Discover Walla Walla

Walla Walla is my home town. I was born and raised here. I have seen the best and the worst of this valley.  As a little girl, I remember when downtown Walla Walla was the heart and pride of our community.  It was a gathering place with cafes and locally owned businesses.  Then the malls came to town and our “heart” was broken for over two decades. Empty buildings, obsolete store fronts and our pride diminished.

Once again, we are strong and we have the wineries and tourism to thank for it. Wineries bring tourism and tourism brings retail specialty shops and places to dine. And if you add all of these components together – they bring employment.

Wineries need employees, but they also rely on services from other local businesses such as banks, attorneys, advertisers, computer techs, office supplies, lawn and ag services, food and catering, automotive repair, electricians, plumbers to name a few.  Wineries create tourism and tourists need gasoline, food and accommodations.

The Marcus Whitman Hotel is one of many accommodations in the area and a large employer creating jobs from wait staff, housekeeping, maintenance and even their own staff that keeps the furniture repaired and upholstered. The hotel provides employment almost 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And it wasn't always that way. I hear many people yammer on about how they want Walla Walla back to the way it "use to be." When? Back in the 1970-80's when the downtown was full of empty out-dated store fronts and the Marcus Whitman Hotel was on its way to have a date with the wrecking ball? In 1999, Kyle Mussman and company bought the historic structure. The building was restored, expanded and once again, the Marcus Whitman Hotel is the way it "use to be" providing more jobs than ever.

Besides creating jobs, Walla Walla wineries give back to the community. They donate money and product to our many local charities. You can bet if there is a fund raising campaign or a charity event, several wineries are going to be there supporting the cause.

Every bottle of wine that is sold in the city or county of Walla Walla is charged a revenue tax, as well as tax is charged on prepared food and lodging. There are a lot of bottles of wine being sold that the city and county of Walla Walla are benefiting from.

Wineries and tourism have given us a new sense of community and whether you drink wine or not, everyone is benefitting.