It’s here!! Sarah Bader’s new book! This is a BEAUTIFUL book, and it’s perfect for anyone who wants to grow lavender, or just look at pictures of it. Sarah Bader knows her stuff and we are so happy to include her book in our shop (or you can get it online).
Sarah is the proprietor of Lavender At Stonegate which is a retail and wholesale nursery in Oregon, near Portland. She is one of the rare people who is talented and friendly, makes you feel like you’re her best friend even though you might have only met her five minutes ago. She is smart – which is handy when you’re going to her for advice. She has made a bunch of YouTube videos teaching people how to take care of their lavender.
Hey, if we work hard at it, maybe we can get Sarah Bader to come to Whidbey Island and teach us about lavender right here…. We’ll need lots of your support to do that, so let us know you’re interested.
Last night the Coupeville Town Council made a wonderful vote! They decided that historic houses within certain commercial areas in Coupeville are exempt from parking ordinances. I watched the process as the item, that had been part of a larger discussion, was presented by the town planner, Larry Kwarsick and then discussed by the council members. Say what you like about government, this was an excellent example of a thoughtful group of people taking on a difficult topic and looking at it from all the angles. They didn’t all agree, yet they were respectful and the discussion had good questions and comments. I’m proud of Coupeville’s Town Council!
Back to why I’m putting this in our blog…This is an important vote for us, because our Coupeville Shop is being created in an existing historic Ebey’s Reserve home.
The Craftsman Bungalow style house was built in 1916 by Otto VanDyk for the C.C. Cushen family and used as a family residence. The house was later owned by Lewis Matthews and purchased in 1941 by Michael Criscola. In 1968 a small sun room was build on the south facade. In 1976 it was purchased by the Wienringa’s and converted to a B&B. Our friend, Lyla (Libbey) Snover said she went to kindergarten there as a kid and she later babysat for a family there. The house has gone through various uses over the years. At one point it was a B&B, several times a residence. Lately, someone tried to have an antique store on the site, but couldn’t due to parking ordinance issues. We are delighted to be able to maintain most of its warm, homey, and historical character as we transform it into a commercial use property.
This house was a B&B in the 1970's we think.
When you come into the shop, you’ll see the original front rooms with only slight modifications. You’ll be able to wander the new landscaping (that is still in the planning stages) have a cuppa outside in good weather, and get a take-out of our lavender scones and cookies all weather. Not to mention be able to buy all our wonderful lavender products and more. Other times you’ll be able to take classes… but I’m getting ahead of myself. Right now our builders, plumbers, electricians, engineers, and staff are all working hard to get this remodel done and keep the house looking as cute (or cuter) as ever.
On Whidbey Island there used to be many many dairies, but in 2007 the Sherman-Bishop farm sold their cows and thus ended the dairying era on our island. That is, until Little Brown Farm started up in 2010 and brought her wonderful goats and a supply of local cheeses to the appreciative island gourmets. It was not easy for, Little Brown Farm owner, Vicky Brown to make that happen as she worked her way through the maze of regulations and inspections to get her dairy licensed. During those years we got to know Vicky and now we have a mutual appreciation that shows itself in several ways. The two of us have worked on various farm-related committees on the island, and Vicky uses our lavender in some of her cheeses.
It’s finally spring and the goats are kidding which means Vicky is making her cheeses again. She posted this today on her facebook page. Chevre cheese with lavender!
As the season progresses you’ll find her cheeses made with lavender and our own herbs de provence at our shop as well as at Bayview Farmers Market. In a word… YUM!
Bottom line? It’s all about safety. That’s why we had an engineer come and have a look at the building before we went too far along the design phase of the process. He said we needed support underneath the floor joists to accommodate the hoards of people and machinery/equipment that will be in the building. Ok, the bit about hoards of anything is either tongue in cheek or hopeful.
In any case, we need to put in some beams under the joists when we get permission to start work. This building is 87 years old, and the building codes were different in those days, so the crawl space underneath was deep enough to allow maybe a 10 year old boy to get through to do work, but no adult. So, we’re starting to move out some of the dirt to get a bit more space in order to be able to put in joists, run ducts and wiring, and adjust plumbing.
Isn’t this glamorous? Isn’t it just what you’d love to know about when you think about lavender? Rest assured, you won’t see any of that when we open, but you will be very happy to know you will be completely safe in the building, and so will we.
Until then, get your lavender out at the farm and continue to send good thoughts to the town officials who have to wade through mountains of paperwork, including our building plans.
We had a great weekend in our “Popup Shop” at our new building this weekend during the Mussel Fest. Lots of people had a chance to stop in and find out what is going on with the building that has been on the corner since 1925. Our friend and lifelong Coupeville resident, Lyla Snover, came by and told us not only had she babysat for people in the house many years ago, she’d gone to kindergarten here, too, about a decade before the babysitting. It’s this community history with a place that makes the project so much fun.
We intend to breathe new life into the corner – changing overgrown landscaping and putting in a commercial kitchen in order to make our own products and rent to other farmers and producers in the area who might need a kitchen to develop their businesses.
New Shop During Mussel Fest 2012
But, for now, the house will be in the hands of our capable contractor for the remodeling work that needs to be done. Keep your fingers crossed that all will go smoothly and we’ll have an opening date before summer comes.
Now you can look forward to some relaxing after stresses of the Oscars.
*For you non-Oscar junkies, that’s where the celebs parade their stylin’ abilities and chat it up with interviewers on their way into the main event. For some people the Red Carpet IS the main event – I didn’t just say that.
Greenbank Cheese Co. is one of the amazing shops at Greenbank Farm.
It carries a huge selection of cheeses and an amazing array of gourmet foods, many from the island, and many from beyond our shores.
You can find our jams and mixes there most of the year.
They also carry a couple of lavender cheeses. Drop by and check out the selection. For you locals, they have good prices, so keep them on your regular shopping route.
In Bayview on Whidbey Island is a unique grocery store called The Goose. Owned by Goosefoot, it was created to fill a niche to supply a combination of local food and staples commonly desired that aren’t necessarily local. So, they have a lot of the kinds of things you’d usually find in a grocery store, and they have special displays with local foods, including some of our foods and personal care products.
In our own backyard, and where we do most of our own shopping is the venerable Prairie Center Red Apple. They have been carrying quite a few of our products for a year and a half now. It is really fun to have people tell us that they are so happy they can get the products there and don’t have to drive ALL the way out to the farm… Well, ok, in the winter we can understand, and when people are busy…. But who wouldn’t want to come out to the farm in the summer when there is so much purple in the fields?
The folks at the Prairie Center are amazingly friendly and helpful, and we’re grateful they include us in their product line. Enjoy!
Store Address:
408 S. Main Street
Coupleville, WA 98239
For all you folks who are connected to the Navy, many of the exchanges carry some of our products. It all started with the Whidbey Island NEX (Navy Exchange) and soon a bunch of others, mostly in the Puget Sound area, picked up our products as well. We feel lucky to be there and hope that you find their locations and selection of our products useful.
