Collections Spotlight: The Country Mouse
- Katarina Volchek
- Jun 25
- 3 min read
This beautiful stained glass sign for The Country Mouse was donated to the museum by Gilman Village founders Marvin and Ruth Mohl. While the sign’s exact origins remain a mystery, the story of The Country Mouse is not.
The Country Mouse was founded in 1971 by Betty Konarski and Marilyn Gray. It began as a short-term holiday shop called Christmas House, offering local artisans and hobbyists the chance to sell their goods on consignment. After the shop’s success, Betty and Marilyn were encouraged to open a year-round version, which they named The Country Mouse. It officially opened during Issaquah’s Salmon Days weekend in 1971. At the time, The Issaquah Press described it as “a visit into America’s past, where shoppers can examine the intricate stitches of a handmade quilt, smell the sweetness of blueberry soap, or cuddle the softness of a stuffed sunbonnet doll.”
Throughout its operation, The Country Mouse was housed in the historic Trigg House, built in 1909 by Alfred Morris and Jack Trigg. Remarkably, the house moved twice in its lifetime—first in 1932 from its original location near the creamery in downtown Issaquah to an area near 7th Avenue and Gilman Boulevard, to accommodate the creamery’s expansion. It moved again in 1972 due to commercial development, becoming the very first building in what would become Gilman Village.
Marvin and Ruth Mohl originally envisioned Gilman Village as a cluster of buildings that could serve as office space. When The Country Mouse was in search of a new location, Betty approached Marvin about relocating her shop. Inspired by Marilyn Gray’s visits to Peddler’s Village—a shopping center in Pennsylvania with interconnected shops and brick pathways—Betty suggested that Marvin could create something similar. As fate would have it, Marvin also knew of a client, Mrs. Anderson, who was looking to part with two houses. With the help of architect Rich Haag, a new idea emerged: a distinctive shopping village with historic charm and community spirit. Gilman Village opened in 1973 with four buildings.
In a letter published in The Issaquah Press, Marvin described the vision: “a place to summon forth the charm and atmosphere that we think small towns used to have—this was what Betty Konarski of The Country Mouse tried to convey to me when her place of business was being nudged aside by the modern supermarket.”
Betty wasn’t just the co-owner of The Country Mouse—she also became the unofficial first manager of Gilman Village. She helped foster the sense of community Marvin had envisioned but didn’t always know how to build. Representing Gilman Village, Betty joined the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce, the Seattle Visitor Bureau, and the East King County Visitors Bureau. Ruth Mohl credits her with playing a key role in Gilman Village’s early success.
The original country mouse sign was a wooden sign featuring an image of a mouse wearing a bonnet. The Country Mouse sign in IHM’s collection is a multi-colored stain glass piece featuring the same mouse wearing a cute bonnet. We believe this sign was made circa 1980. If you remember our Do You Know segment from the last newsletter, the object was The Country Mouse sign.
Do you remember the Country Mouse sign? Have memories you would like to share? Comment below!
Sources
IHM Oral Histories: Ruth Mohl, Robert Gray Link
The Issaquah Press, September 29, 1971, Page 4
GilmanVillage: https://www.gilmanvillage.com/about_a001.php3
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