Experience history at Birch & Crow

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One of Battle Ground’s newest spots for those looking to buy vintage prides itself on offering more than just items from the past. 

A must for any establishment looking to dabble in antiques, the displays at Birch & Crow Vintage Market feature curated themes from Victorian to more rustic frontier-type setups — one corner features a variety of old electric lamps, in some cases repurposed pieces of machinery from the pre-digital age.

But Birch & Crow co-owners Werner and Leza Hiemann want their business to be more than just a place to shop.

Though Werner has a background as a general contractor and Leza one in commercial real estate, Birch & Crow was the realization of a dream some 20 years in the making. Prior to the business the couple were already avid collectors, now putting their own experiences on one side of the industry to curate the right kind of vendors for the space.

That’s not to say Birch & Crow is aiming to be just another vintage shop in an area with several. Battle Ground has become a destination of sorts for those looking at vintage antiques with the Hiemanns adding their own take at what the ideal vintage market should look like.

Originally from southern California, the Werners moved to the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s and are now settled in Ridgefield. Birch & Crow officially opened last December.

Leza estimated about 40 vendors in total take up shop at Birch & Crow. Like similar vintage shops, it’s those sellers who populate the merchandise while the Hiemanns provide the space and location.

Leza cited the creativity of the dozens of vendors as an integral part of Birch & Crow’s particular brand of destination shopping. Vendors range from all manner of experience levels, though the majority are local with a few hailing from across the river. 

Items on display include the delicate and ornate. A prominent “she shed” accented by crystal is front and center at Birch & Crow’s entrance.  More “mantique” items, as Leza called them, can also be found — old promotional items for beer, tools or other items to personalize one’s man cave. 



Leza said that Birch & Crow aims to be an experience for all five senses, noting the well-lit sales floor illuminating the creativity of the vendors, diffused scents providing a pleasant aroma and music that harkens back to yesteryear much like many of the items on sale.

“Vintage stores are the ultimate in recycling,” Leza said, with many vendors going the upcycle route for their wares. 

In complement to those going strictly vintage other vendors sell their own small-batch products like jams, coffee and candles adding more to the shopping experience.

“It’s like 40 little, tiny businesses,” Leza said about the shop. “We are just the catalyst that brings it all together.”

One of Birch & Crow’s goals as a business is providing an experience bigger than just the money transaction. Leza noted how the story behind items can lead to an impromptu lesson on the past. Items like vintage touch-operated lamps or a reel-to-reel projector elicit conversations of technology once at the forefront of society, now a vestige of a bygone era much different than the current digital age.

Following a strong start with the 2017 holiday season, Leza said the business has continued to grow. In that time she noticed a phenomenon where senior citizens have stopped by the store to sit and reminisce in the items of the past. Even if those individuals didn’t buy anything, they would let family members know of the place, building word-of-mouth exposure from one generation to the other.

Keeping the past alive is a must for the Hiemanns, with Werner taking particular pride in a room illuminated by several vintage lights, in some cases a mashup of old items past their prime regarding their utility but not their style.

“From my side (of the business), I’m trying to save all these wonderful items that made us who we are today,” Werner said. In some cases, the aesthetics of old furniture or appliances such as a vintage washing machine or stove can make a visual statement even decades after the items became obsolete.

“I think you would be surprised at the variety, the uniqueness, the care and creativity of people from all walks of life who have come together to share their inspiration,” Leza remarked.