As a child visiting his grandparents, Eric Sohn loved to stop at the Idleyld Trading Post, Deli & Liquor Store in Idleyld Park, Oregon. “I have a vivid memory of staring at the tackle wall for lures to go fishing,” he said. “I thought it was such a cool place that felt like part of the community.”
Fast forward several decades to 2017, when Sohn, who was living in California, working in finance and looking to transition his career, saw the store was for sale. “I bought it because I was looking for something different to do. With family in the area—and visiting all those summers as a child—I figured I knew the area well enough to make it work,” he said.
The Idleyld Trading Post has been part of the local landscape for more than a century. The first store was established in 1920. Two fires over the years destroyed the original building, which was mostly rebuilt in the 1950s and gradually morphed into the store as it is today.
“Historically, this was a community hub, a gathering spot for locals and visitors,” Sohn said. “The previous owners neglected the building and customers, so I knew it needed some TLC to bring it back to its former glory.”
Beyond the physical repairs needed, the store’s vibe also lacked its prior welcoming atmosphere. “A lot of the locals had stopped coming in,” he said.
The store had once been known for its fresh sandwiches, so restoring the sandwich program became a top priority for Sohn when he took over eight years ago. “One of the main things on my agenda was to return to the quality sandwiches of the past,” he said. To that end, he introduced build-your-own and premade sandwiches called Highway 138 Specials.
The store already offered hot breakfast, but he also added an oven to expand the hot food selection. New menu items included hot lunches, such as calzones, tri-tip and chicken burritos, and tri-tip chili, as well as large breakfast burritos, egg sandwiches, and biscuits and house-made sausage gravy.
Continue reading “Local Focus Revives Oregon Trading Post” in the April 2025 issue of NACS Magazine.