Way Out Gifts: Spokane man’s whimsical yard art will satisfy the pickiest Grinch
Hoping to steal a slice of Santa’s spotlight?
Don’t get your tinsel in a twist. Forget about those personalized Funko Pop! figures and Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. For a jaw-dropping Christmas gift family members will be chatting about over Scrooge Sours for decades, head west … Way Out West. Mike Ferguson has got you covered.
Way Out West has certainly earned that WOW acronym.
Located just off of Interstate 90 near the Medical Lake exit, this roadside playground of curiosities has been eliciting chants of “Look mom, it’s a spaceship!” from young automobile passengers for years. Ferguson’s eclectic mixture of yard oddities includes life-sized giraffes, a Statue of Liberty, an A-10 Warthog fuel tank and enough dinosaurs to fill “Jurassic Park.”
A registered nurse by profession, Ferguson is a picker at heart.
A lifelong purveyor of the weird and wacky, he owned Ruby Street Antiques in Spokane before moving to his current location. Ferguson operates Way Out West with his brother, Mark, who serves as manager. They both reside on the premises. On a foggy morning, you could get lost meandering this outdoor mall of surreal wildlife, kitschy wall art, vintage solariums and whimsical whatchamacallits.
It’s quirky. It’s novel … and it’s all for sale.
“That is probably my secret to success … nothing is sacred, nothing is safe,” said Mike Ferguson.
A chill guy who sports a wispy white beard, with that iconic red suit, he could easily double as jolly old St. Nick himself. Busier than a water park over summer, Way Out West is now running on an appointment-only schedule.
“In November and December, we literally get people who are coming for Christmas stuff,” he said. “Something that a relative or a loved one spotted and talked about.”
This is not your typical holiday shopping trip to the mall.
As I prompted Ferguson for gift ideas, he kept steering me toward his unworldly inventory of spindly extraterrestrials. The sketchy aliens seemed to invade from all directions. Relaxing on benches. Strumming musical instruments. Smoking strange cigarettes. “If your dad’s a garage guy, there’s tons of gas-related signs and vehicle-related stuff,” said Ferguson. “Birdhouses are very popular,” he added.
A towering T-Rex and green brontosaurus roam the grounds, but bright purple dinosaurs are nearing extinction. “We had three of each color on our last load and the purple ones are gone,” said Ferguson. “Nobody bought them because it was Dino from the Flintstones. They bought it because they liked the color.” Way Out West prices start at three bucks for a cast-iron lizard and top out at 20-grand for a colossal bull. The bulk of Ferguson’s statuary is crafted in Mexico. Over the years, he has shifted to aluminum pieces which are more durable and easier to move around.
One thing you won’t find here? “Do Not Touch” signs.
Children are free to wander and explore.
“It’s so tactile to be able to touch these big, cool statues and go inside the spaceship,” Ferguson said. “There are alien sunglasses in there that we have for people to put on. We sell them for five bucks a pair.
“Families will put on the alien sunglasses and gather around for a photograph.”
Way Out West does not ship, so if you decide to purchase that spacecraft for little Joey, you will also need to find a way to fly it home.
So who buys mom an $850 grinning alligator statue for Christmas?
Dawn Mounts might. She recently stayed at the voguish Airbnb Ferguson rents out on his property. The Great Falls, Montana, woman did not leave empty-handed.
“I grabbed a mermaid for one of my good friends,” Mounts said. Shortly after arriving home, she spotted a Buddha statue on the Way Out West Facebook page. “I collect Buddhas. I have hundreds of Buddhas from miniature to waist-high.”
Afraid of missing out on a rare find, Mounts quickly scheduled a return trip to Ferguson’s Airbnb. She isn’t finished shopping yet.
“I will be going back,” she said. “He has a bobblehead dog over there that I really, really, really want.”
While some people might call the purchase of a $4,000 Sasquatch statue frivolous, Ferguson calls it a wise investment.
“You buy a Rainbow play system for your back yard for about 12-grand and then 15 to 20 years later, you pay somebody to come haul it away,” he said.
Way Out West does not have a stylish website or flashy business signage, but it overflows with oodles of captivating charm.
“A lot of kids ask to come here,” Ferguson said. Over the years, he has learned to ignore his critics.
“What looked reckless,” he said, “turned out to be success.”
Cynthia Reugh can be reached at cynthia13048@gmail.com.