Questions about who we are and what to expect.

We are a community-based marketplace featuring Pacific Northwest artists, bakers, growers, creatives, writers, & craftspeople. By gathering this local talent together we offer our community the ability to shop, learn, connect, and discover all in one place.

We believe community is the key to sustainable creativity. Our co-founders see the opportunity to build a bridge between independent makers and their local communities by providing a welcoming space for both. Saltwater Collective will showcase our wealth of local creativity and serve as a gathering place where people can discover the unexpected, learn something new, and spend time in community.

Here at Saltwater Collective, every maker and product is intentionally selected to compliment the full suite of local creativity in our store. Each display is curated by our team and professionally merchandised.

Though the founders of Saltwater Collective will have products for sale, we exist to showcase a plethora of talented creatives. Our job is to curate these offerings to create an extraordinary shopping experience alongside a celebration of local talent.

Though some makers will offer their products year-round, others are handmade, seasonal, or produced in small, limited batches. We hope each visit to Saltwater Collective can introduce you to a new maker.

Here in beautiful downtown Des Moines, Washington.

We’re burning the candles night and day to welcome you in late autumn/early winter 2026. Once open, we’re planning regular store hours Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

You can expect a comfortable, welcoming, and expertly curated retail space where you can find pantry items, artwork, crafts, books, baked goods, stationery, and a rotating menu of surprises.

Here at Saltwater Collective a maker means anyone who is an artist, baker, writer, fine artist, creative, or producer of handmade products. It’s a wide embrace of skills: from woodworking to crochet, sourdough to poetry anthologies, leatherworks to glass fusion, and sometimes a hybrid of several disciplines. Our goal is to showcase the breadth of talent in our region, which takes many forms.

Questions about visiting, browsing, and what’s on the calendar.

Please do. Whether you leave with a single greeting card or a truckload of treasure, you are encouraged to spend time here in our community without expectation. Sit and stay awhile in our community living room, enjoying a new book or a cup of coffee with friends.

Not yet, but they’ll be coming soon!

Saltwater Collective is an in-store experience, but individual makers may be able to ship directly on a case-by-case basis. If individual makers offer custom work or commissions, we are happy to facilitate the connection.

We will have a full calendar of Saltwater Collective workshops, classes and clubs!

Classes are integral to Saltwater Collective’s mission and we will soon be offering classes on a variety of topics including baking, writing, painting, and much more. Is there a class you’ve always wanted to take? Let us know! Our events calendar will live right here on our website but you can also keep up to date by signing up for our newsletter where our events calendar will be delivered straight to your inbox.

Absolutely. We welcome our entire community from old souls to the young at heart. If we just happen to inspire the next generation of makers, even better.

Everything you need to know about joining Saltwater Collective as a maker.

We’ll be announcing Founding Makers along our journey to Opening Day. As we tell our stories, we’ll also be telling their stories, so please join us and follow along to learn more about the talented creatives along with whom we’ll open our doors. Once we open our doors, we’ll be welcoming additional makers through a blind jury process.

Artists, food producers, growers, woodworkers, leatherworkers, jewelers, textile artists, and other creative entrepreneurs are welcome. If you are hand-crafting your creations, we want to hear from you.

No. We are a professionally merchandised store; our team styles the displays to create a cohesive shopping experience instead of a market-style mix of booths.

We’re continuing to build both our Founding Maker lineup as well as our long-term maker roster. If you’re interested in joining us, either as a Founding Maker or as a part of our growing maker pool, please fill out this form (https://forms.gle/EwtBJoS5g3esEDEz8) and we’ll follow up with more information.

We are searching for makers who produce handcrafted work, specifically items that are created through the maker’s skill, creativity, and craftsmanship. We’re looking for original items made by independent artisans. We are not interested in MLM or direct sales companies. We also are not looking for mass produced imports or re-labeled wholesale items. We take the assembly of our makers seriously: complimentary products create a stronger store, allowing each maker to shine and each customer to discover unique, quality work.

No. Once we’re open, maker applications will be processed through the Collective Council in a blind jury process. To maintain a fair and transparent process, the cofounders will step back from the ongoing maker application process, ensuring personal relationships do not color the application process. Every maker deserves the same application opportunity, whether we’ve known them for years or are encountering their work for the first time.

Our Collective Council is an advisory board responsible for reviewing applications from makers on a periodic basis. This group of five is comprised of community members dedicated to equitably highlighting local talent. Their decisions will focus on craftsmanship, originality, quality, and overall fit.

A blind application means that your products will be evaluated without your name attached. This allows the Collective Council to evaluate products not people, eliminating inadvertent biases, positive or negative.

When possible, we will strive to provide constructive guidance, although this may not always be possible depending on application volume.

Yes. We ask that you wait two months between application cycles. Even when we love your work, our decisions will reflect timing, available space, and/or product mix. Not now does not necessarily mean never.

Our team is responsible for displays and product placement, including relocation of products, seasonal offerings, and new/featured collections. We will always aim to create a seamless shopping experience for visitors while respecting each maker’s brand.

Ways to stay connected and get involved with Saltwater Collective.

Please subscribe to our newsletter for periodic updates on our progress, important dates, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, events, and more. You can also follow our journey from dream to doors open via Facebook and Instagram @saltwatercollectivepnw.

Yes! Have a partnership idea? Email us at info@saltwatercollectivepnw.com

There are a variety of ways you can get involved! The easiest first step is to sign up for our newsletter. We’ll let you know where we’re at on the road to Grand Opening and where we could use an extra hand or two. Volunteers can also email us at info@saltwatercollectivepnw.com and let us know if you have a special skill set you’d like to offer. You can also follow our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram. Our community is essential; we deeply appreciate all community support including simply cheering us on.

Saltwater Collective will be offering classes in a wide variety of disciplines and skill levels. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, we’ll have workshops for writers, painters, florists, gardeners, bakers, woodworkers, and more. Signing up for our newsletter is a great way to keep up to date with our developing list of class offerings.

If you are a teacher, we want to hear from you! Please email us with class pitches at info@saltwatercollectivepnw.com

If you’d like to be involved in building Saltwater Collective either before we open or after, please email us at info@saltwatercollectivepnw.com