With a past reputation for being a rough part of town, Spokane’s Hillyard neighborhood is now seeing an influx of new residents and investment, and experiencing the growing pains that come with gentrification.
The neighborhood grew around the Great Northern locomotive shops in the area and was founded in 1892 as an independent city. According to Spokane Historical, it functioned as a railyard and hub for rail workers and its residents voted to join Spokane in 1924.
Hillyard Bicycle opened in March as a sister business to North Spokane Bicycle Shop. Mac has been a bike tech since 2002.
“Since opening I have noticed more traffic coming in,” Mac said. “Every time I’m over here I meet more people in the neighborhood so I feel like the word is getting out, but it’s not like the traffic at the other stores.”
Mac talked a little bit about the impact that he wants the store to have on Hillyard.
“The object of the game is to help make this community more of a destination,” Mac said. “And I think the advent of the Children of the Sun trail is going to help with that. There is a place to rise and (the store) is finishing it.”
On the flip side, a business that has remained a Hillyard staple is Market Street Antiques. The building in which the antique shop is housed was built in 1903 and has undergone several transfers of ownership since.
Karla Gutierrez runs the counter on Saturdays.
“We have 27 different vendors,” she said. “And the owner rents out the spaces, so each person has a unique style. We’ve got vendors who sell vintage clothing. Then we’ve got vendors who sell vintage and antique jewelry, record players. We’ve even got a vendor who sells antique or vintage toys.”
Gutierrez then talked a little bit about how Hillyard has changed over the last 10 years.
“It’s struggling a little bit,” she said. “I’ve noticed a lot of antique stores have closed up shop and then new people have moved in. But you know, we have a coffee shop now. We have a barbershop and a bicycle shop and still a couple of antique stores.”
For 42 years, Karen Puinintg has owned her vintage store Karenoia.
Puinintg said she generally focuses on hippie-era antiques and memorabilia, which is popular with all ages.
Rather than consigning items for sale, she owns and sells all her antiques by herself.
“I’m 70 years old now,” Puinintg said. “I should be tired. I can’t really do that because if I don’t have my store, I don’t have a place to live.”
Puinintg talks about the gentrification that hillyard is undergoing; original business owners are forced to sell their shops to those who can afford the climbing rent.
“That was the first I knew the day was coming,” she said. ”My old landlord was Jim Hedley, and he was a big name in Hillyard. And he understood the people that small businesses need to make a living. The new guy has a different mindset. I think he bought these buildings for the apartments.”
Puinintg also mentioned the growth in hillyard. She considers it a safe place to live.
“It’s not like the oldsworth,” she said. “The biggest difference I’ve seen now is even with the real estate the way it is, we have a lot of young families that have moved in now. I see a lot of people out with their children and pushing the baby carriages around.
“Our biggest issue right now is we have lots of places to have a meal or where we could have a cold drink, but now we don’t have any stores. And that’s challenging.”
“I’ve been waiting for the Hillyard Renaissance for 35 years,” Puinintg said. “Maybe not in the gentrified direction, but…let’s get some young people out here who want to create a life.”
For any further questions on the story, contact Alexander Cover at sfcc.alexander.cover@gmail,com.
Addresses of businesses mentioned, respectively:
Hillyard Bicycle – 5002 N Market St, Spokane, WA 99217
Market Street Antiques – 4912 N Market St, Spokane, WA 99217
Karenoia – 5011 N Market St, Spokane, WA 99217
