Now THIS is Community Ownership!

Quimper Mercantile is a totally unique store in Jefferson County — and possibly the world! 

When Jefferson County’s last general store closed in 2012, citizens got together with the mission of creating a new general store to make sure that household and clothing needs could be supplied at home, and that local retail dollars and retail jobs could be kept in the community. 

A volunteer board of civic and business leaders gathered and decided to launch a startup, creating a public company and selling only to Washington residents. A group of 12 founding shareholders purchased shares for initial startup funds. That was followed by the public offering in February of 2011. At the end of that initial stock effort the new store raised $691,900 from 812 shareholders, almost all of them local residents. The store leased space in the Port Townsend Plaza downtown at 1121 Water Street, and ordered stock, opening its doors to the public on October 11, 2012. 

At the time it was a bold undertaking and has proven to be a stunning community success. Today, there are over 800 shareholders who own Quimper Mercantile shares. The store is guided by an all-local board of directors, elected by the shareholders at our annual meeting. Employing over a dozen people, QMC has a payroll of over $500,000. Our sales have grown every year, and we’ve been profitable since our second year of operation.

We are very lucky to serve a community so receptive to our mission. We intend to provide local shopping options for many years.