By Melissa Wagoner
When asked where they are from, Josh and Elisha Nightingale look at each other and laugh. The couple has lived in many different places over the years but they agree that Silverton is finally home. Owners of Silver Creek Coffee House in downtown Silverton, Josh recently left his full-time career as a manager for Safeway to open another venture, Live Local Marketplace, in the empty retail space right next door to the coffee house. The Nightingales had recently joined the Silverton Food Co-op and that got them to thinking.
“How can we bring everything together and at the same time get something here locally,” Josh said.
What emerged was the idea of a launchpad for the co-op, which has been working toward a brick and mortar location, but also a low cost way for artisans in the area to market their goods.
“The Live Local Marketplace will offer locally made products from a variety of vendors, including wine and beer, handmade furniture and clothing, and a variety of other hand-crafted products from Silverton, Mount Angel, and Scotts Mills,” co-op representative Hilary Dumitrescu said.
“If every owner commits to spending just $20 a month at the co-op, we will pay our rent and have money left over to invest in growing the co-op.”
Although the co-op is currently the main partnership in the Live Local Marketplace and will be renting half of the space, with Josh as manager, both Josh and the co-op agree this is just a stepping stone.
Opening Friday, Feb. 3, 6 – 9 p.m.
107 N. Water St., Silverton
Featuring food from Chef Paul Lieggi of the
Mount Angel Abbey and Bon Apetite, fresh bread
from Silver Falls Bread Co., and wine tasting
from Abiqua Wind Vineyard.
[email protected]
“Our hope is that having that daily downtown exposure will help to grow our ownership base, and grow us right out of Live Local and into our own store, very soon,” Dumitrescu said.
This forward momentum is what Josh hopes for all of his vendors and future partners.
“My overall mission is really to start a whole bunch of businesses in Silverton, one of them is the co-op. My dream is to have four or five other business owners in downtown that started here.”
The Live Local Marketplace is currently hosting 15 vendors but plans to continually receive new ideas.
“Anything that you would be proud to make and sell,” Josh said.
Vendors will be selling on commission, but the store will not be set up in stalls as is common with other commission-based sales models. Instead it will cross merchandize.
“We want things to kind of fit the building and fit with the flow of the store,” Josh said.
Although the products sold at Live Local Marketplace may be a higher price point than at other stores, most of the money will go straight to the producers, cutting out the middle man. Displays will feature creator biographies, letting buyers know a little bit about where the products originate.
“You’ll know exactly where your food comes from – any product – comes from,” Josh said.
“It’s a friendly, personal, local shopping experience,” Elisha added.
