WHIDBEY
BUSINESS Page A4
AUTHOR TALK IN LANGLEY: Music for the Eyes, a rug seller at 314 Front Street in Langley, will host the authors who wrote the book, “Whidbey Island: Reflections on People and the Land,” from 5-7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10. Langley authors Mary Richardson, Elizabeth Guss and Janice O’Mahony will do a short reading of their book, share ideas and sign books. Royalties for the book support the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM
Wednesday, August 6, 2014 • Whidbey News Times
Customers like family at Daily Grind Cafe a popular gathering spot for Oak Harbor’s clubs, groups By RON NEWBERRY Staff reporter
It’s just shy of 10 o’clock in the morning on a recent Friday and the Daily Grind is buzzing. Tammie DeRosa scans her cafe and sees familiar faces at every table. She then spots another coming through the door. “OK, Miss Margaret,” DeRosa says cheerfully. “Are you having a Mocha Freeze?” For seven and a half years, DeRosa has gotten to know her customers and their favorite drinks and caters to them as if they were members of her own family. It’s during that span that she and her husband Michael have owned the small cafe, which is tucked away in downtown Oak Harbor, facing the iconic windmill, with City Beach Street as the easiest access. It can be a bit of a lonely existence at times inside a mostly unoccupied building that once housed a large number of Whidbey Island Bank employees who frequented the cafe. But despite its quiet
surroundings, the Daily Grind is no secret to locals, especially during breakfast hours when the morning rush comes in, then again at lunch. “There are a lot of regulars,” said Margaret Galbraith of Oak Harbor, who comes every Friday morning for her Mocha Freeze. “A lot of hometown people.” On this particular Friday morning, every table was taken as 29 customers sipped their drinks and engaged in lively conversation. Galbraith, an Oak Harbor business owner, met for coffee with Jan Hughes, an instructor at Skagit Valley College, as part of a Friday morning routine. Such routines are contagious at the Daily Grind, which is a gathering spot for knitting and walking groups and various clubs. Galbraith said the atmosphere is much like the one in the television show, “Cheers” where “everybody knows your name.” “This is an institution,” Hughes said, “and what keeps it going is Tammie. You can get coffee all over this town.” “We like the atmosphere and friendliness,” Galbraith said. “Tammie is very gracious.” DeRosa works six days
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Tammie DeRosa and her husband have owned the Daily Grind, located at 321 S.E. Pioneer Way in Oak Harbor, for nearly eight years. Although it’s tucked away, it’s no secret to locals. a week at the cafe, which is open every day except Sunday. Business hours are 7 a.m. until 4 p.m., except for Saturday when it is open from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. “There’s a lot of work involved with running a restaurant,” DeRosa said, “and I love every bit of it because the clientele we have coming in here is just priceless. We have retired senior citizens who are the nicest people, the most understanding people. I can’t say enough about these people. It’s like my second family. I just love
them to pieces.” DeRosa used to run a cleaning business in Spokane before she worked in retail. She was glad to have another opportunity to operate a business and couldn’t imagine a better one than what she has in the Daily Grind. Customers have noticed her compassion as she tends to keep a watchful eye on some of her elderly patrons and checks on their wellbeing even after they’ve left her cafe. DeRosa likes to help and believes in karma. Her mind
An aid to individuals looking for resources and professionals in the fields of Social Work, Medicine, Health and Wellness, Law Enforcement, Education and Counseling.
FAMILY RESOURCE GUIDE SALES DEADLINE: FRIDAY, AUG. 22ND
Call 675-6611 today to advertise in this United Way of Island County information resource. The guide is distributed island wide and is used by many organizations, including DSHS and NAS Whidbey’s Family Support Services.
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rarely strays far from her own 93-year-old grandmother, who lives independently in Clarkston, near Spokane. “I take care of these guys not just because I want to,” she said. “I’m also hoping somebody will be nice enough to help her if she ever needs it without taking advantage of her. “I kind of think God’s going to take care of her because I’m doing good things.” And she hopes to have the opportunity to continue to do so for a long time. She is hopeful but uncertain about the future of her restaurant’s location after the City of Oak Harbor purchased the building from Whidbey Island Bank earlier this year with plans for a new wastewater treatment plant in the immediate area. “I’ve been here so long, I do hope we stay here,” DeRosa said. “My customers are used to it. They don’t like change.”
NEX offers money for good grades The Navy Exchange has been offering students a chance to help pay for college through its A-OK Student Reward Program since 1997. The program offers all qualified students to participate in a quarterly drawing for monetary awards of $2,500, $1,500, $1,000 or $500 for a total of $5,500 per quarter. The next drawing will be held at the end of August. Any eligible fulltime student that has a B grade point average equivalent or better, as determined by their school system, may enter the drawing. Homeschooled students can also qualify with acknowledgement that the student has a “B” average or equivalent record of accomplishment. Eligible students must be dependent children of active duty military members, reser vists and military retirees enrolled in first through 12th grade. Dependent children without an individual Dependent Identification Card must be accompanied by their sponsor to submit their entry. Each student may enter. To enter the drawing, stop by any NEX with a current report card or progress report and have an NEX associate verify the eligibility. Then fill out an entry card and obtain an A-OK ID, which entitles the student to 19 discount coupons for NEX products and services.