05/04/2022
An important note to our local makers and customers regarding the future of Humboldt Mercantile…
When we first opened Humboldt Mercantile four years ago, we often described the shop as four businesses in one: a coffee shop, gift shop, local goods market, and a frame shop—all with one name and under one roof (more or less). The idea was that we could minimize the risk of trying something new in Humboldt's quiet downtown by testing several concepts at once—and if any of them proved successful, we could spin them out into their own dedicated space where they could grow into their full potential.
Well, we’re excited to say that that process is now underway. A couple of years ago we decided to give the coffee shop its own name: Octagon City Coffee Co. Earlier this year, we invested in a bunch of new furniture, moved most of the retail items out, and doubled down on making room for the cozy coffee shop experience we’ve always wanted to provide. Right away we saw people enjoying our space in completely new ways, and we’re loving it. We're excited for Octagon City to continue to grow into its own, and to find new ways to delight our customers.
At the same time, we’re beginning to transition the rest of our space (historically, The Frame Shop) into a brand new gift shop concept (to be announced very soon!) that focuses solely on our favorite gifty items and local swag; things like stickers, shirts, stationary, silly soaps, games, puzzles, books and more… a little something for everyone, with gifts for almost every occasion, and the most fun browsing experience for new visitors to town. Stay tuned for an announcement about this new store in the next few days!
Unfortunately, all of these moving parts leaves us without a space for showcasing all of our amazing local makers' and craftspersons’ goods. This was one of the most unique parts of our original concept, and we certainly wish we had a new home for "Humboldt Mercantile" all ready to go, but we just don't. Not yet. The good news is that we’re actively working on a brand new space for the Mercantile to grow into, with room for more makers and entrepreneurs of all types and sizes, additional support services for those vendors, and a space purpose-built for that unique experience. The bad news is that it's going to take some time, and probably more than we could even guess right now. With any luck, we'll have something to share in 2023, but it's hard to say.
In the meantime, this account is likely to go pretty quiet. We'll post again in the coming days about the new gift shop, but after that, we'll go on hiatus until there's something interesting to share about the Mercantile's new home.
