Sometimes businesses open fast. It can be awesome like that; especially when your business partner is your friend. Stephanie Hammel and Linnea Bergstrom met eight years ago at church. They got together to have coffee at the end of April this year. Their conversation evolved into talking about their recent individual businesses they started up and their dreams to someday own a boutique gift shop in Downtown Gig Harbor. They were both so mutually passionate about the concept that they decided to become business partners and opened The Nook Curated Home and Gifts in Gig Harbor. The opening was June 1 to coincide with the opening of Jerisich Dock and the Skansie Brothers Park, which they can see from their shop window. Linnea also has an online store, MADE, and Stephanie operates a side furniture business, Urban Patina. “Until our brick and mortar store can accommodate all we have to offer, we plan to continue our individual businesses,” states Stephanie.
The Nook focuses on acquiring vintage and ethically made items with a more modern aesthetic genre. Beautiful handmade leather bags are a current feature of the store. The Nook offers unique shopping experiences in that an inventory of locally made, handmade and fair-trade items are constantly being added. Stephanie comments that “The Nook specializes in offering a simpler shopping experience where items are carefully curated and displayed”.
The Nook offers a great selection of gifts from accent furniture to tapestry art, jewelry, kitchen and home decor. Stephanie considers herself crafty by nature and likes to bring in local makers. She enjoys talking to people, going to local markets and finding new products by word of mouth. The Nook is currently collaborating with a local illustrator to create unique Gig Harbor merchandise, which will cater to locals who want to represent the Harbor, as well as souvenirs for tourists. According to Stephanie, “We were surprised to find out how far some of our customers had traveled, so we started having customers pin their hometown on one of our United States corkboard maps.”
Stephanie feels the success of The Nook can be attributed to being raised in a conservative Christian household where being creative and thrifty was normal. “If we wanted something, we had to find a way to make it or earn it.” Stephanie has a heart to connect other makers with the shoppers in Gig Harbor. Linnea loves to find items that will not only beautifully accent a home but also serve a purpose. “One goal of The Nook is for consumers to be intentional about their purchases and to feel good about the items they are buying, whether it be fair trade, ethically made or local,” says Linnea. She credits her ambition to the fact that her father was an entrepreneur. Growing up, her father taught her creative solutions to problems and how to be a good steward of the items she owned. Linnea moved to Gig Harbor 14 years ago to take a job as one of the youth interns at Harbor Covenant Church. Stephanie and Linnea both say that their husbands have largely supported and encouraged this venture and their talents for years.
The hope is for The Nook to become a store known for thoughtful gifts, locally made items and beautifully curated modern home décor. The store is located across from Jerisich Dock in the building with El Pueblito Family Mexican Restaurant. Customers can find ample parking on both sides of the building and quick access to shop! If you see signs out for The Nook, the store is open! Store hours are Thursday through Saturday 11am to 5pm. They look forward to meeting you.
The Nook
3226 Harborview Drive, Suite 4
Gig Harbor, Washington 98332