Not many convenience stores start life as tobacco shops, but that’s the backstory of Crescent Market in Snoqualmie, Washington. “In 2011, it was a less than 2,000-square-foot store selling mostly tobacco products and liquor,” said John Willson, director of retail operations. Six years later, the store reopened with a 5,500-square-foot building and fuel pumps. “We saw there was a growth opportunity for us in fuel and food, so we expanded and renamed it Crescent Market,” he said.

Today the store serves the local community as well as the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. “We also draw tourists exploring Snoqualmie Falls due to our location right off Interstate 90,” said Mary Lou Patterson, interim CEO of Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel, which is adjacent to the Crescent Market. The locally famous waterfall attracts more than a million visitors each year.

The mix of locals and tourists played a large part in how the tribe stocks the store and interacts with the community.

Part of what makes Crescent Market unique is its focus on tribal artists. “We rotate the art of six Snoqualmie artists through our store every couple of months because we want to support our tribal artists,” Willson said. The store stocks tribal jewelry and beadwork as well as postcards, shirts, cozy blankets and other artwork.

Beyond the artwork, the store also developed its own brand of clothing, Apparel 268, which is the height in feet Snoqualmie Falls. T-shirts, hats, beanies and other clothing have the Apparel 268 branding. “Apparel 268 merchandise has been good for our convenience store, drawing in customers and promoting the falls,” he said.

Read more about Crescent Market in the June 2025 issue of NACS Magazine article “Waterfall Merch + Local Art + Smiles.”