Liberty Bottleworks celebrated Thursday the opening of a small retail store and reception area at its factory in Union Gap, WA, where customers and passersby can linger to watch the company's worker manufacture its metal water bottles, buy a keepsake of their visit or just chill with a magazine.
“This facility has always been a factory first and foremost, but there's been so much interest in buying bottles here, checking things out and supporting the brand, it was high time we created a space for that,” said Co-Founder and SVP Ryan Clark. “Instead of just creating a store out front, we wanted to match the company's vibe and make it more like a lounge, a place where people want to gather and be part of our community.”
The 169-square-foot space was designed and constructed by Liberty staff and local contractors and features a wall made from recycled pallets, sustainable bamboo flooring and shelving made from reclaimed boxcar flooring salvaged from Yakima's historic Track 29.
The company's full line of bottles and colored caps will be available in the new storefront, along with Liberty merchandise including hats, stickers, t-shirts and sweatshirts.
In addition to offering a walk-in retail space for the bottle-maker, the new construction creates a formal entry and reception area for the factory, which employs 32 people in the Yakima Valley.
“We hope people come by not just for our opening, but drop in to see what's going on, see our latest products and maybe even score some good deals on old stock or scratch and dents,” Clark said. “The Yakima Valley has always been incredibly welcoming to our company and we hope they'll swing by and let us return the favor.”
