The Burton Store: Coy Meredith and Sandy Mattara

By Bruce Haulman and Terry Donnelly

This month, Sandy Mattara is leaving the Burton Store after 40 years, 10 months
of ownership and turning the store over to new owner Craig Pratt. Sandy is the
longest serving proprietor of the Burton Store, officially known as Harbor
Mercantile. Coy Meredith, who owned the store for 21-years from 1924 to 1945,
is the next longest serving owner, and they both became fixtures of the Burton
community during their long tenures at the store.

Howard Stone built the store in 1907. and it opened in 1908 as Burton Trading
Company operated by Dave Gammel. Burton was an important town on Vashon,
with daily ferry service to Tacoma, a post office, and numerous small businesses.
It remained the major town on the Island until automobiles, better roads, and the
North End ferry dock led to Vashon taking over as the major commercial center
in the decade following the opening of the store.

Dave Gammel operated the store for 7-years, followed by W.C. Whitfield’s 10-
years ownership, Coy Meredith’s 21-year ownership, Rex Bowen’s 9-year
ownership, Jack and Bertha Stephenson’s 11-year ownership, Judy and David
Joseph’s 2-year ownership, and Sandy’s over 40-year ownership.
The exterior of the store has been largely unchanged since it was built in 1907. In
1908-09 the shed roof extension on the backside of the building and the flat
roofed service station on the south side were added. In 1947 the flat roofed
addition on the south side was extended the length of the building to create the
cold storage area. The interior layout has seen the most dramatic changes
although the traditional general store aspect of the store has never changed.
When Sandy Mattara took over in 1977 she repainted the building, added
shutters to the windows, and installed the current scroll and sign. Craig does not
intend to make any changes to the store at this point, and we should expect that
if he can be as successful as Sandy has been, he will become an equally
important fixture of the Burton community and the Burton Store will continue to
serve as the community’s social center, just as it has under Sandy for the last 40-
years.
1920s Store Photograph – VMIHM
1920s Coy Meredith Photograph - VMIHM
2010 Store Photograph – Terry Donnelly
2010 Sandy Mattara Photograph – Terry Donnelly