History Comes Alive At Whiskey Hill Store And Suite

By Guest Author: Matt Wastradowski

It’s almost impossible to say what might have happened to the Whiskey Hill Store if Amy Lenhardt’s brother hadn’t gotten curious on the way to the airport.

It was 2017 when Amy and Darryl Lenhardt, both living on the East Coast at the time, returned to their native Willamette Valley for a family wedding. At the end of the trip, Amy’s brother took the husband-and-wife team to the airport — but got curious along the way and veered off course to see what had become of the dilapidated marketplace less than 10 miles south of Canby.

What they saw broke their hearts. It seemed as if a strong breeze could have toppled the former two-room schoolhouse. “The building was in horrible disrepair,” Amy says today. “I am not sure if there was any electricity going to the building. There were coolers, but they weren’t cold. Everything was very dirty and rotten, and the floors were falling apart.”

It shook Amy and Darryl to their core. Darryl’s family had been in the area for more than a century, his father had gone to school in the building, and Amy had grown up nearby. They both had a deep connection to the schoolhouse and store and didn’t want to see it deteriorate further.

Once in need of repair, the Whiskey Hill Store now serves as a café and guest rental in the Willamette Valley.

Rather than let the building fade into history, Amy and Darryl decided to do something about it. On their way home, they saw where the building was facing foreclosure. That set in motion a two-year journey that saw them purchase the 1926 Craftsman bungalow in 2019. From there, they spent nearly four years renovating every square inch of the building — eventually restoring the schoolhouse-turned-store to its former glory and working its rich history into every nook and cranny. The Whiskey Hill Store reopened its doors in early 2023, and the upstairs Mountainview Suite welcomes visitors from around the world with country-inspired charm to spare.

On a recent afternoon, I learned about the building’s surprising past and exciting present from Amy and Darryl — and stayed that night in the comfortable suite. Here’s a bit about the Whiskey Hill Store: how it survived decades of neglect, how the Lenhardts brought it back to life, what to expect from a stay today, and what to do in the surrounding Willamette Valley.

When it was built in 1926, the earliest incarnation of the Whiskey Hill Store was actually a two-room schoolhouse that resided across the street — where Ninety-One School sits today. (Why was it named Whiskey Hill? According to Amy, legend has it that there was a fully functioning still in the nearby forest during Prohibition — parts of which Darryl’s father claims to have found in childhood.)

The building was moved to its current location in 1949, at which point it lived several, progressively more depressing lives as a residence and convenience store. After first seeing the barely functioning shop in 2017, the Lenhardts purchased it in 2019. “At that point, it was basically a tear-down,” Amy says.

Along with friends and family, the Lenhardts spent more than three years breathing new life into the building. They removed a garbage pile that measured six feet high and 20 feet across, developed a patio, took out a row of coolers that had blocked the massive windows (which had been boarded up for decades), installed siding that came from a cedar tree growing on the property, laid down flooring that had been reclaimed from a nearby grange, and the list goes on. Eventually, the Whiskey Hill Store welcomed its first customers in January 2023 and is once again a fully restored, thoughtfully decorated community hub.

The Mountainview Suite offers views of three peaks in the Cascade Mountains.

The Mountainview Suite followed. The Lenhardts had welcomed visitors into their home via Airbnb back on the East Coast and wanted to offer a similar experience in their new venture. The upstairs suite was designed to reflect its rural surroundings — and Amy says it resonates with guests from all walks of life. “When they come here, they sense a very calming and peaceful spirit,” she says. “People love coming out and just experiencing the beauty of it.”

Today, elements of local history show up in ways big and small throughout the building. That includes vintage signs recalling its initial iterations as a shop and community center — and a teacher’s desk positioned where the Lenhardts believe it might have been roughly a century ago.

Whiskey Hill’s place in the community goes far beyond its physical location or vintage flourishes. A variety of events attract locals and visitors alike year-round, with a busy calendar that includes trivia nights, farmers markets, arts-and-crafts fairs, a summertime Marionberry Festival (with live music, special food items, giveaways, family activities and more), and a Summer Luau that features plate lunches, island-inspired drinks and desserts, lawn games, and a photo booth.

On the first floor, the Whiskey Hill Store’s curated market sells snacks, beer, wine, candles, hand-crafted gifts and branded merchandise.

The market also doubles as a relaxing café. Choose among a bagel sandwich, breakfast burrito, avocado toast, and other light bites for breakfast — or a few burgers, sandwiches, and soup for lunch. It’s all prepared with produce that’s grown on-site (including kale, lettuce, snow peas, raspberries, cherries, and strawberries) or sourced from a nearby farm. The dishes all pair well with an espresso, coffee beverage, tea or soda from the cooler. Enjoy your meal or snack in the airy café space, where the building’s mostly original windows let in plenty of natural light or on the patio just outside.

The café is serves wonderful dishes for breakfast and lunch.

Upstairs, the east-facing Mountainview Suite likewise revels in the property’s historic charm — complete with doors crafted from reclaimed old-growth Douglas fir, vintage furnishings, and regionally inspired artwork depicting Oregon landmarks. Kick back on the comfortable bed or in the sitting area, which comes outfitted with a pair of cozy chairs. On a clear day, views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson tower over the Cascade Range foothills to the east.

If you’re looking for adventure beyond the store, plenty of stops showcase the Willamette Valley’s variety of highlights.

The region lays claim to a world-class wine scene. Savor a few sips at the Old World–inspired St. Josef’s Winery (whose tasting room resembles an Italian villa and whose spacious outdoor seating areas look out over an on-site pond) and the family-run Whiskey Hill Winery — where you can sip Pinot Noir just a few feet away from where the wine grapes were grown.

In late spring, summer, and early fall, continue tasting the bounty of the region at a number of u-pick farms — where you can pluck produce straight from the bush. Depending on when you visit and what’s in season, South Barlow Berries offers u-pick opportunities that may include strawberries, marionberries, boysenberries, raspberries and blueberries. Nearby, the wide-ranging u-pick selection at Morning Shade Farm encompasses several types of blueberries, Asian pears, apples and even kiwis.

Getting hungry? A few local eateries showcase livestock, dairy products, fruits and vegetables that are produced in the surrounding Willamette Valley. The historic Markum Inn has been going for more than a century; in its current iteration, the roadhouse specializes in fire-grilled steaks, wood-fired pizzas and hearty sandwiches — all crafted with fresh, local ingredients whenever possible. On weekends, TMK Creamery slings macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, squeaky curds, milkshakes and other items that use milk produced by the creamery’s so-called “cowlebrities.”

If you time your visit right, Amy says the Whiskey Hill Suite is a popular stay for visitors to annual festivals that take place in spring and summer. The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, where thousands of tulips erupt in dozens of colorful hues between March and April, is less than five minutes away. In the heart of summer, the Swan Island Dahlia Festival — where more than 375 varieties of the namesake flower bloom in a kaleidoscope of dazzling colors — is only about 10 miles north.