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Wilkeson, Washington — The holidays have hijacked the Simple Goodness Soda Shop, a family friendly cocktail cafe in Wilkeson, WA, with this year looking jollier than ever for the annual holiday tradition- despite a town in crisis. This year’s plans may come as a surprise in a year that has rocked the small town, after the permanent closure of the Fairfax bridge in April reduced tourism and business revenue by up to 50%. Residents and business owners are concerned about the future viability of the town’s commercial district. Yet, the sister-owners of the Simple Goodness Soda Shop are determined to go out on a high note, festooned in red, green, and candy canes, before their 2025 season ends in December.
“The reality is that with the bridge down and our tourism traffic gone, we cannot continue to operate our farm to glass Soda Shop in the same way next season (the shop typically opens annually in May and closes in December.) This has been a really hard year. This tradition is one the whole staff looks forward to and we decided instead of quitting early, we’d lean into the joy, and will bring our community something bigger and better than ever- one last holiday hurrah,” said owner Belinda Kelly.
The Simple Goodness Sisters present Holiday Hootenany, a holiday cafe complete with a limited time, pop up menu of festive cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks, over the top Christmas decor and family friendly activities ranging from daily snowfall in the Christmas tree lot just out the bar’s back door (shoppers can sip on house made eggnog or a pink and sparkly Holly Dolly Christmas cocktail while comparing tree heights and branch lushness), free holiday movies in the dining room on Sunday afternoons, Kid’s Crafternoons on Saturdays, a Great British (By Way of Wilkeson) Bake Off Gingerbread Competition (winner gets a free Christmas dinner presented by Washington agriculture) and a Maker’s Market (see full list of events below.)
In the tradition of cult favorite holiday pop up bars like Miracle on 2nd Street by Rob Roy in Seattle, and the Jingle Jangle pop up pub found at the Dead Rabbit in Chicago, the Simple Goodness Soda Shop will transform its menu and ambiance to all things Christmas for a few short weeks. Running from Thanksgiving weekend, November 29th through December 21st, the Simple Goodness Soda Shop will become a holiday haven.
Look for a Hootenanny food and drink menu of cheekily named new inventions and classic Christmas cocktails made from scratch with local produce and harvests from the Simple Goodness Cocktail Farm. There’s the annual tradition of the housemade hot buttered rum, with a take-home mix you can purchase to make more at home, and the Home for the Holidays on the Ranch to Find Love, “a pumpkin and bourbon whiskey sour cocktail with Hallmark movie vibes,” says Kelly, and made with roasted Four Elements sugar pie pumpkins and 2Bar Spirits Bourbon, a woman-owned distillery in Seattle, WA. Attendees of all ages can sip on festive, scratch made cocoa and cocktails, comfort food specials, and soak up the Christmas spirit in the vibrant lights and ribbons covered dining room while writing letters to Santa.
Last year’s Christmas trees sold out so a presale is being offered for pick up beginning on Saturday, November 29th.
The future of the Soda Shop beyond December remains unknown, but spirits are high leading up to Holiday Hootenanny, despite this.
Hootenanny Events:
Open weekly Saturdays 9- 8 pm, Sunday 9 to 5 pm
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About Simple Goodness Sisters: A recipe for success
Founded in 2018, sisters Belinda Kelly and Venise Cunningham left the corporate world to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship. Using regenerative agriculture practices on their 10-acre family farm at the foothills of Mount Rainier, WA, Simple Goodness Sisters produces all natural, preservative-free drink syrups, and welcomes visitors to their Soda Shop in Wilkeson, WA. For more information and photography follow @simplegoodnesssisters and visit http://www.simplegoodnesssisters.com.
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