Business & Tech

About Town: Christmas Comes Alive at Country-Themed Shop

Rob Rose gives up his home each year to display Timber Creek's massive collection of holiday ornaments, decorations and trees.

Rob Rose's small 1930s-era log cabin on Redmond-Fall City Road becomes a bit more cozy this time each year.

Rose, who operates the in a converted barn next to the house, invites all-comers into his home for the Christmas shopping season. Mind you, there aren’t many of Rose’s personal effects around the place during the holiday—he and his partner move all of their furniture out and share a basement studio apartment from the beginning of October to the middle of January every year to make way for as many holiday ornaments, decorations and trees as you’ll ever see in a log cabin at one time.

“This is our eighth or ninth Christmas. It’s become a tradition,” Rose said. He opened his business, a western-themed retail shop and interior design company, 10 years ago in the building next to his home, which had been a barn.

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“So many people had asked to see the historic log home,” he says, that they decided to expand the store’s offerings for the holidays.

The whole property becomes a winter wonderland, with nearly 30 themed trees. This year Rose has made a push on Nutcracker items, but there’s also a “ski tree” a whole room devoted to more religious or traditional Christmas items that he affectionately calls the Renaissance Room, and a special circus that Rose plans differently each year (right now he’s formulating his ideas for next year). Every room has its own music and its own scented candle, and Rose is on hand offering customers hot cocoa to sip while they shop.

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“I’ve learned that if you can appeal to as many senses as possible,” people respond, he said.

The Christmas store has become a tradition for customers, too. On Friday, Heather Courtney of Fall City, was shopping at Timber Creek with her mom, Louise Witham. Courtney said Timber Creek has become synonymous with the holidays for the pair.

“We usually come a couple of weeks before Christmas,” she said. Witham, who lives in Duvall but owns a home in Montana as well, said she’s always thinking about which items she’s buying for here and which will go to her Montana house.

In addition to the sensory feast of the store itself, Timber Creek becomes host to holiday events nearly every weekend. Last weekend, for example, it was a Cowboy Christmas open house, and this coming weekend it will be a chocolate tasting and jewelry trunk show event, with candy, cocoa and chocolate martinis.

Christmas has become by far the most important season for Timber Creek from a sales perspective.

“Last year was our best Christmas season ever, and this year we’re over last year,” Rose said.

He only takes two days off every holiday season—Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Even though it can be hectic, Rose likes his job and enjoys the excitement people feel about the store.

Being dedicated to your trade is an essential part of owning a small business, he said.

“My advice is you have to really, really love it,” Rose said. “This really is my passion.”


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