Downtown Port Angeles store builds consistency after 30 years

Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 26, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Tracie Hedin opened Alley Cat Boutique with $500, a rack of vintage clothes and a determination not to fail. She was loose ends having just lost her job at Olympic Distributing.

“I thought, ‘Well, what could I do?’” Hedin said. “I had never been laid off before, and I just thought, ‘Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?’”

Hedin’s gamble turned into one of the longest-running businesses in downtown Port Angeles. Alley Cat celebrated its 30th anniversary on Feb. 8.

Within eight months of opening, Hedin took out a $1,500 loan so she could start buying inventory. By 2002, the store had grown out of its original location (now Atomic Bagels) and moved to its current location next door at 123 W. First St.

Not that the early years weren’t difficult.

“There were many nights where I went home crying because it was just really hard,” she said.

Karie Brodhun said her sister’s decision to go out on her own came as no surprise.

“I think she always wanted to be her own boss,” Brodhun said. “She wanted to do things that made her happy.”

Retail also runs in the family.

Hedin got her start working at Widsteen’s Next Door while in high school, while Brodhun built a career as a buyer for The Bon Marché and later managed a Macy’s. Their father, Bob Brodhun, was an assistant manager at Swain’s.

Hedin built her business through an instinct for what appealed to customers and the ability to deliver it.

“She just was relentless,” Karie Brodhun said. “She was going to figure it out.”

It was not a promising time to open a business in the downtown district in 1996. During Alley Cat’s first decade, longtime institutions like Widsteen’s, The Toggery, McLean’s Shoes and Will-Lou’s Edition had closed or were closing, leaving gaps in the retail core.

“I could look east and west on First Street and there’d be nobody,” Hedin said. “There was really no reason to come downtown.”

There are now about 90 businesses in the district, including many clothing stores.

“The more, the better,” Hedin said. “Everybody kind of has their own niche.”

Alley Cat’s mix of clothing, accessories and jewelry with a soft, 1970s-influenced, rock-leaning look is a modern take on bohemian style that is Hedin’s own and one to which customers have overwhelmingly responded.

“You can’t help but buy what you like,” Hedin said. “But you also learn what your customers want.”

Trends ebb and flow but never quite disappear, she’s found.

“Everything kind of comes back around,” she said. “It’s just a little different each time.”

A style she hopes to never see again in any form?

“Skinny jeans!”

Moss owner Hayley Sharpe said Hedin created a landmark in downtown Port Angeles by staying true to her timeless style, cultivating long-lasting relationships with other store owners and customers, and running her business with savvy and dedication.

“She’s been a trailblazer and an inspiration to many,” Sharpe said, adding that Hedin has “proven to me and many others that it can be done.”

Alley Cat has built a loyal local following, along with steady traffic from visitors heading to Olympic National Park, Twilight fans traveling to Forks and customers from Canada.

The store’s regulars return year after year — some now shopping alongside their children.

“I’ve become friends with a lot of my customers,” she said. “You see them have a kid, and now their kid’s 30.”

That familiarity extends to 10-year-old Shih Tzus, Ralphie and Ruby, who have become as much a draw as the clothes.

“People will bring someone in from out of town just to see the dogs,” Hedin said. “If they’re not here, they’re disappointed.”

Sam Grello, executive director of the Port Angeles Waterfront District, said Alley Cat’s longevity is essential to the vitality of the district.

“She’s been here through the ups and downs,” Grello said. “That kind of consistency is what helps build a downtown people want to come back to.”

For Karie Brodhun, the store’s milestone underscores the difficulty of running an independent retail business.

“I have even more respect for her now,” she said. “Running a small store like that for 30 years — that’s a lot of work.”

For her part, Hedin has no plans to stop.

“I guess as soon as it’s not fun anymore,” she said. “But I’m still enjoying it.”

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.