Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort aims to carry Bullitt’s vision forward with new partnerships

LEAVENWORTH – Nearly 30 years ago, local philanthropist Harriet Bullitt developed Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort with a vision: a place where art, nature, and community intertwine to celebrate the spirit of North Central Washington. Now, the Icicle Fund is making strides to carry that vision onto its next chapter.

“Harriet's vision, more than anything, was to cultivate a sense of place, and all the different projects and organizations that she created were all working towards the goal of cherishing and stewarding North Central Washington and specifically, this property,” said Phil Lacey, Executive Director of the Icicle Fund, the philanthropic organization that oversees Sleeping Lady.

Over the decades, the resort became a cherished establishment for both visitors and the community. However, in the years since the Icicle Fund assumed ownership in 2019 and Bullitt’s passing in 2022, the resort has worked to find its footing. Without Bullitt’s guiding presence, Sleeping Lady has been navigating how to carry forward her vision in a changing hospitality landscape while remaining true to its mission.

“The Icicle Fund has been presented with an opportunity to create our vision for the next 10 to 20 years for what we want the resort to be. An integral part of this will be partnerships with local businesses and entrepreneurs, so that they can bring their strengths and their vision as well to make this a collaborative center for the community,” said Lacey.

This fall, it's undergoing significant transformation, with the hope of reviving the spirit of Bullitt’s vision. The Icicle Fund has partnered with Columbia Hospitality, an award-winning North American hospitality management and consulting company, to manage all operations of the resort as well as two on-site restaurants: Kingfisher and The Grotto Bar. 

“Sleeping Lady is a treasure, connected to many and beloved by more of the Leavenworth community,” said Canuche Terranella, board member of The Icicle Fund. “Columbia Hospitality will bring additional support for our team members to make Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort live up to the dreams we all have for it.”

Most recently, it welcomed a new general manager, Gemma Fortier. Fortier comes from Ellensburg, where she spent the last few years helping to revive the Hotel Windrow, a community hotel set among a number of brand name hotels, following the pandemic. 

“COVID destroyed a lot of the hospitality business. So I came in in 2021, and we tried a number of iterations, and found something that worked, that tapped into our community,” said Fortier.

According to Fortier, “a thousand and one conversations” and a ‘yes’ mindset led to the hotel’s success. The hotel leaned into cross collaboration, promotion and support with local nonprofits and businesses, highlighting the benefits of what an independent hotel can offer a community.

“That's probably the same approach we'll take here. There are so many community partners here. They have so many different stories and histories, and there's so much potential and things that we can do, and we're just going to start saying yes,” said Fortier.

Additionally, the owners of Argonaut Coffee & Biscuits, Lindsey and Noah Dahlstrom, are opening Lupine Market & Café in the space that housed O'Grady's Pantry, which closed earlier this year. In addition to the art and goods sold at the market, the cafe will offer a varied breakfast and lunch menu, rolling specials, and beer and wine by the glass and in bottles to go. 

“What I want the space to provide is a respite from the modern era of being on your phone all day. I want people to interact with humanity and things that are real,” said Lindsey Dahlstrom.

While the cafe draws inspiration from both Argonaut Coffee & Biscuits and the Dahlstroms’ former restaurant, Schnitzel Boys, Lupine Market & Café aims to bring something different. The setting will still be casual, but customers will have the space to settle in and stay awhile.

“I just hope that it's a space that people feel welcomed in, and that they can use to meet up with each other…We have a big parking lot with free parking, which is not a usual thing for most businesses in town,” said Dahlstrom. “I just hope that people utilize it and come and meet each other and enjoy life.”

Lupine Market & Café has yet to set an opening date, but Dahlstrom is hopeful that it will open this month.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media