Owner Jim VanNatta sits on the back deck at Hockinson Market. Unveiled at the end of February, the back deck seats 24 comfortably and is surrounded by wrought-iron fencing while potted shrubs soften the building side of the space.
When Jim VanNatta extended the Hockinson Market to include an intimate tap room back in 2016, it didn’t take long for him to realize that another expansion was a plausible follow-up move.
Converting what decades ago had been the Hockinson/Brush Prairie Post Office before it relocated to Brush Prairie sometime after World War II, VanNatta created a 10-seat tap room that immediately drew residents from this growing area of Clark County.
“People just thought it was great ‘cuz a lot of people live out here,” VanNatta said. “It’s a whole different environment. There are intentionally no TVs. We wanted a place where people would come and talk.”
And come they did, to the point where on any given Friday or Saturday night, tap room customers were spilling into the market area and gathering at the tables in the front of the store. VanNatta decided to take it a step further and unveiled the Hockinson Market Annex and a back deck in the first quarter of 2018.
Partnering with his wife, Teresa, on design and décor, Jim has mimicked the original shiplap siding of the Tap Room in what was once the adjacent backroom that held shelves filled with groceries for the market. The transformation is a cozy space with seating for 12 at round bar-height tables and high-back pub chairs plus comfortable standing room to spare.
The wood flooring is original to the circa 1928 store including a healthy patch job. Jim mined from identical material flanking the basement walls of the building to seamlessly blend the repair. A hallway to updated bathrooms features a sliding barn door accent — similar to the one found in the Tap Room — and more of that brought-back-to-life flooring.
As the weather heats up, the back deck is already proving to be a popular addition to the community. Wrought-iron fencing accents the long, slender deck and potted shrubs soften the building side of the space. Six rectangular pub-style tables are anchored by brightly-colored umbrellas. Jim is entertaining the idea of planting hops on the fence side to mask the parking lot view but the ample outdoor area is inviting enough as is.
Because Hockinson Market Tap Room operates under one combination restaurant, beer and wine license, customers can wander throughout the space enjoying a local pint. Similarly, $5 house pours for wine are available and any bottle in their market inventory can be opened and consumed on-site. For non-beer fans, Hockinson Market pours kombucha on tap and their locally-sourced ciders are a huge hit.
Jim is a stickler for showcasing beers crafted in Clark County and his customers seem to appreciate his dedication to being a local business owner who believes in raising the tide. Doomsday, Ghost Runner, Trap Door and Brother’s Cascadia Brewing all find a home handle at this North Bank-focused joint.
The same goes for cider. The popularity of cider sales was a real surprise to Jim from the tap room’s inception but his sourcing points of Tooley Bender and Rusty Grape in Battle Ground and Moulton Falls in Yacolt leave little question of the quality cider enthusiasts will encounter.
There is one exception to Jim’s hyper-local rule but no one faults him for slipping. Young Buck Brewing out of Spokane features Jim’s son-in-law’s mad brewing skills so, naturally, Hockinson Market represents for the sake of family.
In 2014, Hockinson Market added a food counter and kitchen space. Ice cream is a year-round favorite but pizzas and calzones pair best with hops and grapes. A specialty pizza is offered monthly but, according to Jim, The Finn may score a recurring role. Created in honor of Ambrosius Hokensen, the founder of the original Hockinson Store, this pizza features smoked salmon, sour cream, blue cheese, Swiss cheese, capers and dill.
Jim said that parking can appear to be an issue on a weekend night but, after school hours and during the summer, there are ample spots across the street in the Hockinson Middle School lot.
Out with the old, in with the new, they say. In this case, gas and lottery tickets are a thing of the past for Hockinson Market and Jim reported that sales haven’t missed a beat without these services. To accommodate an uptick in patrons, operating hours have changed to 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
“We wanted to be a homey place where people literally felt at home. They could come down, get a beer, feel comfortable (and) see their neighbors,” Jim said. “(Before), if you were with four to six people, you didn’t come here but now people meet here.”
