to our locally owned and operated businesses that we show our support by showing up and doing a little shopping. Plus, visiting with the owners and browsing items in person, being able to hold them in our hands, makes the experience that much better.
Across the Inland Northwest, in addition to the many wonderful locally owned businesses, there are businesses that also create many—if not all—of the items they sell (may it be in-store, online or both).
Though this is just a glimpse of all there is to discover, take a peek at some of these Inland Northwest businesses that are providing unique and distinct items, and to top it off, they’re local.
Blue Lizard Native Gallery
Go beyond tradition with Native American goods. At Blue Lizard Native American Gallery in Sandpoint, this art gallery and jewelry store features handcrafted jewelry from the Southwest Navajo, Zuni and Hopi tribes, along with art, artifacts, décor and gifts—all which are hand selected. BlueLizardNativeGallery.com
Coeur d'Alene Clothing Company Coeur d'Alene Clothing Company is more than a souvenir shop. They are passionate about the city of Coeur d'Alene and state of Idaho—and the connection to home. You will see this in all of their original merchandise. They've recently expanded with a new store, The Annex, featuring children’s clothing and their unique line of adventure clothing. CdAIdaho.com
Colladay Leather With a mission to build beautiful leather goods, preserve the artisan tradition and inspire creativity, Colladay Leather infuses Pacific Northwest style with the traditions and techniques of Western leather arts. They use only leather tanned in the US to carefully craft each piece by hand, such as their wallets, belts, guitar straps, jewelry and more. ColladayLeather.com
GSI Outdoors
Feeding your love of the outdoors since 1985, GSI has a passion for great food in the great outdoors. This family owned business is committed to creating thoughtful and innovative gear, which has evolved from blue enamel tableware to now include technical, innovative and fun outdoor cookware and gear for eating and drinking while enjoying the great outdoors. Their products are made to last generations. GSIOutdoors.com
Inter-Tribal Beauty Focusing on progressive and corrective skin care for those wanting better skin (don't we all?), Octavia Lewis founded Inter-Tribal Beauty, indigenous owned and based in Spokane. She has created a line of products to choose from to meet those needs, from daily cleanser, serums and night creams to scrubs, clay masks and body wash. Inter-Tribal Beauty: where everyone is welcome, and no one will be judged. InterTribalBeauty.co
Migliore Olive Oil Migliore in Italian means "the best," and that's what you'll get with Migliore Olive Oil’s wide selection of olive oil (ultra-premium extra virgin and infused extra virgin) and specialty oils, and their other fine delicacies such as balsamic vinegar, seasonings, rubs and jams. MiglioreOliveOilCdA.com
Mountain Madness Soap Co. The thoughtful bath and body fanatic wants exceptional, handmade products from a small company that shares their values. Mountain Madness Soap Co. is dedicated to infusing their products with a “Culture of Kindness” toward humans and nature. They make all products with love at their facility in Coeur d’Alene including soap of every possible variety, shampoo bars, bath bombs, body butter, lip balms, sugar scrubs and much more. MountainMadnessSoap.com
Purcell Mountain Farms Purcell Mountain Farms is family operated and works together with several farms to give customers a greater variety of products you may not otherwise find at your local store. Grains, flour, beans, pasta, spices, nuts, fruits and honey … Purcell Mountain Farms offers a variety of products produced close to home. And most are organic! PurcellMountainFarms.com Wooby Hoody Inspired by founder TJ White's time in the Army, and his always dependable “Wooby,” Wooby Hoody is a company that provides warm, light-weighted hoodies and sleeping bags for people who love adventure and the outdoors. In addition to their jackets and sleeping bags, you can find T-shirts, PVC and embroidered patches, and accessories. WoobyHoody.com
zak! designs Backed by the motivation to “create everyday smiles,” zak! designs is always bringing something new to the table. A leader in trend, style and innovation for more than 45 years, at zak!, they continually strive to bring innovative new products to their customers, from drinkware to dinnerware, to special items for the kids, with the goal of making mealtime fun. zak.com
