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t’s a stereotype with some truth to it: A mom, babe in one arm, phone in the other, vetting a business decision while comforting her young one. Born out of a genetic predisposition or sheer necessity, women over the years have learned to juggle. Little wonder, then, that they’re shaping the business climate on Vashon — where an ability to multi-task is essential. Here, on an Island with a small customer base and high transportation costs, a businessperson has to know how to balance the books and market a product. How to craft a business plan and woo a major customer. And how to do so during these tough economic times. Often, women add another piece to the complex picture: Many are mothers, juggling family demands as well. Others are community players and activists, bringing their moxie to a range of Island issues. Take a look at the 10 pages that follow, and you’ll see the faces of some of these dynamic businesswomen. They’re shopkeepers and artists, therapists and doctors, restaurateurs and landscapers. They profoundly shape
VASHON’S
our economic landscape, transforming what might otherwise be a sleepy Island into a thriving place. They do so while struggling with the vicissitudes of Island life — ferries that aren’t always on schedule, goods that sometimes don’t make it from the mainland on time, customers who are sometimes a fickle lot. And if you ever really wanted to know how much women give, imagine — if you could — a day on Vashon where they all played hooky, where none showed up to open their shops, support their companies, run their businesses. Vashon, no doubt, would come to a standstill.
NATURAL BALANCE ROLFING & THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE olďŹ ng is a form of soft tissue bodywork that along with manipulation, works through education, movement, and awareness to gradually bring the body into a more vertically aligned state. Alignment creates more ease and efďŹ ciency of movement in a body. Bodies of all ages and types can beneďŹ t from being Rolfed! For more information on RolďŹ ng, go to www.Rolf.org. Having been a Rolfer for ďŹ fteen years in the Seward Park neighborhood in Seattle, I am excited to be branching out and adding Fridays on Vashon in Courthouse Square. Fridays by appointment
R
CertiďŹ ed Advanced Rolfer lselle@comcast.net Limited insurance accepted.
•
2010
IN BUSINESS
Leslie Selle, LMP
Leslie R. Selle, LMP
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 • Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
WILLOW STREET WOODSHOP y first job on Vashon, in 1995, was making birdhouses at the old Carmarthen Farm Store. I loved that job and it never felt like work to me. Today, I’m still having fun sharing my creativity with the island by making functional and unique birdhouses, beach signs, rustic furniture, trellises, and garden art of all kinds. My work is made from 100% locally salvaged, found, and recycled materials. Each piece has a story and is one-of-a-kind. You can find my stuff at Good Merchandise, the new Wings Birdseed Co, and at all the regular Vashon studio tours and festivals. Or you can call anytime to stop by my home studio.
M
Also, please think of me whenever you have a remodel or construction project – I can use scraps large and small and I will haul it away for free.
Willow Street Woodshop 48 UI 4USFFU 7BTIPO 8" r
Vashon Coffee Company
Thank you
Vashon Island for your continued business & support!
Teri Vanator – roaster, Dawn Loraas – owner
Sustainable & delicious coffees, small-batch roasted to order, and always fresh! Roasted on Vashon since 2003. www.vashoncoffee.com t 206-567-4403
— Leslie Brown, Editor
Julie King, Owner/Artist
206 356-0036 or 206 725-7039 19001 Vashon Hwy SW #208B
DAWN LORAAS, OWNER
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along.� So it could be said for many of our businesswomen on Vashon — women who quietly do what has to be done in order to support themselves, their families and their community. This week, let them know just how much they add to our Island’s vibrancy: Support their business. And know that in doing so, you’re helping to maintain the Island’s lovely balance of life and commerce.
Michelle L Ramsden Certified Arborist
I have my Associate degree in Arboriculture and a BA in Urban Forestry from University of Massachusetts. I have 15 years of experience as an Arborist, eight of them living and working on Vashon.
My services include: t $POTVMUBUJPO USFF BTTFTTNFOU t (FOFSBM QSVOJOH PG USFFT BOE TISVCT t 3FNPWBMT t $BOPQZ 3FTUPSBUJPO t 7JFX 1SVOJOH t 1FSTPOBM USBJOJOH GPS QSVOJOH ZPVS own trees and ornamentals Specializing in pruning fruit trees and ornamental shrubs.
(206) 406-3723
Vashon, WA 98070 mramsden_11@yahoo.com Certified International Society of Arboriculture