Banded together as the Vashon Merchants’ Association, more than two dozen Island retailers have been working this year to strengthen Vashon’s retail sector. They’ve done such things as create a walking map of Vashon town and implement a program where their stores stay open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
Behind the Vashon Wine Shop, Islander Mathilda Oldham has transformed an old garage into Vashon Vintage, a colorful store where Islanders can find updated, not-so-new items for their homes.
Brimming with everything from painted dining tables to dinnerware in bold, primary colors, the store carries a collection of items Oldham intends to fit everyone’s budget.
Competition and thin profit margins make it especially tough for some.
Signs outside Vashon Island Realty and the Bank Bay Inn advertise that the longtime Island inn is for sale, but owners Victoria Davies and John “Stormy” Storms hope that when the signs come down, they will still be the owners of the inn and their home next door.
Under different names and owners, Zoomies has supplied burgers and ice cream to Islanders young and old for decades and will continue that tradition under new owner Kelly Hwang.
When Vashon kids head off to some of the Island’s day camps this summer, Jennifer Foege hopes that the food she makes will nourish many of them for their days’ adventures and for the years ahead.
Islanders Meaghan Sohl and Natalie Harkins responded with a quick “no” when asked if they would have ever imagined themselves owners of a pizzeria, but that is what they are now — and happily so — after buying John Dough’s Pizza earlier this month.
MELINDA SONTGER-
