While not the first mercantile to open its doors on this block (the first in Waterville opened in 1887), Waterville Mercantile may have been the longest lived, as the building continued to house a mercantile well into the "20th century" (that last may be a typo, being intended to read "21st century").
Today no longer a mercantile store, the larger western bay is occupied by the Douglas County Historical Society Thrift Shop. It is the Historical Society which maintains and operates the Douglas County Museum, two short blocks south. The east bay's window indicates that it houses "
Antiques Collectibles Crafts". We suspect that this, also, may be operated by the Historical Society, as their consignment shop. Overall, the store will take almost any type of saleable merchandise in reasonable good condition. As well, the store takes consignments of furniture, clothing, jewelry, decorations, etc.
While the thrift shop seems not to have a web presence, we have been able to learn a little about the store from local newspaper articles. One example is that the store has been open for 30 or 40 years, according to a volunteer in the store, and that it first opened in another location, in the Malloy Building on Chelan Avenue, which is the current location of
The Checkered Tablecloth. Following are excerpts from a current article, from the Empire Press, a weekly newspaper based in Wenatchee, WA.
Thrift Store ready for a new year
Karen Larsen | Jan 24, 2019
Though the Douglas County Historical Society Thrift Store is closed most of each January, it is still a very busy place this time of year.
Each January the store is given a thorough cleaning. Items that have been on the shelves for a long time are removed and donated to other nonprofits that can use them. New items are brought out. Everything is made ready for the new season, which begins in February
In 2018, Thrift Store manager Sharon Casteel stepped down. At their Jan. 15 meeting, the historical society board named two new co-managers: Linda Daling and Judy Dalton. Both Daling and Dalton have been volunteers at the Thrift Store for a number of years.
The store has been a great support for the historical society, which operates the Douglas County Museum. In 2018, the store brought in over $30,000. Of this, $18,000 was profit that was able to be given to the historical society to support its operating budget.
Pat Ludeman can’t remember exactly how long she has been volunteering, but she guessed about 30 or 40 years. When she started, the store was still located at the Malloy Building on Chelan Avenue, which is the current location of The Checkered Tablecloth.
The Thrift Store is scheduled to open on Feb. 4 and will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The store will soon have a Facebook page with weekly specials posted.
The store welcomes donations during business hours. They also have a consignment shop and welcome all kinds of items to sell on consignment, including furniture, clothing, jewelry and decorations.
From the Empire Press