There’s still work to be done, but the owners of the Stumptown Marketplace were too excited to wait any longer and opened their doors to the public Friday.

The marketplace, in a 5,200-square-foot building on Spokane Avenue across from Whitefish Middle School, had its soft opening on Friday with four of the nine permanent vendors open for business.

“It’s been hard to wait for something you’re so excited for,” said building owner David Gatton on Wednesday as construction workers put the final touches on the building and inspectors made sure everything was up to code. “I’m really happy with how everything came together. I think we have a great mix of vendors and a lot of great local products.” 

Gatton, who expects the vendors with kitchen services to be open as early as Wednesday, designed the marketplace for nine individual shop spaces that face a center common area. The common area will serve as a place for the public to meet and will provide space for four temporary vendors. 

David and his wife, Amy, envision the marketplace to be similar to Pike Place Market in Seattle, where the people can come and get local products and enjoy them with their friends. Along with the vendor space, they also plan to have indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate 50-70 people.

The shop sizes vary but are close to 300 square feet. The small size and the shared public seating and bathroom area allows business owners to open at a fraction of the cost of owning their own stores. 

This allows start-up companies that might not have been able to afford their own large store to open, Gatton said.

The Big Mountain Candy Co. was one of those start-ups. On Wednesday, owners  Joey and Richard Burke were stocking their containers with candy as they prepared for the opening.

“We were looking for a place to open in Whitefish and really liked his [Gatton’s] vision of bringing all the vendors together. This place has a really good atmosphere and a community feel to it,” said Richard Burke, who owned the Bookshelf in Kalispell until May.

The Big Mountain Candy Co. will specialize in Joey’s homemade truffles, chocolate and fudge. She has spent the past 10 years in social work but has always dreamed of opening a candy store. The Stumptown Marketplace gave her the perfect opportunity to “chase her dream.”

“Everybody is happy in a candy store,” Joey said.

The marketplace also gave established businesses the opportunity to expand and try something new. Brix at the Marketplace opened on Friday. Owner Karen Sanderson said while the Brix Bottleshop in Kalispell has a large selection of wines and beers, Brix at the Marketplace will be centered around gourmet food and gifts with a large focus on Montana-made products.She wasn’t planning to expand her business, but with the low start-up price and her love of the concept she said it was a “no-brainer.”

“It was just a great opportunity and I had so many people telling me to do it, I figured ‘why not,’” Sanderson said. “I loved the concept of the indoor market and I can relate  to his [Gatton’s] passion of connecting with the community,” Sanderson said.

Beckman’s Fine Furnishing also have a shop and the owners of Bonelli’s Bistro will open the Zucca Marketplace Bistro. The Bistro’s menu will be less Italian and more Mediterranean-based than Bonelli’s. Owner Kerry Kage Harp also said there will also be more emphasis on using local products. Harp and her husband Tony Loiacono have wanted to expand to Whitefish for several years, but could never find the right place until they found the Stumptown Marketplace.

In the past, the building was an arcade, housed Denning Sheet Metal and served as storage for a downtown car dealership. Gatton has been busy getting the building restored since March.

“We had planned for a four-month period to restore the building. I realize now that my expectations were a little high. But they did a great job in capturing the character of the building,” Gatton said. “I’m really happy about how it turned out and I think it adds to the character of downtown.”  

There are currently eight permanent vendors with leases at the marketplace: Beckman’s Fine Furnishing, Big Mountain Candy Co., Brix at the Marketplace, Heaven Scent Solutions, Pig and Olive Sandwich Shoppe, Polebridge Mercantile Bakery, Zaria Cosmetics and Zucca Marketplace Bistro.

There is room for one more vendor, which Gatton is hoping is a meat market

“When I think of a marketplace I always think of a good, old-fashioned butcher and nice, fresh seafood,” Gatton said.

 The grand opening for the Stumptown Market is planned for September.

Reporter Aaric Bryan may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at abryan@dailyinterlake.com.