SHOWS FOR THE SEASON December brings a slate of holiday offerings. Pages 10-13
NEWS | Parks will vote on raising some user fees. [5] COMMENTARY | Immigration reform is a mixed bag. [6] SPORTS | Annual soccer game dedicated to Ryan Krug. [15]
SCENES OF CELEBRATION Islanders ring in the holidays on Vashon. Page 14
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014
Vol. 59, No. 49
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
The queen of King Caramel
Islander finds a sweet spot in candy making By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
S
tanding at a stove stirring a large pot of caramel last week, islander Hedy Anderson shared her journey from occasional candymaker to an entrepreneur set to purchase The Little House building, where she will offer commercial kitchen space to other islanders in the food trade. Anderson is known to many as the force behind King Caramel, her line of of handmade and hand-wrapped caramels available at the farmers market and more than 20 stores on Vashon and in the Seattle area. Now, thanks to longtime Little House owner Bettie Edwards and a latenight dream she had, Anderson has completed a quick transformation of the gift shop and created King Caramel Kitchens, a commercial kitchen space that will ultimately offer two kitchens and house her expanding business. Anderson, who called Edwards a friend and mentor, said just weeks ago she was woken at 3 a.m. by a text from Edwards, saying, “I have a great idea. Come in and talk to me.” The great idea, of course, was that she buy the building, and Anderson’s first response was an emphatic no. But as the idea percolated, Anderson said, she changed her mind. SEE CANDY, 20
Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
Hedy Anderson makes caramel last week at the Cohousing Common House. This week she has moved her operation into the former Little House building, which she is buying.
Vashon’s history museum hopes to reach a wider audience with expansion Nonprofit plans to buy home next door, redo museum’s permanent exhibit By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
Vashon’s heritage association hopes to expand its reach in 2015, beginning with the purchase of a historical building next door to the heritage museum. The Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association is again under contract to purchase the historical home that was once the parsonage of the Lutheran church where the museum is located. Though the sale hasn’t closed, volunteers are swiftly working to round out fundraising for a down payment and have already envisioned a historical education center that could one day be housed there. “I have been a huge proponent of this,” said Deb Dammann, president of the heritage association’s board. “I feel strongly that it is something that should happen for Vashon, and in time it’s going to prove itself as being our logical expansion as an institution that is going to move more and more into the heart of this community and Natalie Martin/Staff Photo be used more and more by people.” The heritage association is under contract to buy the forSEE MUSEUM, 19
mer parsonage on Bank Road. The sale has not yet closed.
True Value to become an Ace Hardware store By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
After 37 years in business as True Value, the hardware store and service center will soon become part of the Ace Hardware company. “As times change, you have to change with them to remain relevant,” said John Yates, a co-owner of the business. “Ace gives us a better opportunity to keep our business strong.” The decision has been a long time in the making, Yates said, as Ace Hardware has been talking to Yates and coowner Doug Snyder for more than a decade. In the past year, Yates said, he and Snyder thought about the idea more seriously and made the final decision in October. Ace Hardware is a strong company with a strong vision for growth and solid programs to assist retailers, Yates and Snyder said, while True Value has struggled in recent years. Both companies are member-owned buyers’ co-ops, and Ace, as the stronger, larger company, has a little more buying power than True Value. Ace also advertises nationally and locally, which True Value has not done in many years, making the Ace brand more SEE TRUE VALUE, 17