Welcome to Main Street, Carbondale, CO. We got a chance to speak with owner of Mountain Tide Provision Co., Greg Morrison on his new adventure in retail.

Why bring Mountain Tide to Carbondale, CO in the year 2025? (i.e. why here and now?)

There are so many exciting things happening in Carbondale that are adding to the vitality of Main Street and the Creative District. We love living here, and the more reasons we have for people to spend time in town the better it will be for the community, and for all the great local businesses. To be able to walk through town, go to dinner, see some music, do some shopping, see a movie, and have a nice time for a few hours is such a special thing that really adds to the lifestyle that we all love about living here. We are fortunate to have amazing organizations like Carbondale Arts and the Chamber of Commerce that put so much time and energy into making the Carbondale experience a truly special one. We feel so lucky to have the opportunity to add to the vibrancy of the town by opening Mountain Tide Provision Co. and being part of the community.

Why now is a great question and I’d love to tell a quick story about our very beginnings. We are a family business and the inspiration for the store was formed because my best memories with family and friends have been created at the beach, in the water, on rivers, in bays, and in the mountains. After working on the brand side with product and retailers for twenty-five years I had a vision of doing a store that really connected the culture of these places and focused on an experience. I really believe there is a shared feeling that connects the coast and the mountains and I know that the mountain and beach culture is alive and well here in Carbondale.

With the dream of this store in mind, over a year and half ago my daughter and I were in this very cool shop on the east coast and thought, Carbondale needs something like this. We kept talking about it, and on that trip came up with the name Mountain Tide Provision Co., a list of brands, and we started to envision what the store would feel like. I also wanted to mention that she will be a senior at Roaring Fork High School and is very interested in business, marketing, and fashion. In fact, running our social media will be her senior capstone project.

Some things are meant to be and not long after coming home from that trip I was driving down Main Street and saw a ‘lease ending’ banner up on 423 Main Street and thought, that is the spot. I pursued that right away and started on the business plan. We are very lucky to be in the historic Dinkel building and are thankful that the building managers were aligned with our vision from the very first conversation, and quickly our dream became a reality. It is a great time for Carbondale, and we aim to provide an amazing experience always.

What does being a ‘Main Street business’ mean to you, especially in a town like this?
Mountain Tide Provision Co. operates around our principle of ‘Good Begins Here’. We are committed to using business as a force for good and to have a direct impact in our local communities. To accomplish this goal, we started ‘Project Percent’ which is our initiative to give back 1% of our annual sales to local non-profits that impact the community directly. We feel so lucky to be a Main Street business, and in addition to giving back financially, and giving everyone a warm welcome, we have a responsibility to fulfill the needs of the local community while at the same time giving visitors an amazing first impression of Carbondale. We will host events such as our ‘Music on Main’ events, with the first one being on June 21st from 3:30 – 6:00. It is also the simple things like sweeping the front step, having flowers outside, keeping the doors open, engaging with all our visitors, and offering a great experience that is so important to us as a Main Street business. Like all the great businesses in our town we feel a responsibility to represent the culture and welcoming spirit that we all love about Carbondale and to be involved as much as possible in its future.

How do you see your business contributing to the character and culture of our town?
We designed Mountain Tide Provision Co. as a place where you can take a break from your day and feel like you are being transported to a place that celebrates all the things we love about the lifestyle we live here in Carbondale and in all our travels. Our ‘Music on Main’ events will be a fun opportunity for the community to stop in and listen to some great music and connect with others, and we look forward to exploring other events that we can do in our space. We are open to great ideas so let us know!

I did want to take a minute to thank all the local partners that helped bring our vision to life, including Rainy Day Designs, Terralink Structures, Liz Holway, Grizzly Electric, Matterhorn Painting, Handcrafted Flooring, and the town of Carbondale. I mention this because we are in the Dinkel Building and it is such a cool part of Carbondale’s history. We believed to create the experience we were envisioning for Main Street that we needed to breathe fresh new life into 423 Main Street while keeping its amazing character. Everyone we worked with saw our vision and was able to work with the space to create something special, while keeping reminders of its history like the original ceiling, it’s front façade, and a reminder of the original heating unit.

We really look forward to being a vital part of Main Street, to providing an awesome and welcoming experience always, and to making a difference in the local community.

Can you share an example of how your business will reflect or amplify the creative spirit of this community? Are there any plans in the works to incorporate local makers, or collaborations with other small businesses of any kind?
The creative talent in Carbondale is truly exceptional and we are so lucky to have a group like Carbondale Arts to champion our town’s reputation as an arts destination. It took a bit of imagination to transform 423 Main Street, but we wanted to do something special in the space that reflected the creativity of the community. It is a bit of a discovery when walking through the space, and doing something that was fun, elevated, and approachable was important to us, and to our goal of offering the best experience possible to the community. We will support local artists and musicians by offering a place to show their work, hold an event, or play their music. We are honored to have Hanna von Bernthal playing at our first ‘Music on Main’ event on June 21 from 3:30-6, and to currently be showing the photography of David Clark and the truly amazing work of Chris Erickson.

Where can we find out more about offerings and/or happenings with Mountain Tide?
You can come see us at 423 Main Street and we are open Monday thru Saturday 9-7 and Sunday’s 11-4. You can also visit us at www.mountaintideprovision.com to find out about our events or by following us on Instagram @mountaintideprovision. Stay tuned for the launch of our website which will have all access to all the same great brands we have in the store. We really look forward to seeing you in the shop and to being part of the Carbondale community.

High Tide on Main Street

Nested in Carbondale with Nido