Save The Islander Store on Lummi Island
Donation protected
SOS — Save The Islander!
Countless small businesses have been ravaged by the pandemic, each one a story of misfortune to outright financial disaster. One of those stories is unfolding right now, affecting all those who live full or part time, or just visit Lummi Island, Washington. I’m speaking of the one and only store on Lummi, The Islander.
Owners Brad and Deborah O’Malley have put their heart and soul into The Islander over the years to serve the island. It’s a difficult business under the best of circumstances with a tiny customer base. Add to that the slim margins and competition from large grocery chains in Ferndale and Bellingham, not to mention Costco. It’s simply not possible to even remotely compete on a price basis.
However, The Islander can offer what these other stores can never offer — first and most important, CONVENIENCE. To be able to get any of the basic groceries within a few minutes of your home, any time of year is extremely valuable. Fresh dairy, produce, staples, drinks of all sorts, brewed coffee and baked goods, and misc. hardware and household items. All there. All the time. No two-hour round trip with the ferry required.
Second, and equally important, The Islander has been a CENTER OF THE COMMUNITY. A place to go and see some of the folks you know, and meet some you don’t. A place to see postings of island activities, buy a newspaper and have a cup of coffee (preferably with one of their in-store baked cookies!). Or sit out front on a nice day with an ice-cream bar and watch the ferry traffic come and go. Or play checkers. There’s much more to The Islander than just a place to grab some essentials. There are few places on the island that serve this purpose, and none do it as well. (We love the Beach Store Café and the Willows, the library, the grange, the churches, the Lummi Island Heritage Trust and the Fire Station activities. But of all these places, the store is really the hub of the wheel.)
Unfortunately, the pandemic is on the verge of putting an end to this, leaving a neglected, vacant building where this thriving heart of the island has been for years. That would change the character of the island dramatically for the worse. WE CAN NOT LET THAT HAPPEN.
The Situation: Brad posted on NextDoor Lummi that his May sales were down 40%. In addition he stated a $10,000 deficit. The store relies on the busy summer months to generate enough profit to carry them through. By starting the summer already deep in the hole, and anticipating a summer of depressed sales due to the virus, it’s certain the store will fold and never re-open. Deborah told us she found out that if the store went out of business, the zoning would revert to residential, thus removing this prime piece of commercial property. Of course zoning battles can be fought, but it’s unlikely they would be. Even if zoning could be reinstated the capital investment required to start over from scratch would never pencil out. If The Islander goes away, there may never be another store on Lummi.
PLEASE HELP US SAVE THE ISLANDER! Our goal is to bridge the gap and finish the summer strong. What that requires is to erase the debt incurred to date and supplement the slow summer sales to build up a surplus to carry the store through the winter. It would be even better if we exceeded the goal and Brad and Deborah are able to have a rainy day fund, or invest in the store as they have over the years with paving, new cash register system, etc.
NOTE: The O’Malleys have absolutely nothing to do with the formation of this campaign. In fact, when presented with the idea Deborah at first shied away from it, thinking they don’t deserve it. With some cajoling, she agreed and is thankful for the effort. This campaign is 100% the idea of and sponsored by people who love the store and can’t imagine the island without it. This is for the whole island as much as it’s for the O’Malleys.
We understand that not everyone can donate as many have been financially impacted too. But if you are able, whether you live on the island, Canada, Arizona or wherever, please do and let’s join together to save an island institution. Whether $10 or $100 or more, it all helps and will add up with many people pitching in.
Thank you from me, Tim Hodgson and my wife Cheri. I’ve been coming to Lummi since I was three years old, and now 60 years later I can come up more often with my kids and five grandkids—who have spent much time in the candy aisle of the store—just like I did years ago.
Spread the word, and, Long Live The Islander!
Countless small businesses have been ravaged by the pandemic, each one a story of misfortune to outright financial disaster. One of those stories is unfolding right now, affecting all those who live full or part time, or just visit Lummi Island, Washington. I’m speaking of the one and only store on Lummi, The Islander.
Owners Brad and Deborah O’Malley have put their heart and soul into The Islander over the years to serve the island. It’s a difficult business under the best of circumstances with a tiny customer base. Add to that the slim margins and competition from large grocery chains in Ferndale and Bellingham, not to mention Costco. It’s simply not possible to even remotely compete on a price basis.
However, The Islander can offer what these other stores can never offer — first and most important, CONVENIENCE. To be able to get any of the basic groceries within a few minutes of your home, any time of year is extremely valuable. Fresh dairy, produce, staples, drinks of all sorts, brewed coffee and baked goods, and misc. hardware and household items. All there. All the time. No two-hour round trip with the ferry required.
Second, and equally important, The Islander has been a CENTER OF THE COMMUNITY. A place to go and see some of the folks you know, and meet some you don’t. A place to see postings of island activities, buy a newspaper and have a cup of coffee (preferably with one of their in-store baked cookies!). Or sit out front on a nice day with an ice-cream bar and watch the ferry traffic come and go. Or play checkers. There’s much more to The Islander than just a place to grab some essentials. There are few places on the island that serve this purpose, and none do it as well. (We love the Beach Store Café and the Willows, the library, the grange, the churches, the Lummi Island Heritage Trust and the Fire Station activities. But of all these places, the store is really the hub of the wheel.)
Unfortunately, the pandemic is on the verge of putting an end to this, leaving a neglected, vacant building where this thriving heart of the island has been for years. That would change the character of the island dramatically for the worse. WE CAN NOT LET THAT HAPPEN.
The Situation: Brad posted on NextDoor Lummi that his May sales were down 40%. In addition he stated a $10,000 deficit. The store relies on the busy summer months to generate enough profit to carry them through. By starting the summer already deep in the hole, and anticipating a summer of depressed sales due to the virus, it’s certain the store will fold and never re-open. Deborah told us she found out that if the store went out of business, the zoning would revert to residential, thus removing this prime piece of commercial property. Of course zoning battles can be fought, but it’s unlikely they would be. Even if zoning could be reinstated the capital investment required to start over from scratch would never pencil out. If The Islander goes away, there may never be another store on Lummi.
PLEASE HELP US SAVE THE ISLANDER! Our goal is to bridge the gap and finish the summer strong. What that requires is to erase the debt incurred to date and supplement the slow summer sales to build up a surplus to carry the store through the winter. It would be even better if we exceeded the goal and Brad and Deborah are able to have a rainy day fund, or invest in the store as they have over the years with paving, new cash register system, etc.
NOTE: The O’Malleys have absolutely nothing to do with the formation of this campaign. In fact, when presented with the idea Deborah at first shied away from it, thinking they don’t deserve it. With some cajoling, she agreed and is thankful for the effort. This campaign is 100% the idea of and sponsored by people who love the store and can’t imagine the island without it. This is for the whole island as much as it’s for the O’Malleys.
We understand that not everyone can donate as many have been financially impacted too. But if you are able, whether you live on the island, Canada, Arizona or wherever, please do and let’s join together to save an island institution. Whether $10 or $100 or more, it all helps and will add up with many people pitching in.
Thank you from me, Tim Hodgson and my wife Cheri. I’ve been coming to Lummi since I was three years old, and now 60 years later I can come up more often with my kids and five grandkids—who have spent much time in the candy aisle of the store—just like I did years ago.
Spread the word, and, Long Live The Islander!
Organizer and beneficiary
Tim Hodgson
Organizer
Ferndale, WA
Bradley OMalley
Beneficiary
