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Local couple relocates shop to downtown Newport
NEWPORT — Heavenly Huckleberry Tea. Smokin Huckleberry Rub. Smashburger Seasoning. Muddy Bigfoot Brew. Butter Beer Tea. Perfect Potato Seasoning.
These are just a few of the most popular offerings at Inland Empire Spice and Tea, a spice and tea shop that recently relocated to 321 W. First Street in Newport. Owned by wife-husband duo Searri and Keven Shipman, Inland Empire opened here in May after operating in Spokane for about five years. The Shipmans, of Usk, chose Newport because of its proximity to their hometown.
“We were able to relocate up here to Newport out of Spokane to save some money,” Searri said. “And, frankly, I’d rather be up in our local community.”
The Shipmans both work full time in Spokane — Searri as an accountant, Keven as a programmer. It took them up to two years just to build Inland Empire’s framework, from recipe-making to manufacturing and accounting, Keven said. He and Searri credit her father as a source of encouragement, as well as some financial help.
“We pretty much started it from scratch with very, very little,” Searri said. “We have done all this ourselves — blood, sweat and tears.”
Opening a spice and tea shop was always a dream of theirs, the Shipmans said. They share a mutual appreciation for spices and teas, which Keven said originated with Searri.
“There’s a better way of saying it, but there’s so much garbage in foods nowadays,” Searri said.
Healthy eating, regardless of age, is a Shipman tenet.
Searri and Keven pride themselves on curating spices and teas without additives or other unhealthy ingredients, with over 90% of their stock remaining additive-free. They are even formulating their own ranch, sour cream and onion and Deep Heat seasoning — a process they said takes trial and error.
Their stock also includes various garlic chips: roasted garlic cloves topped with Inland Empire seasoning.
“We get organic when we can,” Searri said. “But spices are a global market. And to get organic- certified, there’s a lot of places that won’t go through the hassle.”
Besides spices and teas, she and Keven offer custom blending and packaging services, which are utilized by customers like Island Style Grill and The Lantern Restaurant in Spokane. To fulfill bulk orders, they make hours-long trips to one of their wholesalers in Seattle.
While not a service or product, recipes that complement certain offerings are featured on Inland Empire’s website, such as butter chicken and jalapeño poppers.
“There’s so many additives and things that are just not healthy in the foods,” Searri said. “This was our way of helping fix that, making things available.”
Inland Empire still has a presence at Scale House Market, The Kitchen Engine, Spokane Olive Oil and The Artisans Guild in Spokane, vending at markets, fairs, festivals and other events across the region.
Its Newport location is only open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, the Shipmans plan to expand their hours on Black Friday weekend and select evenings. On Halloween, Searri will hand out coupons for in-store and online use, along with candy.
“We’ll have some decor to get everyone’s attention,” Searri said.
For updates, visit Inland Empire’s website at inlandempirespice.com or follow it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn or Pinterest.
