When you enter the Sunflower Gallery on Main Street in Thompson Falls, you are met with a variety of intriguing sights and smells. The handcrafted products are displayed in the various rooms of the two-story building. You can find just about anything from the 18 different vendors that supply the gallery. Wendy Blanks, who has been a vender for two and a half years, enjoys being able to display her products where people are able to pick them up and experience the scents of her soaps, perfumes and aroma therapies first hand, aside from selling solely on an online platform. Kathryn Rodriguez joined the Sunflower Gallery last August and also enjoys being a part of the co-op community where she is able to stock with her tote bags, purses and ornaments.

Those who are interested in becoming a vendor can fill out an application. The application requires a description of your handcrafted work, and it outlines what is required of the individual vendors. Once you have expressed your interest and turned in the application, you will be invited to the next monthly board meeting where you will meet with the current vendors, who all make up the board, and present the products you wish to sell.

Additionally, to be featured in the Sunflower Gallery, each vendor works as a team to maintain the building, and volunteer hours to work the store. There is a monthly membership fee of $50, which includes the rental and gallery fees. Vendors are also required to work in the gallery a minimum of 1.5 days each month, which can be split into three half-day shifts. Each new vendor spends time shadowing another member during their shift to become familiar with the day-to-day operations of the Gallery and get a sense of what their duties will be.

New vendors will be given a selected display area in the gallery that best fits the type of work they wish to sell. Each vendor can add to their displays through the approval of the other vendors of the gallery. Adding to the display is encouraged and all vendors support the individuality and creative expression of each other. The products that each of the vendors craft and sell are unique to the gallery and no two vendors craft the same type of products.

There is a total of six rooms in the Sunflower Gallery, with two being on the upper level. The displays of the rooms are always changing and shifting locations, giving each vendor a chance to be featured in the entry room. Currently, the entry room walls are lined with art from Angelo Alderete. Up the stairs and to the left is a room dedicated to repurposed objects for functionality as well as home art. The neighboring upstairs room features products for children and infants such as, knit products and clothing. There is also a sweet selection of candies from Candyma'am Candies. The gallery offers gift certificates as another great gift idea. The Sunflower Gallery offers an outlet for local artists to get their name out there and become part of a community of fellow supporting artists.