Something for everyone at Grand Leader Mercantile’s new store
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 5, 2026
EVERETT — After closing for just under three months, Grand Leader Mercantile now offers its collection of curated curiosities and vintage finds at a new home.
After the sale of the 1502 Hewitt Ave. storefront, many regular shoppers at the Everett home goods retailer were saddened to hear the store would shutter in April. But on July 10, the shop reopened at a new location just blocks down the road.
While the future of the retailer briefly seemed unclear, a local businessman, Howard Bargreen, who reached out with his available property, 2110 Hewitt Ave., said Amber Lang, one of the store’s owners.
“I used to work in the Vintage Cafe and waited on him for years,” she explained.
Lang’s grandmother, Karen Staniford, opened Grand Leader Mercantile in 2018. One of multiple businesses Staniford opened before she died in 2022, most notably the storied Everett restaurant and bar, the Vintage Cafe.
Following the mercantile’s move, Lang and her friend Elizabeth Ritchie took over the store.
“[My grandma] was a small business owner for a long time. Just keeping that going is important to me,” Lang said. “Starting a business together with my friend is amazing.”
The 2110 Hewitt Ave. storefront is relatively similar to the previous space, although it no longer has an upstairs. Nevertheless, regular customers have warmly received the new location, said Ritchie
“They really did show up right after we opened,” she said. “We’ve seen so many regular customers, and they’re all so positive.”
The new spot has also attracted fresh eyes.
“We have gotten quite a few new customers that are just happening to drive by and didn’t even know that we were at the old location,” Lang added.
‘Something for everyone’
Walking inside, vintage furniture and racks of clothes create little alcoves — each one stuffed with an eclectic mix of treasures, from fingernail-sized pocket knives to a staggering collection of crystal dining-ware.
Near the front, carry-on suitcases open to reveal mini bars themed around different cocktails. These portable cases were all the rage in the ’50s and ’60s, but Kim Parsley, a merchant at the mercantile, is bringing them back to the modern era with her collection of Happy Travelers.
After Parsley left her corporate job, she decided to become a trail angel. These are individuals who provide hikers with food, drink and transportation, according to Trail Angel Center.
What was the pick-me-up she planned to serve weary hikers? Cocktails.
“How am I going to get all my cocktail ingredients to the middle of nowhere?” she recalled thinking.
Thus Parsley’s Happy Travelers were created. You don’t need to hit the trails to get a taste of what these boozy suitcases have in store. The Happy Travelers can be made spirit-free and come in tea versions.
Across the store, go back in time with Deanne Lundquist’s collection of mid-century modern furniture and decor.
“It reminds me of my mom,” Lundquist said about the mid-20th-century style.
Her mom would hunt down and restore mid-century modern pieces well after they went out of style, she recalled. While Lundquist features an array of mid-century pieces, she said her style is more of a mix with “something for everyone.”
Surprisingly, ornate crowns are one of her most popular items, she said.
In the front of the store, Darcy Hollowell sells a mix of mid-century modern and Danish modern pieces. Both styles share a simplified look with clean lines and organic shapes.
Many of her pieces come from the ’40s to the ’70s. Curating the collection takes time and persistence, Hollowell said.
“And a good eye for design,” she added.
Currently, 13 vendors have displays at the store. Visitors can peruse their curated finds in the 5,000-square-foot store open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Tuesday to Saturday and until 4 p.m on Sunday.
Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com. X: @JennaMillikan
