Duluth Trading Co. to open retail store April 11 in Spokane Valley

Wisconsin-based Duluth Trading Co. is opening a retail store April 11 in Spokane Valley.

The 15,000-square-foot store at 16314 E. Indiana Ave. will be the company’s first in Washington and its 50th location nationwide.

Duluth Trading Co. was founded in 1989 by two brothers in Duluth, Minnesota, who invented the “Bucket Boss,” a canvas tool organizer that fits around a drywall bucket. The brothers subsequently launched a catalog business that later became Duluth Trading Co., which sold products for tool storage, organization and transport.

Duluth Trading Co. opened its first retail store in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, in 2010. The company, now headquartered in Belleville, Wisconsin, has expanded its product line to include clothing, workwear and accessories.

The company indicated in financial statements it selects potential markets for new stores based on customer input, access to a freeway, visibility, store accessibility and parking.

“We have a large concentration of Duluth customers in Washington, so, in part, our customer demand brought us to the Spokane Valley area,” said Melodie Mendez, Duluth Trading Co. spokeswoman.

The Spokane Valley store will employ 34 to 40 people.

Duluth Trading Co. generated more than $471 million in sales in 2017 and indicated the ability to double its sales in markets with retail stores, according to financial statements.

The company opened more than a dozen stores nationwide in 2018 and also plans to open locations later this year in Florida, Arkansas, Connecticut and Alabama.

Duluth Trading Co. is hosting a grand opening event April 11 at the Spokane Valley location that will feature professional lumberjack shows for the community at 10:30 a.m. and noon.