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There’s a little piece of Nepal in downtown Olympia.

Strolling down Fifth Avenue you may first be enticed by the mild, lovely scent of incense wafting down the street, or the prayer flags fluttering in the breeze, or the soft Nepalese music emanating from the storefront, or perhaps even the sound of the owner playing the Tibetan singing bowls.

heritage bankNo matter what draws you to Everest Sherpa Gift Shop for the first time, it will be the hospitality of the owners and the amazing array of ethically-made goods that keeps you coming back.

The downtown Olympia shop offers a variety of handcrafted goods from Nepal and Tibet at excellent prices, and, perhaps best of all, the products are purchased directly from producers who earn a fair wage. Everest Sherpa Gift Shop is co-owned by sister and brother team Sonam and Kunjang Sherpa.

everest gift shop
Sonam and Kunjang Sherpa offer Nepalese hospitality in their Olympia store. “It’s not just the mountains, it’s the people, that’s what brings a lot of people back to Nepal,” says Sonam. ©ThurstonTalk

“When people walk into our shop, we don’t just sell items, and things, we’re using our products to exchange the culture from a different part of the world. We share their stories of how they made it, where it comes from, and each handmade item in our store has a story behind it – what it means, how it’s made – from incense to prayer flags to carpets to furniture,” Sonam says. “Everything is handmade. It’s all made with natural dyes. We have handmade bags, meditation products, Tibetan carpets, and the biggest selection of incense in Olympia.”

Hospitality is a family tradition for the Sherpas, and their new store is no exception. Kunjang explains that he strives to make everyone feel welcome, whether they are shopping or just stopping by to visit. He says his favorite aspect of the business is interacting with everyone. He shares that people will often come in and be having a bad day, and after spending time at the shop they will leave happier. “They come in and they have this feeling. They feel good here. I play the singing bowls for them. It’s these small things that really make you feel happy at the end of the day. Interacting with these people every day is amazing,” he says.

everest gift shop
Kunjang Sherpa always has a story and a smile for his customers at Everest Sherpa Gift Shop. ©ThurstonTalk

Sonam explains that customers often come in to talk about their trips to Nepal, or to ask questions about the Sherpa people. “It’s a platform to be able to exchange our culture. We are originally from Nepal, we belong to the Sherpa Tribe. A lot of people have this confusion that it’s a job title, that it’s people who carry loads. Every time I have an opportunity I try and correct it. It’s actually not a job title, it’s the name of a tribe. We are the people from the Eastern side of Nepal. That particular tribe, from Everest region, is called Sherpas, and we go by our tribe name,” she says. “It is nice to be able to share our culture, who we are, where we are from, and it’s also an opportunity for us to correct the misconception.”

“My family has always been in the tourism and hospitality industry,” Sonam explains. “Our family was one of the first to start lodging business for westerners (at Everest). Prior to that people would just come stay in the houses. We were the first ones to start the lodging and trekking business.” Their grandfather, Pasang Kami Sherpa, guided many influential clients, including President Jimmy Carter, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and well known Olympia Mountaineer Willi Unsoeld.

sherpa history
Kunjang recently discovered a surprise connection. Pasang Kami Sherpa, his grandfather, guided the Unsoeld family, of Olympia, to basecamp, 60 years ago. Krag Unsoeld brought this photo album, belonging to his late father, into the store and Kunjang recognized photos of his grandfather. Photo courtesy: Krag Unsoeld.

Sonam explains that community involvement is important to the Sherpa family, and that the community has been very welcoming. “We want to be a part of the community activities, so we are participating in everything as much as we can and donating as much as we can. And people are really nice. Now we’re settled in, but in the beginning it was a nervous feeling, and everyone was really nice, most welcoming. The local people, businesses, and business owners around here are really nice. Everyone was very supportive, that was so amazing,” she says.

Sonam explains that all of the goods are directly purchased, eliminating the expensive middle man and ensuring a fair price to the producer. “It’s nice to be able to say, ok, I bought it directly from the people, they are well treated,” she says. Sonam buys many of the goods from a non-profit called EPSA, an organization that pays handicapped Nepalese women a fair wage. “They all have some sort of disability and are abandoned by their family because of the disability. In Nepal there is still a lot of stigma with disability. For me, being in health care, I thought, I want to help these people.” (Sonam also owns and operates Assured Shangri-La Adult Family Home.) These women make many of the felt and embroidered products and scarves at the store. All of the furniture is carved and hand painted by monks, and everything at Everest Sherpa Gift Shop is handmade with care.

sherpa history
Pasang Kami Sherpa, second from left, was one of the first guides in the Everest area. His grandchildren own Everest Sherpa Gift Shop. Photo courtesy: Krag Unsoeld.

Sonam encourages everyone to stop by the store and learn about Nepal. “If you want to learn about Nepal come to Everest Sherpa Gift Shop. We can give you information about languages, culture, climbing, hiking, anything in Nepal. Come pick up a prayer flag, or incense, or just come by and say hello,” she says. “A lot of people, when they smell the incense, it feels so good, and they just leave happy from the store. That’s really nice to be able to see that. That’s a good feeling, come for that.”

“If ever you want to learn about Nepal, you don’t have to Google it, just come to Everest Sherpa Gift Shop,” she says in summary.

Everest Sherpa Gift Shop
109 5th Ave SW in Olympia
360-943-9492
Open Monday – Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday from 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

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