The owners of Merchant Ranches arrived in Grand County in 2022 seeking a better place to raise their family. Now, their investment in a blossoming business park is helping build community in Tabernash where they recently opened a roadside general store known as ‘Nash Mtn Market.

By transforming the site where the IgadI cannabis grow center once operated, and before that Highland Lumber, the Merchants are providing a communal space where other business owners can operate and thrive in Fraser Valley. While at least 10 other businesses have moved into the park since January, the Merchants have been focused on bringing ‘Nash Mtn Market to life.

Since a soft opening in April, the store offers freshly made sandwiches, prepared food, produce, coffee and other products, providing Tabernash locals and those passing by on U.S. Highway 40 an option to pick up what they need, chat with their neighbors or grab a cup of joe, socialize and feel part of something bigger.

The current store hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Background and career

Originally hailing from Vermont, Dan Merchant went to college at Texas A&M for engineering and began his career in south Texas. He attended college in Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets where he lived in a decommissioned naval destroyer that was parked next to campus in the Houston Ship Channel.

Graduating with an industrial engineering degree just as the 2008 financial crisis hit, Merchant found himself in deeper waters than he felt prepared for. There were no firms hiring, and Merchant began to worry about his future. Fortunately, CLEAResult, an energy program consultant, came around and hired Merchant — their first intern from the previous summer.

Merchant, one of 14 employees when he was hired, stayed with the firm for the first six years of his career. During his tenure, CLEAResult grew from 14 employees to more than 3,000. Merchant credits his early experience at CLEAResult with teaching him many lessons.

Carrie went to college at Villanova University and received her master’s in marketing and data analytics from Northwestern University. She worked for a variety of finance and tech companies, including VRBO, SolarWinds and Anaplan, with a focus on marketing and customer success.

“I don’t miss,” she quipped in a recent interview with Sky-Hi News.

Dan and Carrie first met at a dinner party in Houston. While it took over a year for the initial spark to bloom into a lasting relationship, an “extended courtship” eventually led to their small wedding on a bat tour boat under Congress Bridge. They now live in Tabernash with their seven-year-old daughter, Neve.

Transition to entrepreneurs

For years, the Merchants were committed to their careers. Being there for CLEAResult’s beginning — which landed it on Inc.’s list of fastest-growing companies in 2010, 2011 and 2012 — required extensive energy and effort from Dan. As a devoted road warrior, seven-hour drives across the state took their toll, and he began to look beyond the Texas horizon.

In his late 20s, having been committed to paying down his student debt, and careful not to take on more by living modestly, Merchant bought a house in Austin that was foreclosed on. He leased out multiple rooms as he fixed it up. Selling the house for modest equity, he founded Aiqueous which specializes in providing software solutions for water utilities.

Able to raise $250,000 from multiple investors, Merchant grew Aiqueous into a healthy company. The challenge of building it kept him busy until he sold it in 2019, when he and Carrie decided to start a family. Seeking an area with four seasons, they moved to Colorado and settled on the Front Range in Boulder.

Moving to Colorado and Grand County

The Front Range presented its own challenges. The couple began the process of buying a house but met stiff resistance and backed off to focus on family. Eventually, their landlord notified them the house was needed back, forcing them to re-enter Colorado’s housing market.

They secured a house, but challenges persisted. With help from family and friends, Merchant renovated the kitchen in the final two weeks before their daughter was born. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a broken water line revealed an asbestos lining. The 2021 King Soopers shooting at their local supermarket and the fallout from the pandemic prompted Merchant to rethink his social contract with the community.

When the Marshall Fire in 2021 came within two miles of their house, they nearly lost their dogs after the boarding shelter they used burned down during evacuation. The fire also partially destroyed the daycare their daughter attended. As a salve, the family began spending time in Grand County and visited Granby Ranch for the Fourth of July. The parade, Flying Heels Rodeo and community pancake breakfasts endeared them further to the area.

Originally looking for a cabin as a retreat, the Merchants decided to buy a home in Grand and hosted friends there daily for six months. Because securing childcare was a challenge until their daughter started at Fraser Elementary, they resisted becoming full-time residents, but ultimately couldn’t resist the High Country community. They moved here full-time in 2022.

A new community hub

Merchant Ranches opened in January and now houses local businesses including Crossfit Soulshine Tabernash, Bishop Built Construction, The Church Project, Grand County Wildfire Council, Matt Shea, CPA, Grand County Landscaping, Steelog, Strategic Fabrication and and Sky-Hi News.

Nash Mtn Market opened in April.

“Our traffic keeps picking up,” said Carrie. “Most of our customers are locals, which is what we are built for. And now tourists are stopping to stop by, too.”

The small business currently employs two chefs. Tammy Reno of Mountain Goat Co. provides prepared dinners and lunches, wraps, salads and pre-made meals for four to six people. Lizzie Clark, who owns Sweetpea and Thyme, is a trained chef from Chicago who focuses on healthier grab-and-go options. 

The couple plans to begin offering preordering and business-to-business catering options this fall. They are hiring new staff to help with a variety of tasks in anticipation of a grand opening party in September, which will include all the businesses in Merchant Ranches.

“We’ve lived up the street up here for four years now. I think the hardest part is everything is so remote,” Carrie said. “Sometimes you have to drive 20 miles to get some basic supplies. We saw the space and realized there is a need we can serve and be a nice middle point for some essentials. Married with my dream to have some sort of bakery, it all fits together quite organically.”

While the early success of the contemporary general store is encouraging, the true silver lining has been the sense of community Nash Mtn Market has created. It’s quickly becoming the social hub of Tabernash as locals and visitors alike stop by to grab a snack, a last-minute dinner or simply to chit-chat for five minutes, or an hour.

“We are building a market to serve everyone,” Carrie said. “It’s basically a convenience store; you come in to get what you need. Some people come for hours just to talk to us, just see how you’re doing. I think having that sense of community is the real joy.”