PORT GAMBLE — In an effort to create balance between the old and new, Olympic Property Group is stripping the Port Gamble General Store down to its historical roots and building up from there.

The building, which also houses the Of Sea and Shore Museum, has been modernized over the years, but Port Gamble property manager Shana Smith said it’s time to turn the clock back at the site, but not to turn away technology completely.

“Every time we look at the building rehabilitation, part of it is the historical fabric, the past that makes up the building,” she said. “We have to make the store workable today, with the heritage that makes up the building’s history.”

The store’s main floor has been opened up to create space for seating and retail, said OPG president Jon Rose. This meant removing several coolers and back offices, which built about 10 years ago behind the main staircase.

With the increased floor space, the deli will boast more room for seating, he said.

“The back office and coolers ate up about 20 percent of the floor space,” Rose said.

“We’re reorganizing the kitchen area. There’s going to be more design in terms of interior design for this building.”

The existing flooring, which is now four alternating layers of vinyl tile and wood, is being removed so the original wood floors can be resealed and reused, Smith said.

The original floors are expected to give the Port Gamble Store a truly historic feel as it was among the town’s first buildings, being erected along with a bunkhouse and a cookhouse in 1853 by Pope and Talbot’s Puget Mill Co.

The mill was the longest running business of its kind in North America until it closed 1995 and since then OPG has been working to return the town to its former glory.

“We’re working with a historical architect to design the store,” Smith said.

“We’re also working with a retail consultant to help us bring a little bit of that wow factor. Before, there really wasn’t much of a rhyme or reason to how things were laid out. We’re looking at old pictures of the store to try and get back to that feel.”

An interior designer has helped Rose and Smith lay out key goals they want to achieve in creating the perfect environment for visitors: a great looking town, a building that is physically attractive, retail products that are relatively unique to Port Gamble and customer service that gives the town a good vibe, Rose said.

Refurbishing the store is one way to continue to gain the feeling the mill town had in its heyday, he said.

“We’re looking for that balance between the past and present,” Rose said.

OPG will announce who the new operators of the store will be in the next few weeks, and the building is set to reopen around mid-March.