Locavore Mercantile Cooperative Opens on Steamboat Island

Above: Beth Mathews of Olympia will open a new, local cooperative for artists called Locavore Mercantile on Steamboat Island. Her grand opening is on Saturday.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A new local business will open on Steamboat Island just in time for holiday gift giving, and if all goes well, will continue to stay open in 2017.

Beth Mathews has opened a “pop-up” cooperative, Locavore Mercantile, featuring over 20 artists, located at the Steamboat Island exit just off Highway 101, at Steamboat Square, 6541 Sexton Drive NW, Olympia.

The cooperative features a local Steamboat Island business, Saucy Goodness Company, which makes all-natural hot and spicy chutney and related condiments, metal art by Dan and Landi Dial of Shelton, and many more multi-media artists who use clay, photography, paper, glass, textiles, and more to express their creativity.

Located between Subway and Flowers by Kristil, the shop will officially open on Saturday, October 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Regular hours will be 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

For $150, juried artists joined the cooperative for three months. The money pays for rent, utilities, and basic needs.

“I'm still getting a few more vendors in here, so things will fill up a little more this week,” said Mathews, who lives on Steamboat Island, during a tour of the shop on Monday.

Above: Bee Happy Organics of Tumwater has a wide selection of delicious smelling soaps, such as Rosemary Mint, Lemon Lavender, and Yippie Hippie. 

During the tour, jewelry artist Chris Kaitlyn of Olympia popped in to arrange and take pictures of her display.

A former art teacher in Alaska, and science teacher and school counselor in Washington, Kaitlyn described her jewelry as rustic bohemian. She’s looking forward to the grand opening.

“Beth’s done a fabulous job of setting this up! It’s come a long way since last week!” Kaitlyn said enthusiastically, admiring the shop and its new turquoise wall color.

Mathews, an archaeologist in cultural resource management, recently decided to take the plunge - she quit her job, and decided to focus solely on her art and form the cooperative. 

Her homemade jewelry and all-natural body care products and business, Nature Nouveau, is inspired by her scientific training. She has had a booth at the West Olympia Farmers' Market, Love Our Local Fest, and other venues throughout the region.

“About seven years ago, I started using art as a way to balance really intensely dry, scientific work. It became hard to shut down the desire to create things, and eventually, art became my part time job. People say, 'Don't quit your day job,' in the art world a lot, but it turned out that art was more stable than doing contract work in the cultural resource management industry,” laughed Mathews.

“It's always been funny to me that we cry “buy local, local, local,” but art shows, festivals, events, and markets are so temporary and time consuming to set up. I really was thinking, ‘This has to be easier! Can't we all just set up inside somewhere?’ The traditional shop idea seemed like such a novel idea after I'd been moving things around from market to market. And we have so many ultra-local, amazing creators near the shop. It's been really cool to see people coming together,” said Mathews.

As for after the holidays, Mathews says she would like to see the cooperative become permanent. Mathews is optimistic and passionate about the shop’s success. 

“We have a lot of artists who are interested in showing their work here, too many to fit, and a ton of local support, but our success depends on how responsive customers are to this location and what we have to offer as a group of artisans and artists. The reception so far has been really positive, so it seems it will be a joyous shopping season for local buyers and makers,” says Mathews.

Not only is the Steamboat Island area seeing significant new construction with three new 3,500 square foot buildings for retail, services, and office space, over 5,000 people live in the Steamboat Island community and an estimated 30,000 cars drive past Steamboat Square every week.

“We’re a tight community, and I expect there will be a lot of curiosity and word of mouth about the new shop. This project is about a community joining together to make something happen,” said Mathews.

Above: Local artist Ainsley Walden of Go Fish Raku creates sockeye salmon and driftwood art, holiday ornaments, wall art, and magnets.

For more information about Locavore Mercantile, go to http://www.locavoremercantile.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/LocavoreMercantile/

Love our Local Fest 2016

Above:  The Psychedelic Shadow Show was one of ten bands who entertained vendors and street fair goers at Love our Local Fest, held in the northeast Olympia neighborhood on Sunday. The group plays throughout the Shelton-Olympia area, or “Shelympia” as lead singer Carolyn Malanowski called it after her gig, as she bought a few goodies from the 8 Arms Bakery booth. Groovy.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Old friends hugged and spent the day catching up on old times, from afternoon through evening at the Love our Local Fest on Olympia’s northeast neighborhood on Sunday. What a long, strange trip it's been....

Plenty of new relationships were formed too as friends introduced friends and volunteers of local nonprofits explained the missions of their groups to newcomers.

Gathered around Bethel Street and San Francisco Avenue in front of the San Francisco Street Bakery and Roosevelt Elementary School, the annual event was filled with great community vibes, music, locally made food, arts, and crafts. 

Nearly 20 local sponsors, and tens of vendors helped make it all possible.

Above: Gita Moulton demonstrates her weaving skills as passersby watch her create a new guitar strap for City of Olympia Councilmember Clark Gilman, who stopped by her booth and put in his order. Gita also had key fobs, belts, dog leashes, and yoga mat straps for sale.

Above: City of Olympia councilmember Jeannine Roe sampled a handmade cream at Beth Mathew’s booth. Her business, Nature Nouveau, features vegan, cruelty-free, non comedogenic products free of synthetics, and can be found at the West Olympia Farmer’s Market at West Central Park, open for the season until October 11, on the corner of Harrison and Division on Tuesdays, 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 

Above: Bev Bassett of the Olympia Confronting the Climate Crisis group explains her group's activities and gets more mileage out of a float that wasn’t allowed in the Capital Lakefair parade earlier this year. Nearby, Dave Peeler of the Deschutes River Restoration Team handed out beautiful, new Deschutes River Watershed Guide programs and Yestuary! bumperstickers.

Heck and McDonald Debate 10th District Issues

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A debate Monday night between the 10th Congressional District candidates, incumbent Democrat Denny Heck and Republican challenger Joyce McDonald, drew about 60 people. The event was held at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia.

Cythnia Iyall, chairperson of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, moderated 11 pre-determined questions, and Allyson Brooks, vice president of the Olympia chapter of the League of Women Voters, asked several questions posed by audience members, written on index cards.

The debate was taped for broadcast on Thurston County Television (TCTV).

Heck mentioned the Seahawks game in progress as a possible reason for the sparse crowd and kept the audience up on the game score during the debate and announced its outcome at the debate’s end, which received the loudest cheer of the evening.

Heck answered each question with confidence while McDonald read some answers about national or international issues from prepared notecards.  She spoke most warmly and effectively about being a former foster parent and softball coach, and her time as a state legislator. McDonald also has several years of experience on the Pierce County council.

Questions covered standard election issues: the revenue disparity between rich and poor, federal legislation for curbing carbon emissions, the quality of the rail system with regard to safe fossil fuel transport, immigration, foreign policy, wounded veterans, jobs and more.

Questions posed by the South Sound audience were also wide ranging. McDonald was sometimes vague, as was Heck, who also liked to tell stories and use his allotted time to its fullest capacity.

In brief:

Should the Washington Redskins be compelled to change its name or face Congressional censure?

McDonald: …Public pressure should do the job for them…. the market tends to work quite well in these cases...I don’t think it’s the role of government….

Heck: Yes. Nobody has the right to engage in a racial slur….It's deeply insensitive to the First Peoples of this nation....

The Trans Pacific Partnership - How can we protect our local environment and jobs?

Heck: Well, I think you've touched upon two of the three criteria I think applies to any proposal for the Partnership...this is kind of a big deal - this is a proposal to enter into a trade agreement with 11 other nations…it is fraught with both danger and opportunity: Three criteria should include: 1) assurance that its adoption will not harm workers…2) Assurance that we are not just exporting low governmental standards… 3) assurances that it will protect our sovereignty….we ought not to delegate the right to set policy for America. 

McDonald:  …At the Congressional level, I would very clearly be working on it depending on what committee picked it up…this is a very important issue, a more important issue for Washington State than for some others so I’d be following this very closely….

The proposal to de-list the Great Wolf from the protection of the Endangered Species Act:

McDonald: I wouldn’t support that...I don’t think they’ve come back with enough population to warrant that…

Heck: …Science ought to dictate this…it ought not to be a political decision, it ought to be based on science. It just seems to me that it shouldn’t be that difficult to determine whether or not the base of that population is sufficient….

What to do about the high incarceration rate in the United States:

Heck: …I think it’s more than worrisome when America has the highest incarceration rate in the world…This is a very expensive way to deal with problems in our society...it’s a lot cheaper to invest up front…in a strong education system so they can see the future of hope….

McDonald: …In Pierce County, we put in place other alternatives to incarceration and allow… alternatives to court such as drug court and veteran’s court…and put people into pathways…rather than just put them in jail and throw away the key…As a former foster parent, I understand that some people have to play the hand they are dealt, but we need to bring people alongside so they can get the help and encouragement and modeling that they need to become productive citizens….

Funding priorities and if you would increase funding for the National Park Service:

McDonald: I’d love to but… my priority will be getting on board with a plan that will reduce the federal debt so we don’t continue to burden our future generations….so I won’t be going there to increase funding. I’ll be going there to see if we can’t find a way to maintain…what we have….

Heck: The fact of the matter is that we get to the point that the funding for providing for some of these facilities and services is so low that it will end up costing us more in the long term… our national parks have been degraded over the last several years…The bigger threat is sequestration….

If Shelton were to receive 400 new immigrants who are meeting their families in Mason County, who should pay for the bi-lingual teachers and the load on the schools and the community?

Heck: It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provisions for the education of all children….It is unequivocal….

McDonald: Unfortunately, the state of Washington would have to pick up the bill for those children… but this is just another example of …where the federal government has…failed to do its job….to enforce existing law. In my perspective, this is something that should be picked up, at the very least, by the federal government….

Should President Obama ask for a declaration of war against the Islamic State? How would you vote and why:

McDonald: Well, I think it’s evident that the Islamic State has made a declaration of war against the United States and its citizens by beheading American citizens and other citizens of allies of the United States…I think it’s definitely something that should be debated in Congress. It’s not that simple, an act of declaring war and then we run into a country, and start bombing and put troops on the ground…. War is a very serious matter and people’s lives, people we love, who put their lives on the line….Our military is the best in the world….so I’m just not sure this is the right time to be making a declaration of war….but when the time comes, the President should go with Congress, and with one voice, we should take care of the business that must be taken care of.

Heck: …Not once has war been formally declared since WWII….think back to all our conflicts we’ve been involved with in the last seven years – not once, except WWII, did we formally declare war. What’s happening now at least is that the President is operating under…the Authorized Use for Military Force, AUMF, it is called. It was adopted by Congress in 2002, and that’s what he’s using… as his justification… What I do think is appropriate…and it’s past due, is for Congress to at least try…to… make it more reflective of our times… new conditions and/or limitations, new instructions to the President and our Armed Forces with respect to our involvement there….I think it’s a Congressional responsibility… to at least attempt it.

For more information on Representative Denny Heck’s positions, see an article dated January 8, 2014 titled, “One Year in Congress: Is Congressman Heck Giving ‘Em Heck?” go to www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search engine.  

69th Mason County Forest Festival

 

Above: Paul Bunyan does the limbo today under power lines in downtown Shelton at the 69th Mason County Forest Festival parade.

by Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

You haven't seen the Mason County Forest Festival until you've seen Paul Bunyan do the limbo under power lines on Railroad Avenue in downtown Shelton. And he did that trick, without bending his knees, to audible gasps from parade goers today.

Did he make it? You betcha, courtesy of Industrial Hydraulics, Inc., who has given the big man himself the extra lift in his step.

Trucks, classic cars, decorated horses, representatives of the armed forces, princesses, trucks, American flags, school marching bands, (did I say trucks?) participated in the annual parade under sunny skies.

 

Above: A live Paul Bunyan with Manke Lumber Company.

Above: Capital High School student Katherine Nguyen, the 2013 Capital Lakefair Queen, far right, greets Mason County residents today. The jukebox themed float blared old rock and roll classics and came in third place for the Best in Show parade category award. Later, the Queen and her court toured the Shelton farmer's market. Capital Lakefair will be held in downtown Olympia July 17 - 21, 2013.

 

Above: The North Mason High School marching band.

 

Above: The Mason County 4-H horses sported beautiful purple pedicures. Mason County 4-H won the Novelty category for the parade.

 

Above: The chips were flying for David Moses, Jr. during the vertical log chop contest at the Forest Festival's Log Show.