It’s rare that, when a business closes, a former employee can take over the space with a similar business and the past owner’s blessing, but that’s exactly what happened with the Buck’s Spices location.
When Buck’s Spices announced it was closing its physical location after 50 years, the community was heartbroken. No one more than Buck’s Spices employee Gabriel Charter. Who, as Beau Buck says, was the retail face of Buck’s Spices for six years. Not ready to say goodbye, he decided to re-open the spice shop as Olympia Spice Co., in the same retail location – 209 5th Avenue SE., Olympia.
It was actually Beau who let us know what he was up to. “Here’s a mini-scoop for you,” shared Beau. “Gabriel Charter…is likely to open up a similar store in this exact same location, at least through the end of the year. He’s fantastic, knowledgeable, and friendly. And he has my blessing. Gabe is an enthusiastic foodie and a really good shopkeeper!”
Gabriel Charter Keeps Olympia Spicy
Gabriel was no stranger to the foodie world when he started at Buck’s Spices. “Much of my professional background has revolved around food and drink, from catering in high school and running a yacht club galley in college, to working in cafes around Boston and Seattle in my 20s,” he shares. “My first lessons in shopkeeping came much earlier, being left alone from a young age behind the counter of a small-town grocery store my father owned.”
After moving to Olympia, he responded to a job posting from Buck’s Spices, “because I thought it was the most interesting, quintessentially Olympia business,” he shares. “Beau Buck, who has owned Buck’s since his mother Anne passed away in 2019, and I connected easily over our shared joy of discovering new foods. Over time, I took on more responsibility at Buck’s. If you went in there in the past few years, I was most likely the person behind the counter who waited on you.”
Gabriel loves spices. He loves how spice can elevate a meal into something “sublime,” as he puts it. “They let us travel without leaving our kitchen, help us preserve cultural food traditions, and can even connect us with historically marginalized communities outside our own experience,” Gabriel adds.
And, he thinks buying spices in person, where you can smell them, ask questions and talk to others, is one of the best parts. It’s why he decided to create Olympia Spice Co., and for him, it’s about community.
“Selfishly, it’s also more fun for me,” shares Gabriel. “I want to be there for the moment when someone smells something exciting for the first time, I like helping them scheme up how to use it, and I especially love the conversation that happens the next time, after they’ve taken the spice home and tried making something with it. I derive some of my best kitchen inspiration and product ideas from conversations in the store.”
Check Out Olympia Spice Co.
“We opened August 22 after feverishly closing out Buck’s at the end of July and giving a three-week makeover to the space, and the response was heartwarming,” shares Gabriel on re-opening. “On day one, a beloved customer brought in homemade cookies featuring our spices. So many have popped in to say that they are glad I’m sticking around. I am deeply appreciative of our community. We opened with about 70 spices on the shelves, and our selection has grown by leaps and bounds since then. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a [few] weeks.”
Gabriel says if you were a customer of Buck’s Spice, you will find Olympia Spice Co. similar, but different too. You will find many of the same basic spices, Gabriel’s takes on his own favorite blends and new products as he finds them. “I am constantly trying out new cuisines, from Persian to Georgian, and when I enjoy things, they tend to make their way onto the shelves,” he adds. Look for his special small-batch blends that will rotate out, so you can try something new!
Changes include brightening up the interior and expanding hours, making it easier for people to pop in after work. He is working on new vendors to provide the freshest spices possible. Look for an expanded selection of cookbooks, too.
If you are searching for hard-to-find spices, just ask! Gabriel has two types of high-quality saffron, including a highly fragrant new Kashmir saffron from a small, regenerative producer. He also mentions a long pepper, which he describes as “a warmer, more interesting version of pepper that dates back beyond medieval times and that many are rediscovering thanks in part to the YouTube channel Tasting History,” and the Aleppo pepper, which he says you can find recipes for recently in the New York Times cooking page.
“Folks looking for a hard-to-find spice or blend can always stop by or call and ask,” he adds. “We can often accommodate people and enjoy a challenge!”
In the future, they may hold classes or workshops – he gets asked about that a lot. They will have recipes and more on their website soon and will be participating in community events like the Arts Walk. Check out the Olympia Spice Co website and follow them on Instagram to learn about what new spices are in stock! Or, better yet, “stop by every few weeks and smell something new,” Gabriel encourages.
Olympia Spice Co.
209 5th Avenue SE., Olympia
Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.
