Hunter Gatherer aims to be a modern general store

As a trained interior designer, Colby Hallen has shopped far and wide for unique, artisanal items to complement her mostly green-friendly projects. But when Hallen moved to Napa in 2008, she found that many of these interesting, small-production lines and products were unavailable in local shops.

So in November Hallen took a tentative step into the challenging world of retail, opening a holiday pop-up called Hunter Gatherer in Napa. After a successful couple of months, Hallen is planning to make Hunter Gatherer a more permanent fixture in the Napa Crossing North shopping center at Trancas Street and California Boulevard.

When I opened this it was originally just supposed to be a holiday pop-up from November to January just to see what happened, Hallen said. Its been really successful and people really responded to it.

Describing her store as a modern general store, Hallen said she wants to fill a void in the Napa Valley by offering an eclectic mix of luxury, artisanal goods from apothecary to fashion to home and beyond. The store sells high-end casual clothing for men and women, beauty products, home accessories and even a line of European-style bicycles.

Its a little bit of everything, Hallen said of her inventory. Its more of a lifestyle store than anything else. I have a lot of candles, soaps and organic beauty products. Theres this company called Fredericks & Mae that Im working with they make these beautiful handmade games like bocce sets and all sorts of things.

Other items include baby alpaca ponchos, buffalo check throw pillows, mens and womens grooming products and luxury pajamas from Australia. Most Hunter Gatherer merchandise comes from obscure, small-production companies focused on handmade, environmentally conscious products.

I really try to do some sourcing from some local vendors, Hallen said, but then also some really cool companies. There is one called A Peace Treaty that works with global artisans to keep their traditions going.

Hallen said that she feels the stores diverse, hard-to-find offerings are a good fit for the Napa Valley lifestyle.

Theres just such an energy that you see with the farm-to-table movement and you see in the food and wine culture here, she said. I wanted to kind of tap into that when it came to the retail side of things. There is an emphasis on quality over quantity.

Hallens family owns Chico-based Pacific Properties, developer of the Napa Crossing North shopping center and the new Napa Crossing South at Soscol and Kansas avenues. When the family business brought her to Napa, she eventually moved here from San Francisco.

Follow this link:
Hunter Gatherer aims to be a modern general store