New owners want to see it last another hundred years

IMNAHA — The new owners of the Imnaha Store and Tavern are hoping to see it last into its second hundred years in the “Palm Springs of Wallowa County,” Corey Lafavre said.

She and her husband, Rick Lafavre, took over operation of the store, restaurant and tavern Jan. 18 following up on her years of experience in restaurants in Western Oregon.

Upon hearing the Imnaha establishment was up for sale, she decided “It’s kind of a good fit. I live only 5 miles down the road. I was semi-retired and now I’m not semi-retired anymore and back to working seven days a week. I realized that’s what this place needs.”

Cory Lafavre said it was more than just taking over a landmark business.

“I felt it was a calling, almost, that I needed to take on this project and do it for the community and make it better,” she said. “I saw it was so horribly run down.”

The roof needed to be replaced, she said, the fence was falling over, and the building was sinking into the ground.

“We had to jack it up and work on the basement and the floors,” she said. “There was so much that needed to be done to this place to the infrastructure.”

The store also has history tied to the Imnaha community.

“It’s been here since 1904 and if somebody didn’t come in and put some money and some work into it, she wasn’t going to stand for another hundred years, so I felt this was a calling that my husband and I needed to do this,” she said. “I think it’s the oldest tavern in all of Wallowa County.”

She said it was originally built in 1898 and is the second Imnaha Store.

“The first was built in 1898 and was burned down in 1901 by the town ladies because of moonshine,” she said. “Their men were down here drinking moonshine.”

That was before Prohibition, which started in 1920. But there’s more to Imnaha than just the store.

“There are so many cool things about it. This has the deepest gorge in North America at 7,350 feet, the gateway down to Hells Canyon,” Corey said. “There’s some really cool history and geographic stuff.”

And she doesn’t want to see the store wither away.

“There is so much history down here I want (the store) to stand for another 100 years,” she said.

Rick is an integral part of the store, helping with the refurbishment. He owns and operates Renaissance Design Fabrication and Powder Coating that opened in Joseph in May 2021.

Rick’s business, while at first he was uncertain he’d be able to find enough qualified employees, is going well. He has 15-16 workers and the shop brings about $1 million a year in business into the county.

“It’s growing a bit. We’re pretty much the go-to guys for fabricating and powder coating,” he said. “It’s still tough. It’s taking time, but it’s growing.”

Rick is helping by either doing it himself or acquiring local contractors to do the work on the store.

Corey is focused largely on the store’s menu. For now, it’s mostly burgers and sandwiches. She hopes to expand it to add dinner entrees, such as meat loaf, spaghetti and possibly prime rib. So far, they’ve found their “Taco Tuesdays” are a big hit.

“It’s really starting to grow,” she said.

She also plans to expand the store part of the establishment, which now carries basic necessities — and can cater to special orders.

Corey tries to share the wealth by purchasing foodstuffs from local farmers, such as tomatoes and peppers. She’s even considering buying beef from area ranchers.

The Lafavres are installing a more modern kitchen to replace the old “sweatbox” galley that served the store for years. Daughter Brittney Lafavre , who does much of the cooking, said the galley is quite uncomfortable to work in and looks forward to the new kitchen.

But Corey’s mom is one of the real stars. She makes many of the desserts.

“Mom’s cookies and coffee cake are amazing, as is her key lime pie, Corey said. “And there’s her secret carrot cake recipe. … She’s just killing it with that carrot cake and the coffee cake.”

Unlike many businesses in such a tourism-oriented area, the Imnaha Store and Tavern stays open year around, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

Corey said she expects to continue to operate the store and tavern for another decade. Then she’ll have to find someone else to take it into the second century.

“I’m going to give it 10 years of my life and we’ll see, then maybe I’ll slow down and retire,” she said.