PHOTOS BY MEGHAN ERKKINEN

Katie Flannigan of Reservation Outpost expanded her family’s smoke shop four years ago. Now, she caters to Fife-area workers and residents looking for lunch or basic groceries.

Tribal member caters to many needs

By Meghan Erkkinen

Tribal member Katie Flannigan went to California for college to escape the family business. But years later, she not only works there, she owns it.

Katie Flannigan’s mother opened Reservation Outpost, located on 54th Avenue in Fife, in 1977 as a smoke shop. Today, the store supplies a wide variety of basic groceries and deli foods to everyone from Fife residents looking for basic supplies to Port of Tacoma longshore workers looking for a bite to eat.

Katie Flannigan took over the store 13 years ago after her mother fell ill. Since then, she has turned the 700-square-foot smoke shop into a 4,000-square-foot Northwest lodge-style convenience store and deli. This month marks the fourth anniversary of the opening of the refurbished store.

“I felt there was a need in the Fife area for a little market and deli that was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support all the people who come to work on a daily basis,” Katie Flannigan said. “And, we saw a need for the local community to have a place to get their basic grocery needs.”

The store provides a variety of grocery items, from milk, eggs and bread to pet food, charcoal and paper towels. It also offers drive-thru espresso, a deli lunch counter, beer and wine, box lunch catering and seasonal fireworks.

“The challenge has been coming up with the right mix of products and services to suit the needs of the people,” Katie Flannigan said. Because many of her customers are truck drivers, Katie Flannigan also supplies fax and copy services.

But the big-gest challenge is getting the word out about what Reservation Outpost really is. Many people, even members of the area business community, don’t know what the store provides. Many believe it’s a sit-down restaurant, or that it still relies mostly on tobacco sales.

In her first-ever attempt at advertising widely, Katie Flannigan plans to promote her store by telling residents, “Yes, you can buy groceries in Fife.” Katie Flannigan recognizes the challenge posed to residents who don’t have a large grocery store nearby.

“We try to pick up a little bit of the slack on that,” she said.

Since Reservation Outpost re-opened, the business has grown tremendously, according to Katie Flannigan. The store averages about 2,000 customers a day.

Susan Shrebes, who has worked at Reserva-tion Outpost for about 22 years – and watched Flannigan grow up – can attest to the growth of the store.

“It’s just gotten bigger and bigger,” she said. “It’s been really great. You’ve gone from this tiny place…We could see the potential.”

Since the small smoke shop opened in 1977, the business has been a family affair.

“There’s a lot of family involvement,” Katie Flannigan said. “It really is a family undertaking, making this place what it is.”

She and her husband designed the new building, and her husband and father-in-law constructed it. Her brother handled the interior design and merchandising. Her brother continues to work with her, running her fireworks business.

Katie Flannigan is also very involved in the Fife area business community. She has been a member of the Fife Area Chamber of Commerce for four years and served on its board of directors for two.

“I love it,” she said of her involvement. “Being a part of the board of directors has been really a fun way to get to know many of the other businesses in the community. Everyone really works together to help each other do well…It really is a tight-knit group.”

As for the future, Katie Flannigan hopes to duplicate the outpost in another port or industrial area, where she’s found a good niche.

“We’re not Starbucks,” she said. “We’re more of a casual, homey (place).”

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