Reviving history: The story behind the Silverton General Store

How one family’s passion is creating economic opportunities and preserving a local landmark

— Photo courtesy Danika Hammond

The Silverton General Store is more than just a place to shop—it’s a cornerstone of community, history, and sustainability in the Slocan Valley. Housed in a historic 1897 building, the store has been a vital part of Silverton’s identity for over a century. After years of vacancy, the store has been lovingly revitalized by its new owner, Danika Hammond, who is continuing her family’s legacy while adapting to the needs of a modern, rural community.

Hammond’s connection to the Silverton General Store runs deep. Her family first acquired the building in the 1970s and operated the business for decades before it was leased and eventually fell dormant. Driven by a desire to honour her late father’s memory and the building’s storied past, Hammond returned home after university to reimagine the space for a new era. Alongside her mother, Katrina, she undertook extensive renovations, transforming the once-neglected structure into a vibrant hub.

Today, the Silverton General Store is a community-driven project that reflects the values of its owners and the people it serves. From supporting local artisans and farmers to addressing critical gaps like a laundromat and natural foods, Hammond’s vision is rooted in sustainability, resilience, and collaboration. In an interview with Kootenay Business, she shares the inspiring story behind reopening the store, the challenges of running a business in a rural area, and her hopes for the future of Silverton General Store.

What inspired you to open the Silverton General Store?

The historic 1897 building located at 222 Lake Ave. Silverton has been home to Silverton General Store for roughly a century. Originally the Wakefield Mining Building and then "SGS" owned by TH Wilson and then JL Wilson. It was purchased in 1973 by the Hammond family who hailed from North Dakota, my father, uncles, aunts and grandparents. They ran the store until the mid ‘90s when they rented out the building to another family. The building has been relatively vacant for the past decade and after I returned home from University, I was committed to re-opening the building as Silverton General Store in honour of my family's legacy and the history of the building.

In addition to this, our community has faced numerous business closures—including cafes, the health food store and the laundromat. The new iteration of Silverton General Store aims to address these gaps in the market and provide needed goods and services for our community. Together with my mom, Katrina, we renovated the building and re-opened this June, 2024 following my father, Steve Hammond's passing in April.

Can you tell us more about your mission to support a local and environmentally sustainable economy?

Silverton General Store aims to support local suppliers including artists, food producers and farmers as much as possible in order to have a smaller carbon footprint for our products and to support a sustainable circular economy where businesses uplift one another. We also partner with other local brick and mortar businesses for shipping and inventory. For our natural food department we prioritize organic where possible but in order to have options available at various purchasing abilities we will have some conventional products as well.

What role does sustainability play in your business model?

Sustainability for us means not only environmental sustainability but economic sustainability. We have tried to address a variety of gaps in the local community and create a more viable business model that isn't reliant on one product type or service. Through our partnerships with other small businesses we are trying to create a more resilient and vibrant local economy.

How did you decide on the range of products and services offered at the store?

As mentioned, recently we have seen a variety of closures including our health food store and cafes. Many people have asked us to provide organic, natural foods as well as another option for eating out. On top of that, with the closure of the laundromat we had the unique opportunity to put in a small laundromat in the back of our business so that people don't have to travel as far to do their laundry.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in running a general store in a rural community?

After opening we were hit with a particularly challenging wildfire season where we were evacuated and lost the prime tourist revenue. This poses some challenges for the business, however, we are working with Community Futures to make a plan to get us through the winter. We have also had challenges stocking up on inventory due to shipping issues and minimum order requirements. Given our remote, rural, location, everything costs just that much more to get to us.

What impact do you feel your store has had on the local economy?

We have been excited to support local suppliers and create some employment, particularly in the summer season. In addition, the business has brought a new sense of vibrancy and activity to Silverton. Many people are happy to see that the building is renovated and open. Prior to this the building really was falling apart and not being used to its full potential.

Can you share a story about a local supplier whose products have had a great response from customers?

Ian Francis from Winlaw, makes incredible one of a kind tables, crib boards and cutting boards. His work has often come into the store and been sold the next day! It's been so rewarding to see the positive response. Ian has also helped us with some of our shelving in store and has recently built crates using old repurposed wood from the building. So now, customers can take a little piece of SGS home with them.

What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs?

I'm not sure I'm at the point to give advice other than use the resources you have available to you. Right now, Community Futures has been incredibly helpful in providing financing and business advisor services and we really recommend reaching out to them about your business.

What are your goals for the future of the business?

Right now we are still working on stocking up our natural foods department and getting the cafe fully up and running.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We really want to thank the community for all their support. This truly is a community project and many people helped volunteer to get the final renovations and cleaning completed including painting, mopping floors, moving around shelves. We couldn't have done this without all the people who stepped up and helped us get to the finish line of opening. We are privileged to live in such a supporting and generous community.