The Ruston Carriage House
What is the Ruston Carriage House?
Located across the street from the Wren & Willow showroom on North Pearl Street, the Carriage House will be a 21,000 sq. ft. multi-use building. The ground floor will host an exclusively gluten-free bakery, a mercantile shop, and a community area with comfortable seating, fireplaces, and an ambience we know you will love.
The additional floors will be home to our new Wren & Willow office and urban living units.
The rooftop will be a public space that we are creating for our community to share. It has a spectacular panoramic view of the Puget Sound where you can see the Vashon ferry, Commencement Bay, Mt. Rainier and more. Our invitation will be for you to take your delicious baked goods and coffee up and enjoy a relaxing time taking in the sights. The rooftop will also be a rentable public event space for special occasions, company gatherings, and other events.
The exterior is nearly complete while we continue working on the interior.
What can we build for you?
Cliff Kendall, Wren & Willow's General Manager, and Tom Motland, Senior Project Manager, supervise the project.
The exterior is nearly complete while we continue working on the interior.
Click the arrows to view more photos.
What is a carriage house?
A carriage house is an outbuilding traditionally used to house horse-drawn carriages and tack, which includes saddles, stirrups, bridles, and other equipment for horses and similar animals. While they were originally found on farmland estates, they eventually began to be built in cities as well, where their design and architecture were adapted for more urban settings.
These urban carriage houses, found mostly in the Northeastern United States and parts of Western Europe, inspired our design for the Ruston Carriage House.
An example of the style of carriage house that helped inspire our design.
We are very proud to be constructing the Carriage House in Ruston, Washington. Ruston is a peaceful town with a long, rich history, so we wanted to honor that history with the design and architecture of our new building. We wanted it to look, from day one, like it was plucked from the pages of Ruston’s storied history.
We thought there was no better way to do this than designing it in the style of an old urban carriage house, complete with timeless brick architecture and custom iron work that will live on to stand the test of time.
Why did we choose this design?
Wren's Nest Baking Co.
There is nothing like a warm, fresh-baked pastry out of the oven or the sweet aroma of cakes, cookies, and bread being baked before sunrise. Sadly, those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease rarely get to take part in this wonderful experience. We want to change that.
Our goal is to make delicious, fresh baked goods for everyone in our community, including those with food sensitivities and allergies. That is why we are starting Wren’s Nest Baking Co.
We have been working with a team of bakers, tasters, and consultants to make the food and experience at Wren’s Nest Baking Co. second to none. Thanks to this team, we have built a menu of baked items that are absolutely delicious: kolaches, cakes, bread, muffins, and much more. They are so good, you might not believe they are gluten-free. But you will have to come and see for yourself!
Whether you are on a gluten-free diet or not, we cannot wait for you to try them and come back again and again!
Willow Branch Mercantile Co.
We are very excited for our community to spend time at Willow Branch Mercantile Co.! It will be a shopping experience unlike any other in Tacoma. There will be so much for everyone to enjoy, including the kids. Like everything at the Carriage House, the time you spend at Willow Branch will be immersive, unique, and fun!
We're excited to share more details soon. Keep an eye on this page for updates in the near future.
What's next?
Constructing a building of this size has been a long and rewarding process. After years of dreaming, planning, financing, and lots of praying, we are amazed and incredibly grateful for how far the Carriage House has come! You can reference the timeline on this page that features some milestones we have reached so far and what is coming up next. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!