Visitors who come across Fresh From the Coat are delighted with the eclectic assortment of Coasty things. Locals check in regularly to buy gifts for their off-Coast friends or to find just the right quality objects to decorate a corner of a room, a garden, or a new suite. Everything is charming and local: knicks and knacks, birdhouses, beautiful pottery, jewelry, soap, glass, and so much more.
Karen Weissenborn has been running Fresh From the Coast for eleven years. She now features more than 150 artisans, all of them local, independent makers. Sustainability just happens when local is the focus; there is little in the way of packaging. Most materials, ingredients, craft, and inspiration come from right here. What you get is a great cross-section of lovely stuff that reflects our incredible natural surroundings and the creativity of our community. The store has grown over the years and is in its fourth location (Trail Avenue, beside the toy store).
The inventory is ever-changing and always surprising. Some of the best-selling items are Linda Buckingham’s earthy and intricate driftwood creations. The recognizable pottery of Jack Olive and Darcy Margesson is very popular for gifts. And the myriad consumable items such as soap, teas, chocolate, beeswax candles, beewax wraps, and bath products sell like hotcakes during the busy Christmas season. On the walls the artwork of Brett Varney and Anita Lindblom are favourites with customers. And don’t forget the jewelry.
Weissenborn is proud of the store’s development over the years.
“When I first started, I asked about twenty artisans if they would be interested in participating. Since then the work has been coming in unsolicited, and I think the calibre of the work keeps improving! One of the joys of Fresh is that I never know what will come in.”
Find Fresh at 5498 Trail Avenue in Sechelt.
Words | Nancy Pincombe
