Washougal woman turns love of thrifting, gardening into business

Some of Jordan Stillinger’s most vivid childhood memories involve summertime drives with her mother, who loved to seek out garage sales. 

Eventually, Stillinger started to sell some of her own things from her front yard during the summer months. During those formative years, she developed an interest in entrepreneurship, a knack for thrifting, and a keen eye for aesthetically pleasing home decor.

As an adult, the Washougal resident has turned those passions into a full-fledged ‘side hustle’ — Stillinger’s business, Found and Forged NW, features all of her home property based endeavors, including vintage barn sales, u-pick blueberries and custom-order flower bouquets. 

“Found and Forged NW is our ‘umbrella brand’ for all of the things that our property and family is doing,” she said. “There’s a lot of beauty and a lot of entrepreneurship, and both of those things are core to me.”

The barn sales, which are held at Stillinger’s residence (6819 S.E. 382nd Ave., Washougal), feature a wide variety of pre-purchased home decor items, including furniture, tableware, pottery, blankets, flannels, rugs, planters, succulents and houseplants.

While Stillinger goes into sales or stores with the mindset that she’s “curating” for her customers, she’s learned that the most important aspect of a “hunt” is to trust her own instincts. 

“I remember saying to my mom when I first started out, ‘I don’t know if I’m doing this right,’” she said. “At the beginning, it felt like I was buying for all of these other aesthetics, like, ‘Someone would like that,’ or, ‘I bet that someone would like that in their house’ or ‘If someone had (a particular) style in their house, this would sell.’ It felt a little joyless to me, putting (those items) in the barn because it was like, ‘I don’t like it, but I think someone will buy it.’”

Stillinger slowly started to hone in on a better way of doing things. 

“You have to have your niche and you have to buy what you like and develop your style so that people know what they’re getting when they come shop at your store,” she said. “That’s the best way to build a brand. I’m not going to hit it out of the park every time, but 90 percent of the stuff now is stuff that I would put in my house or is the cohesive style that I would like.”

Stillinger said she also invites local vendors — many of whom are close friends — to open “pop-up shops” in her barn or front yard to sell their products and grow their businesses.

“I feel like because our following has grown, they do decent every sale,” Stillinger said. “It’s been fun because it creates more of a community feel, and everyone is cross-promoting the events and each other on social media. I’ve noticed that people now come expecting some of these (vendors) every time. It’s really beneficial for everybody. There’s something (good) about networking and connecting, especially because everyone is so local. Almost everybody is a young mom, and that’s kind of special, too.”

Past and present vendors include Ellisa McClaughlin of Truly Kindred (jewelry and hand-poured candles), Amber Moore of Whatsoever Things (polymer clay earrings), Maurie Smith of Hippie Granola (gluten-free granola), Evan Hoffman of Mindful Renewal (home decor items created from Pendleton Woolen Mills fabric), Jessica Korf of Pretty+Baked (decorated cookies, cakes and pies), Kate Biscarret of Sweet Jayne (women’s clothing), Di Moore of Di’s Pies and Carissa Pereira of Rad Harvest (herbal salts and gluten-free items). 

“I love participating in the barn sales for a variety of reasons,” Smith said. “I love the Camas-Washougal area and I love being able to participate in a local sale. I love hearing from local people who discovered my granola at the barn sales. Not to mention it is so much fun to browse and see all the treasures that (Jordan) has at the sale. She has a great eye for beautiful, unique things, as anyone who has been to one of her sales can attest. She frequents local businesses and recommends them to others. I admire her ability to take a vision and bring it to fruition, as well as her outgoing, friendly personality.”

Hoffman, one of Stillinger’s first vendors, echoed similar sentiments.

“Being a part of the barn sales is always a great honor for me,” Hoffman said. “Jordan puts so much thought and care into curating a space for vintage lovers of all ages. When I first started selling with her, she had one or two other vendors, but over the years she’s partnered with more businesses, and that has only enhanced the shopping experience. Having the opportunity to basically start and maintain my business at the barn sales is invaluable. I have tried other avenues, such as my own website, in-person markets, and selling my products in small businesses, but Jordan’s barn sales are always a hit, and her relationship with the community is really what makes it happen for all of us.”

The vendors said they have been impressed with Stillinger’s business acumen, work ethic and friendly, inclusive personality.

“Jordan is one of the sweetest people I know,” Hoffman said. “She is determined and hardworking, and somehow manages to accomplish these sales while raising two kids. She is the type of person that is always coming up with business ideas and encouraging others to pursue their own. Jordan makes a point for people to feel welcomed and is genuinely grateful for the people that come out to shop. In the more recent sales, she has stepped away from the register to be in the barn helping people, meeting new faces and catching up with old. For me, it’s more than just the wares being sold that brings me back — it’s the person behind the products, and Jordan is someone you’ll want to support time and time again.” 

Barn provides opportunity for enterprise to grow

Before Stillinger moved to Washougal, she lived with her husband, Luke, in the Seattle area, where she reignited her thrifting interests by taking a position at a home decor boutique.

“The ladies that hired me went and did these vintage markets, so I started potting plants in old tool boxes or teacups —  weird stuff — and started selling them out of the shop,” she said. “Then I started going to the vintage markets and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really fun,’ because I really enjoy thrifting and garage-selling and hunting for treasures anyway. I started selling at markets up there — little one-day markets, where you just buy a booth and sell.”

Not long thereafter, she launched what would eventually evolve into Found and Forged NW, selling items out of a small vendor market in an antique house in Snohomish, Washington.

“That taught me a lot about what people buy, stocking a space, creating merchandising and vignettes, sourcing, pricing and all of that stuff,” she said. “That was a really good learning ground for me.”