December of 2022, we finished the storefront and The Mercantile had their grand opening. It was a great opening and holiday season!
In April 2023 the manager's suite above the store was completed, and we moved in.
May 3, 2023 we accepted an award for historic preservation from the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation for work accomplished to date.
May through September 2023, the Harrington Town Square took up a lot of weekends from laying pavers to recruiting people to help. Thankfully our project manager (Cody) was there to move things forward and keep the organization going. We got most of the work completed by 2025, but there is more paver laying to be done.
September 2023 we started work on a retaining wall on the southwest corner of the hotel. We completed it before the snow arrived in December.
In June of 2024 we had our first CD release party. Hawk Creek Band played to a full house, releasing their “The Edge of Happiness” CD.
August 2024, the dining room wall plaster job was completed and restored the walls nicely.
September 2024, we hosted our first comedy show starring Philip Kopczynski. Phil was great and the show sold out!
October 2024, we started work on our back parking lot and completed it in December.
At the end of December 2024 we started reinforcing the joists under the kitchen area. This was in preparation for repairing the door above for the eventual commercial kitchen. The tongue and groove flooring had to be removed, repairs done, then plywood installed. The floor was completed in March 2025.
The Brudi Brothers and the Fat Viper arrived from Seattle on March 29th, 2025. They performed before a full house of enthusiastic listeners. There was dancing, and a good time was had by all.
May 2025, we installed a sprinkler system on the south lawn. The grass did well this summer and now is well established.
July and August were spent using reclaimed lumber to make 21 cafe tables for the Hotel. The lumber was reclaimed from the ceiling above the dining room, so it is fitting that it is back in the dining room!
Summer 2025 - In and between work and projects, we attended a few weddings, a new baby was born into the family, and the process of cleaning out the basement and main floor of the hotel has begun. We also had a couple of cool celebrities in the house, Lulie Newcomb-Herigstad and Alf Herigstad. Lulie was in the movie "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" and both of them were in "Alt for Norge", a Norwegian reality show (season 2 and 3 if you are interested). Oh, and their Frenchie, JeanLuc!
September 13th, 2025 we hosted another house event. Gabe Rutledge and Jody Carroll, comedians, performed and kept everyone laughing for hours! Two full shows worth of fun! I think our cat Josie is looking for a new job in the entertainment world.
