North Bend Postcard of Mar-T Cafe

After Twin Peaks aired on the ABC television network in April 1990, demands for the world famous “Twin Peaks pies” skyrocketed at Twede’s Cafe in North Bend, Washington. Known then as the Mar-T Cafe, Pat Cokewell and her staff couldn’t keep up with the demand. Tourists from all over came to the Real Twin Peaks to see the corner cafe that was used as the location of the Double R Diner. Naturally, the cafe offered souvenirs besides pie and coffee for folks to remember their visit. One such item is this North Bend Postcard of Mar-T Cafe.

NORTH BEND POSTCARD OF MAR-T CAFE

Postcard with green boarder and image of Mar-T Cafe with vans parked in the parking lot. Mount Si is seen in the distance
Front of postcard

This 4-inch by 6-inch postcard features an image of the Mar-T Cafe parking lot filled with cars, including two conversion vans. Mount Si under a cloud-filled sky is seen in the distance. The card was distributed by Smith-Western Co. in Tacoma, Washington who still makes souvenirs for tourist attractions today. The card has two identification numbers – CT-3342 and CP7268.

Back of a post card
Back of the postcard

The back of the postcard indicates the photograph was taken by Terri Hendricks. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate any information about Ms. Hendricks. It’s a rather interesting subject – unsure if the card was meant to show the cafe is busy or that it mostly appeals to those inclined to drive conversation vans.

The card also includes an outdated phone number for Twede’s Cafe.

HOME OF TWIN PEAKS PIES

Car parked in a lot outside Double R Diner
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me – The Missing Pieces

I was drawn to this card for two reasons – 1) I want to archive everything about the show and 2) the yellow “Home of Twin Peaks Pies” sign appears in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. This scene from The Missing Pieces gives an excellent look at the parking lot with the yellow sign on the building.

Laura Palmer standing outside the Double R Diner
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

In the theatrical release of David Lynch’s 1992 masterpiece, you can see only the corner of the yellow sign when Laura Palmer speaks with the grandmother and her grandson in the Double R Diner parking lot.

Parking lot of Mar-T Cafe with Mount Si in the distance
August 11, 1996

The sign was still on the side of the cafe when I first visited in August 1996. Most likely, the former owner added the sign shortly after the series debut. I have yet to determine when exactly it was added (but it’s on my list of things to find).

It’s interesting Lynch kept the sign for the film – could it be for his love of the small town of North Bend? It’s odd that the diner in the small town of a population of 5,201 would need to advertise it has “Twin Peaks pies.” Wouldn’t everyone already know? I mean they were the best in the Tri-Counties.

Mar-T Cafe in North Bend Washington with cloud-covered Mount Si in the distance.
August 18, 2001 – Photo by Jared Lyon

When Cokewell sold the Mar-T Cafe to Kyle Twede in the late 1990s, the “Home of Twin Peaks Pies” sign was replaced with “Home of Twin Peaks Cherry Pie.”

All said, it’s a great card to add to my growing collection of Real Twin Peaks items.

Author

  • Steven Miller at Twede's Cafe enjoying cherry pie and coffee

    A "Twin Peaks" fan since October 1993, Steven Miller launched Twin Peaks Blog in February 2018 to document his decades-long fascination with David Lynch and Mark Frost's wonderful and strange show. With his Canon camera in hand, he's visited numerous film locations, attended Twin Peaks events and conducted extensive historical research about this groundbreaking series. Along with fellow Bookhouse Boys, he dreams of creating a complete Twin Peaks Archive of the series and feature film. Steven currently resides in Central Florida.

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2 thoughts on “North Bend Postcard of Mar-T Cafe

  1. I believe for FWWM, they painted the entire building (and the red inside the T) AND most relevant to this article, they painted the banner directly onto the building. So your postcard was a photo taken prior to the filming of FWWM, because you can see it’s a physical banner in the postcard, but a painted on banner in FWWM.

    1. @Jared Aces! I was thinking it may have been before Sept. 1991 due to the T being faded and worn. Thank you for this additional insight!

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