Brassbound Collective celebrates grand opening as part of a project to revitalize community

CASHMERE- One of a kind retail market, Brassbound Collective, opened its doors as one of the many new businesses being planned for the future of the ambitious Side Street neighborhood hub project. 

Officially launched on June 15, Brassbound Collective offers the local community a unique storefront that advertises and sells dozens of local artists and businesses. Offering a wide range of products, from locally crafted soaps to second-hand children’s clothes, Brassbound’s major focus is providing Cashmere with a single location where residents can connect to a plethora of local business owners and creators. 

“The saying is, we’re better together,” manager and coordinator of Brassbound Collective, Hailey Glass, shared her enthusiasm for the unique benefits that the new storefront provides, “Could this one little shop dedicated to one thing survive in Cashmere? I don’t know, [it’s] risky. But, when you have like 30 different businesses and artists involved and excited about getting people in here and wanting to sell their things and excited to be part of the group, I think that is what is gonna make it successful.” 

Brassbound uses a special format to organize so many local sellers within one organic space, Glass explained, “We do rotating artists and vendors. We’ve got booth vendors, renting booths, those are on a longer contract. And then we have artisans who can apply just like a normal maker’s market, basically to consign your items in the shop for four months… So they’re mixed in also with items that we curate, so Brassbound as a brand is also like a vendor in the shop basically, it allows us to create really engaging displays that change. And [the artists are] responsible for managing their inventory in the backend of our system, it's super intuitive and it even tells you when things sell… Yeah, we’re trying to make it super efficient and uncomplicated.”

A notable business within Brassbound is Dandelion Thrift, a vendor that offers affordable second-hand children’s products such as clothes, shoes, toys, and books. Brassbound is also partnering with Infused Organics to provide a package-free refill station for bath salts, soaps, and body scrubs.

Brassbound Collective is just one of the many planned businesses at Railroad Avenue’s Side Street, a project that has been years in the making for building owners Lana and Andy Thomas. Their vision is to create a vibrant hub for the Cashmere community by linking together small businesses into a cornucopia of local industry.

Andy Thomas described the community needs that he hopes to fulfill at Side Street. “We have a four-year-old now, and we’re gonna be here for the next twenty years. I genuinely feel like I stumbled upon the greatest place on Earth. But, there’s not a lot of places to get dinner. There’s not a lot of places to hang out with your kids. There’s not a lot of family friendly restaurants. There are some holes that we can all admit exist… So let’s fill those holes in.” 

The Thomases don’t just plan on renting space to any businesses, but have instead been diligently planning their spaces for the businesses and industries which will best serve the community.

“I genuinely believe that when arts thrive, people thrive. So it’s a very meticulously planned space. We’re different from other towns in the valley.” Thomas explained. “We’re community first, tourism second, and it’s really been like that from the ground up; we haven’t given up any of those spaces to somebody just for the money yet.” 

Brassbound Collective has been open from Friday to Sunday each week, Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm, and Sunday from 12 pm to 6 pm. However, by the second week of August, Brassbound is planned to run seven days a week following the August 3 opening of their Side Street neighbors, Yonder Cider. 

The Side Street building currently has opened businesses centered around serving the community, including the Dispatch Mailroom, NCW Woodshop, Eastside Rebuild reclaimed materials shop, and the Small Change secondhand art supply shop. Future businesses in the process of opening at Side Street include Yonder Cider, a grocery and deli, and a coffee shop that Thomas hopes will become “Cashmere’s living room.” 

To learn more about Brassbound Collective and the other businesses seeking to revitalize the community at Side Street, visit sidestreetcashmere.com or reach out with questions at info@sidestreetcashmere.com or (509) 741-4493.

Will Nilles: (509) 731-3211 or will@ward.media