What do you do when you are a creative retailer, wife and mother with two children? You work around the clock, you hire clerks for the times when the children need you and pay babysitters when you are at the store. That might work when sales are brisk during tourist season, but might be marginal at other times. Michelle Waldron and Megan Van Hamerssfeld have solved that dilemma by combining their two shops — Daisy Bloom and Creme Brulee — into one at 165 Spring St.
All state-run liquor stores will be closed on Thursday in observation of the Thanksgiving holiday. State-run stores will be open on Friday.
The Garuda & I, a favorite venue for beaders as well as lovers of exotic jewelry and objets d’ art, is for sale. “My husband and I also own and run Naknek Charters and Dive and we have decided that we want to focus more of our efforts on building the diving industry in the San Juan Islands,” owner Peggy Long said in an e-mail.
On Black Friday 2008, local businesses throughout the Town of Friday Harbor and, indeed, the entire San Juan Island, will be adorned in holiday decorations, shelves and racks will be overflowing, awaiting your visit as you start your gift and holiday shopping.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt once assured Americans that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And at least one local financial adviser is saying we need that assurance now: We’re in a recession, not a depression. And we still have a lot for which to be thankful.
San Juan Wireless has announced the addition of AT&T Mobility and Budget Prepay Bill Station to its mix of services. Through a business partnership with Car Toys, San Juan Wireless can now offer mainland competitive prices on AT&T Mobility GSM phones. AT&T Mobility is a wireless carrier whose service will work both domestically and internationally.
The auction of the Friday Harbor Ace Hardware property has been postponed until Dec. 5, 10 a.m., on the courthouse steps. The auction had been scheduled for Oct. 3 but was postponed because the property owner, J. Philip Miller of Camano Island, has filed for bankruptcy protection.
The San Juan County Land Bank is requesting proposals from anyone interested in a long-term agricultural lease of its King Sisters Property. Acquired from the King family in 2005, the land includes about 40 acres of farmland in addition to woodlands and wetlands. A well and perimeter fencing will be included in the lease. The Land Bank worked closely with members of the Agricultural Resources Committee, a county advisory group, in developing this opportunity.
The San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild is one of 85 nationwide recipients of a Farmers Market Promotion Program grant from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The $10,000 grant is for the planning and design of the Ag Guild’s Permanent Farmers’ Market project, a multi-use agricultural facility on San Juan Island.
Elements Hotel & Spa on Spring Street is changing its name. It is now Earthbox Motel & Spa. New signage is to come. The Web site is already being changed.
Julie Corey has opened Friday Harbor Mortgage. She was previously with Countrywide and has 15 years experience. Her new business, Friday Harbor Mortgage, is a branch of Axia Financial, LLC. The office is located at 20 West St. next to The Whale Museum. She is looking forward to offering her clients a wider selection of mortgage solutions.
Despite the name, Compost It is not a compost store. “Compost It” is the store philosophy of providing products that reduce waste and toxic effects to the consumer and the environment. According to proprietor Maureen Marinkovich, “My store helps support people who want to transition to a greener lifestyle.”
The Journal of the San Juan Islands received 13 awards at the 121st annual Washington Newspaper Publishers Association convention, Thursday through Saturday at the Red Lion Hotel-Yakima Center. The Journal won second place for community service — its eighth community service award since 2001 — for its reporting on, and advocacy for, efforts to reduce the use of Styrofoam on San Juan Island.