QUILCENE — Gasoline will soon be available in Quilcene.
Ever since the last gas station closed in 2009, residents had to travel 15 miles, either to Brinnon, Chimacum or Discovery Bay, to fill up their cars.
This caused some emergency situations, and a higher than usual incidents of people running out of gas.
“It’s happened a lot, when someone is going through town and has run out of gas,” said Quilcene resident Tom Brotherton. “They would stop, and we would ask around. Usually someone had some gas so they could get to the next town.”
This will all change with the expected opening in mid-November of the Village Store at 294235 U.S. Highway 101, a local effort born out of a need to have a gas station in town.
A corporation, QVS, was created to support the Village Store, with investors kicking in for startup and initial operational expenses.
Brotherton won’t say how many investors are active or how much money is available — only that there is enough to stay open for five years.
Hours to evolve
Initially, the store will be staffed by his son, Greg Brotherton, and his wife, Stacey.
Hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to start, but that could evolve, he said.
The gas pumps and tanks are already in place and in good shape, having been installed in 2008.
The next step is a liquid test, and once that proves successful, the station can open, Tom Brotherton said.
Gasoline is only the beginning.
Retail area
A group of volunteers and shareholders are working on the gutted interior to create a retail area that falls somewhere between a convenience store and a farmers market.
The main area is about 4,000 square feet.
Volunteers started painting the walls on Friday and are preparing to install the flooring this week.
The material selected is oriented strand board, a durable plywood-type material that will be installed with no covering.
“We didn’t like vinyl, and tile is too fancy, so we decided to go with rustic,” Brotherton said. “People don’t care what’s on the floor as long as it’s clean.”
Once the floors are done, the shelves will be moved in and inventory selected.
Brotherton said the store will offer the standard snacks, but hopes to turn it into a place that sells local food products.
“A lot of your neighbors grow food down here, but there is no way for you to get it,” Brotherton said.
Also planned is an eating area, with its size and fare determined by the capabilities of the septic system.
“We need to determine what the septic system can take,” Brotherton said. “If we have a kitchen, it will require a larger drain field and a greater investment.”
Fueled Quilcene Conversations
The Village Store is the latest project to come out of the Quilcene Conversations but it was the idea that spawned that active community group.
One year ago a meeting was called to discuss bringing gas to Quilcene and about 60 people turned up.
Gasoline was the reason for getting together, but it turned out that everyone in the room had an idea how to improve the community.
“There were all these really good ideas,” said Linda Herzog, who went on to set the foundation for Quilcene Conversations. “I didn’t want them to go to waste, so I wrote them all down and we started regular meetings.”
Since that time, Quilcene Conversations has targeted five areas of community enhancement, to beautify Quilcene, help business, monitor youth, develop a community identity and improve outdoor signs.
The gas pumps, while modern, do not have a card reader built in so gas will not be available when the store is closed.
This is deliberate, Brotherton said, because they want to encourage people to come into the store.
Gas prices also are yet to be determined, but Brotherton doesn’t expect them to be much different than other local stations.
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.