An Artful Life
May 7, 2010 by Heather Caro
By Heather Caro
Photos by Chad Bremerman
It all began with a thorn — a goathead, to be exact.
Seattle book publisher Ed Marquand first rolled into the city of Tieton in 2005, while on a springtime bike trip through the Yakima area. Riding across a warehouse parking lot, his wheels were soon flattened by goathead barbs. A “for sale” sign on the vacant building that once served as a fruit-packing warehouse caught Marquand’s eye, and he slipped through an open door to peek inside.
Marquand recalls thinking, “Oh my god, this is such an amazing building! You could never afford space like this in Seattle.”
And with that, the spell was cast.
With a little research, Marquand found tiny Tieton’s (pop. 1,200) story was that of so many rural towns across the country. With sinking agriculture prices and a failing economy, Tieton had become unsustainable. And mom-and-pop businesses were unable to compete with nearby Yakima’s freeway-based commerce. Tieton was a shadow of its former self.
Like a modern-day pied piper, the well-connected Marquand set to work gathering investors and artists who had been priced out of space in Seattle and shared what he described as an emotional attachment and commitment to the town.
Together they invested heavily in Tieton properties — including the purchase of two warehouses, a church and several storefronts — none of which contained viable businesses. Remarkably, and with the aid of an almost exclusively local workforce, Marquand’s dream of building a “community of artisan businesses” soon began to materialize.
Today, one warehouse has been converted into 14 urbanesque lofts, while another accommodates two print shops, various galleries, workshops and artist studios (including sound artist and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Trimpin). The church has been transformed into Harvest Hall — a community event center that can be rented for weddings and other special occasions. Tieton Books and Paper Goods and Marquand Editions (marquandbooks.com) occupy a small storefront where high-end art books are sold alongside hand-bound editions, stationery and gifts.
“It’s more of a functional space than we could have ever imagined,” says Marquand, who is quick to list ideas for future endeavors, including the addition of a tasting room, café and a tavern, just as soon as the right like-minded visionary comes along to tackle the project.
Visitors to the town could easily drive by the warehouses and storefronts without ever realizing the accomplishments of the devoted artistic community. But, says Marquand, “What Mighty Tieton has done in the past five years is most impressive from the inside.”
For more information:
Mighty Tieton
P.O. Box 369 Tieton
mightytieton.com
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