Mineral Lake, known as the “home of the 10-pound trout,” is a hidden gem for anglers, campers and hunters nestled in the foothills some 20 miles southwest of Mount Rainier.
Whether you’re a camper, angler, hunter or one of the locals living in the town of Mineral in East Lewis County, the Mineral Lake Market has been the place to shop since 1985.
Now, it’s under new ownership, or, rather, it has been for over a year now. Having relocated to Mineral in retirement, Michael and Melody Kesl are now the new owners of the Mineral Lake Market.
Michael recently retired from a career in the U.S. Army as a major, specializing as a logistics officer after initially enlisting as a mechanic.
The Chronicle met with the Kesls on Friday, May 8, at the market.
“Camping is what brought us to Mineral, actually,” Michael said. “Camping and the love of hiking and the outdoors.”
Melody, originally from the Seattle area, is an avid hiker. Together with some of her friends, she’s training to summit Mount Rainier soon.
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Michael fell in love with the region after being stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Though his final duty station was in Alaska, the Kesls found themselves back in Washington as they both still have family in the Seattle area.
“After retirement from the military, we just talked about what we wanted to do, and here we are. A friend of ours bought the property across the street, and we’ve been coming up and hanging out, and there was a ‘for sale’ sign up (on the store),” said Michael. “We just kind of started talking about it, the sense of adventure and taking a chance.”
Prior to the Kesls, the Mineral Lake Market was owned by Chantell and Danny Suter, who purchased the business in 2018 from its founders Dick and Leslee Dunlap, as previously reported by The Chronicle.
The Dunlaps originally opened the store in 1985 in order to save themselves and their neighbors from having to drive either north to Elbe or south to Morton for groceries. Before being home to the market, the building was the location of Lil’s Cafe, along with a soda shop and watch repair business according to Dick.
Along with being a grocery store, it was also a place where the residents congregated to share stories or brag about their latest catch in the lake. In fact, when the Kesls bought the business, it came with a collection of fish-catch photos from throughout the years.
Many pictures of proud anglers holding up their catches can still be seen hung up inside the Mineral Lake Market. Michael invited anglers looking to have their new catches immortalized on the market's walls to continue dropping off pictures.
Aside from the grocery selection, Mineral Lake Market also sells angling and camping equipment, along with beer and wine. The market also has a gas pump, and a new electric vehicle charging station was also recently completed behind the market.
The Mineral Lake Market is located at 104 W. Front St. in Mineral. It is open from Wednesday through Saturday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, follow the business on its Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/bmdwzjh8.
