Trading Company Stores Celebrate
One Year After Expanding to Spokane

If it seems like Trading Company Stores have popped up everywhere, you’re right.
Five Trading Company Stores are now active in our region. Just over a year ago, co-owners, Paul Matejovsky and Gary Morgan brought “new life” to three old Tidyman’s stores and kept over 250 jobs.

“Going from two stores to five overnight created some serious transitional issues,” said Gary. “Our first priority was to keep the staff in place. We wanted the long-time customers to still see familiar faces, and we didn’t want to lose the employee’s years of experience,” said Paul.

Key to their philosophy is their hands on approach. The two owners are in each store weekly. This enables them to interact with the customers and employees directly.
“As a local, independent grocery store chain” Gary continues “we feel it’s our obligation to hear and respond to our customers’ needs.” This philosophy extends to the products they sell. They meet with all the vendors personally to ensure their standards for quality are met.

The history of this partnership first began when the two met while Paul was working regionally with Super Valu, and Gary was working for Steins IGA in Rathdrum. Eventually they decided they could combine their expertise and create a store designed to respond more quickly to customer desires than traditional national chains.

In 1994, Matejovsky and Morgan bought the Bargain Giant in Bonner’s Ferry and changed the name to Boundary Trading Company Store. Five years later, they bought the Excel in Cheney which they renamed Cheney Trading Company Store.

In 2006 they purchased three remaining Tidyman’s stores bringing their total to five. These stores were in Post Falls, Latah Creek and Sprague & McDonald in the Spokane Valley.