Left By West

Zach and Meg Hixson are both originally from Utah — they attended the same high school and didn’t know each other. They met years later in Washington, where Zach was building what he calls a wild project of a house, and moved to McMinnville in 2012.

They fell for the valley the way people do: the back roads, the community, the slower pace. Zach is an artist and maker who paints landscapes drawn from exactly those back roads. Meg has worked in the wine industry and independent retail and had always wanted a shop of her own. In 2021 they bought Yamhill Valley Dry Goods from Sylla McClellan of Third Street Books, moved it a block east, and renamed it Left By West.

They designed the space together, and it shows. Custom-built dressing rooms, a considered layout, and an atmosphere reviewers describe as calm and fully realized rather than assembled.

The clothing runs to well-made brands on both the men’s and women’s sides — Bridge & Burn, Taylor Stitch, Marine Layer, Patagonia, Kavu. Alongside it sit household goods, kitchenware, accessories, candles, incense, and art.

What distinguishes the buying is that they can tell you where everything came from, and usually who made it. Linens by Ruby Claire Johnson, leather and metalwork by Ryan Schoeck, ceramic wine tumblers by Rachel Astin — makers they know personally. Their stated aim is that you feel a connection to what you’re buying.

Zach’s paintings hang here too, and he shows elsewhere in the county. He’s run painting sessions for kids alongside his openings.

Poncho, their dog, is the third member of the team, though he’s often out on plein air painting trips with Zach instead of minding the shop.

Visitors consistently mention the other thing you get here: the owners will talk through your trip and tell you where to eat and which wineries to visit.