Owners of a Winthrop convenience store and mini‑mart (Parks and Monty LLC) asked the Okanogan County Board of Equalization to reduce an assessor valuation that owners said exceeded what the business could afford in mortgage terms. Petitioners cited seasonal traffic patterns, Highway 20 winter closures and differences between highway intersections as reasons the property’s market is weaker than the county comparables.

The owners and their representative described a 2023 transaction for the property and adjoining business assets in which the overall sale price included goodwill, equipment and inventory distinct from the real estate. The petitioners said the buyer paid roughly $900,000 for both real estate and business components, with about $300,000 attributed to goodwill and other non‑real‑estate items. They argued the store’s annual income and the seasonality of traffic — the Western pass along Highway 20 is closed part of the winter — mean the parcel cannot support the assessor’s higher valuation.

Assessor staff presented four county mini‑mart and convenience‑store sales used as comparables, ranging from about $1.8 million to $5 million and showing higher square‑foot prices on other highway‑front properties. Assessors noted many comparables sit on major state highway corridors with year‑round traffic and different product mixes (e.g., laundromat, motel, car wash) that boost value.

The board sustained the assessor’s valuation at the hearing, concluding the petition did not include the required documentary evidence of net income, profit and loss or leases that would allow a cap‑rate (income‑based) rebuttal to the county’s sales‑comparison approach. The board told petitioners they are welcome to appeal to the State Board of Tax Appeals and to include financial statements and other income evidence to support an income‑based valuation.

The board clerk said a written decision will be mailed to the parties within 45 days.