Spokane artist Corinna Ren opens the PNW Dream storefront in River Park Square

Amy Edelen, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·3 min read

Sep. 14—When Spokane artist Corinna Ren founded the PNW Dream in 2018, she sought to create a clothing brand that celebrated her passion for nature and the region where she grew up.

She began by selling the PNW Dream's handmade nature-inspired apparel, art prints and stickers online and at area events.

Ren has expanded the brand into a brick-and-mortar store at 808 W. Main Ave., Suite 223, in River Park Square.

"Our goal with this store is to give back to the city that gave me my start," Ren said. "The store is our love letter to the Lilac City. It still has its Pacific Northwest element because that's the main part of the company, but we're going to continue to bring in more stuff that celebrates everything we love about Spokane."

Ren designs the patterns for the PNW Dream's products, in addition to sewing its apparel, including T-shirts, dresses, children's clothing, hoodies and shorts.

"We have a range of products from newborn to adult sizes," she said. "I'm hoping now that I'm in a space where I have the capacity to produce more, I can bring in more styles, different cuts of dresses and things that people might want to wear to keep it interesting."

Ren's idea for a clothing brand was sparked by a desire to expand her fine arts background into design. She learned to sew clothing and transfer her art onto apparel. From there, she launched the PNW Dream.

"I wanted to create a company that represented what would be the Pacific Northwest dream of being connected to nature and bringing that connection to people through art that you can wear," she said.

Ren inquired about operating a temporary kiosk at River Park Square and that led to an opportunity, for a storefront she said.

"It was an opportunity I couldn't say no to and so I was very excited," she said. "We had a really short window to throw it all together, but we did. We're here and it's really exciting."

Since opening in August, the PNW Dream's apparel has been popular among customers.

"It's been really well received," Ren said of the PNW Dream's storefront. "As an artist, this is why I do what I do — for people to be able to enjoy it."

Last year, Ren partnered with Spokane-based printmaking artist Reinaldo Zambrano to create three Lilac City-themed graphic tees, which are sold at the PNW Dream's store.

"I would love to take this opportunity I've been given to bring in other people every once in a while, which is why we've also brought in some guest artists, so they can test out their products and get their work out there," she said. "Collaborating with people, and sharing opportunity and art has always been something really important to me."

The PNW Dream is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with plans to add employees and potentially expand hours in the future.

"Having done this for a few years, I've heard a lot about what's missing, what people are asking for and what they'd love to see," Ren said. "I'd love to be able to fill in those gaps and bring some of those cool things to Spokane."