Our History

Pirate's Plunder "An Antique & Collectibles Mall" started as a concept in January, 2001. The Plunder was to be a theme based antique and collectibles mall that would appeal to the growing tourist traffic, the traditional antique shoppers, and the local unique gift shoppers. The original site consisted of one of two warehouses on the corner of Ferry Slip Road and 32nd SE Street as part of Aquarium Village. John Tharpe, general manager of Aquarium Village and Newport Business Plaza, is the design genius who put Bob Ramstead's vision and rough sketches into realities of construction. John is responsible for the distinctive and unique design of the Aquarium Village specialty shop store fronts (if you have never seen them, it is worth the trip just to see them). John put his crew to work in late February and Pirate's Plunder began to take shape. The work continued as Bob recruited the initial group of adventurous pirates who would make up the first "Buccaneer Brigade" of merchandise exhibitors when Pirate's Plunder opened. Bob wanted to open Pirate's Plunder on April 1st to honor the memory of his sister and to remind himself that business is an April fool's dream.

The entrance to Pirate's Plunder was designed to be the stern of a pirate's ship at the captain's cabin level. John and Bob designed a distinctive sign to announce to the world that Pirate's Plunder was there.

The Pirate Ship was officially named The Trisha Blair in honor of Bob's Beloved (Trisha) combined with the name of Bob's father (Blair).

Inside, masts were added to the decor to hide the conduit providing electricity to the booth islands. The booth structure combined rough cut pine, rope trim, and peg board to create a primitive, dock styling. The floor remained unfinished complete with netting measurements running the entire length of the store.

A salad bar from a local abandoned hotel became a flying bridge above locked display cases.

The flying bridge was named The Sheryl Ann, permanently and visibly honoring Bob's sister's memory. Nautical accents were added to walls including various netting and float created nautical three dimensional murals. Even a few pirates and, of course, a Jolly Roger were added to the decor.

Pirate's Plunder opened at 10 a.m. on April 1, 2001. Bob Ramstead and John Tharpe both hosted the Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and Pirate's Plunder became a reality.

Bob began Phase II of his Pirate's Plunder vision almost immediately. He wanted to create the wharf and pier next to the pirate ship. The second warehouse, connected by a loading dock, was the target for his vision. The business occupying the warehouse moved in October of 2001 and Bob started to work on the project. Offices, lunch room, conference areas, and reception areas became merchandise display booths. Bob worked on the project by himself until January, 2002 when John and his crew joined Bob. The construction progressed on a constant basis through the cold, winter months.

By April 1st, 2002, the pier side of Pirate's Plunder opened to the public. Signs for the "shops" and the "bordello" added a special Suzie Moran touch to the pier. Cargo cranes were added to hide conduit to the booth islands on the pier. Pilings were created and secured to the floor of the pier to designate display booth boundaries. A second entrance was added, opening out to the Aquarium Village Specialty Shops and the Maritime Marketplace. The entrance was created with accessibility features that continued the Plunder's police of total accessibility for all. The pier, complete with a huge mural of an Orca and calf, became a special added attraction for the original Pirate's Plunder.

Pirate's Plunder has been featured in several major publications including "Old Stuff", the Northwest's premier antique newspaper; and the Antique Journal, the West Coast's leading antique publication.

Today, Pirate's Plunder is a proud member of Aquarium Village and of the Newport business community. We hope you come for a visit soon and enjoy a distinctively different shopping experience at Pirate's Plunder and Aquarium Village.

Now, there is an alternative story about how Pirate's Plunder came about.

We will let you decide on the truth of the story.