And another letter, this one from Laura Saccio… To My Fellow Islanders, More than 20 years ago, my grandfather, a New Mexican farmer, rescued me from a life of impersonal work in the financial industry. I had been hired to work at an investment firm in Portland, and would see my family, including our two  Continue Reading

The Economic Development Council, an islands non-profit, is hosting a webinar on bankruptcy with Mary Schmitt, attorney at law. Attendees will learn about Title 11 of the United States Code as well as potential changes if the Heroes Act, H.R. 6800, currently under consideration in congress, becomes law. The webinar will be Monday at 2:30PM,  Continue Reading

Local Artists to Feature Original Works at Outdoor Show, Saturday, June 13 Friday Harbor, Washington… A group of San Juan Island artists, members of the Friday Harbor Atelier, will host a Studio Sidewalk Art Show on Saturday, June 13 in front of the Atelier at the corner of Spring Street and Argyle Avenue from 10:00  Continue Reading

In order to help support the business community, San Juan County has acquired a stockpile of more than 7,000 simple face coverings to distribute to local businesses. The intent is for small quantities to be on hand in the event customers or clients forget their face covering or otherwise arrive without one. County staff and  Continue Reading

Valmark (Kings Market and Friday Harbor Market Place) and the EDC have created a new Back-to-Business grant program to assist small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.  This fund was created to address our business owners’ desperate need for essential business expenses like rent, for PPE and for pivoting their operations online. Through an application  Continue Reading

On Wednesday June 3rd, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James signed a new order (June 3rd, Order 2020-7) that modifies the previous limits on transient lodging in San Juan County. What are the Details? All transient lodging operators are allowed to operate at 50% capacity, provided they adhere to specific safety guidelines released  Continue Reading

Scott Sluis, Vice President and Senior Loan Officer at Islanders Bank and Board President of the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce brings you this latest edition of Chamber Chat: “It’s Time to be Friendly and Nice” Hello Chamber Members and fellow islanders, it’s been a while since we’ve been able to connect in person  Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson is back with another San Juan Island information source video. This one provides you with a quick real estate market update.

Shop Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Ordering & Curbside Pickup Still Available  Laura Norris and Griffin Bay Bookstore staff are excited to welcome the community back to the bookstore. Thanks to an outpouring of support, continual messages of encouragement, and steady customer orders, thanks to our community’s spirit of goodwill and recognition  Continue Reading

June 1 marks a milestone for Eventide Health. It’s the beginning of our 6 month mark, but it’s also the actual start of our organization. It’s taken us far longer than anticipated to get all of the extensive governmental and insurance processes done to be a fully separate entity from San Juan Healthcare (which now  Continue Reading

The Economic Development Council, an islands non-profit, is starting a new series of talks about entering the skilled trades to help people jump into career development quickly as training opportunities re-open. Trades professionals remain in high demand by local businesses and residents, and skilled trades provide above average wages. They are critical for diversifying our  Continue Reading

This story has been updated since it was first published… The variance application submitted Friday afternoon was approved by the Secretary of Health mid-day on Saturday, allowing San Juan County to proceed to Phase 2 of the Governor’s four-phased Safe Start Washington plan effective immediately. San Juan County Council Chair Rick Hughes highlights the importance  Continue Reading

On May 22nd, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James extended his order limiting non-essential transient lodging operations. The order was previously set to expire on May 31st. In his extension (Order 2020-5), Dr. James ties the future ending of the order to the lifting of Governor’s Inslee’s ban on non-essential travel, currently scheduled  Continue Reading

Friday Harbor’s latest Free Little Library is at the Post Office, dedicated to Serendipity Books and its owners Carol Jackson and Dilys Goodman. Widely recognized as an island treasure, Serendipity became a reality when two former librarians and neighbors, Carol and Betty Stewart, launched their business next to the ferry landing. Dilys joined the business  Continue Reading

Commerce, EDC announce local recipients of the Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant The Washington State Department of Commerce and the Governor’s office, in partnership with the EDC, have announced the recipients of the Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant (WWSBEG) in San Juan County.  The program was created to provide small grants to businesses  Continue Reading

EDC invites all residents of San Juan County to a weekly Community Forum The EDC invites interested residents of San Juan County to join in a weekly San Juan Islands Community Forum starting Wednesday, May 20th, from 6-7pm via Zoom video conference. The event will be presented in partnership with San Juan County government and  Continue Reading

Call the Bookstore Anytime, 24/7 to Place Your Order: (360) 378-5511 New Hours for the Bookstore The bookstore is open Monday thru Friday, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm but you don’t have to wait until then to call and place your order. Call anytime, day or night, and leave a message. A real person will  Continue Reading

In order to help San Juan County businesses and other organizations protect their employees and customers, the County COVID response team has produced printable posters to support their effort. Two versions are available, one that is 8.5” x 11” (available HERE), and the other is 11” x 17” (available HERE). As the world moves into  Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson checks in again, this time with information on internet availability on the island… Update to Our Internet Connection Rock Island has been busy for the last 5 years installing the base structure for our fiber and other internet connection options throughout the County. As a REALTOR, I can state that internet reliability  Continue Reading

EDC Survey to Determine San Juan County Impacts of Paycheck Protection Program The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) is collecting data to learn how well the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is working for islands businesses. Business owners are urged to participate in the EDC’s PPP survey here: https://forms.gle/DPxi4gUSpCtnKmDW6 For more information, please  Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Retail Businesses have created another virtual experience for a night of shopping and fun! The second San Juan Island Virtual Sip ‘n Shop will take place on Thursday, May 7, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Retailers will post to Facebook, Instagram or their YouTube channel during that time, using the hashtag  Continue Reading

To our loyal customers: Your outpouring of support, along with your heartfelt messages of encouragement, has given us the steam to keep on as booksellers during this fraught time of the pandemic and consequent shutdown of community and economic life. Our doors may be closed, but we are still open for business, albeit only through  Continue Reading