Women in Business - 2013 Women in Business

Celebrating the contributions business women have made on Lopez Island

An advertising supplement of the Islands’ Weekly

By Cali Bagby

A labor of love

Weekly editor

W

hen walking into Gallery 10 you are welcomed by art, clothing and home items.

The store is unique because of the quality of products and by the warm smile of owner Colleen James.

It’s a smile that has con-

sistently greeted customers for the last 17 years.

“She is so compassionate, loving, generous, talented and always has a positive outlook on everything,” said her daughter Michele Smith, who also owns a business - Tanbark Marine on Lopez. “Her unconditional love has guided me throughout my life.”

• New Construction • Furnishings • Remodels • Window Coverings

Mitty Huntsman Interior Designer “Designing Solutions for Island Living” (360) 468-4099 mdesign@rockisland.com

When James set out to open a store on Lopez she started with just an art gallery. She has featured work

by Leonard Wren, Shirley Wright, Steve Hill, Caroline Buchanan, Don Charles, Kate Scott and Christa Malay Within a year of opening, she decided she wanted to expand her store to her other passion – clothing.

“I have something for everyone and for every pocket book,” she said.

“Everything I have is picked out because of its specialness.”

Later she decided to diversify the store even further by adding certain home items like French table linen, quirky lamps, fun and decorative pillows and small pieces of unusual furniture.

The shop’s original name was Side Street Gallery, but James eventually changed it to Gallery 10.

“The name came from the sake of simplicity,” she said.

“It’s very easy to remember and from a scale of one to 10, the gallery is a 10.”

And apparently others agree. James said over the last 17 years she has received a lot of visitors in the summer and a strong

OPALCO Honors Women in Business Meet Amy Saxe, Member Services Supervisor Amy came to OPALCO in 2010 with more than 20 years experience in the finance world, applying financial and project management skills to develop and implement creative solutions in process efficiency, quality management and customer service. She earned her B.S. in Business at Indiana University and is an enthusiastic lifelong learner. “I’m happiest when I’m in a position to learn something new. At OPALCO, it is all about energy.”

After serving in top management positions for Washington Mutual and JP Morgan Chase in Seattle and South Carolina, Amy adjusted quickly to island life and loves the switch to the cooperative model of business.

Her business philosophy – co-op or corporation – is the same: she believes in the power of people working together to achieve a common goal. At OPALCO, that translates to education and energy conservation.

And, to that end, Amy will be transitioning into a new position by year end: adding Energy Services Manager to her role. She looks forward to the opportunity to continue to improve member outreach and program awareness, enhance self-service tools, and educate members about the importance of conservation.

Volunteerism is another strong asset that Amy brings to OPALCO. In addition to her own community service with Friends of Moran and Salmonberry School, Amy created and coordinates OPALCO employee work parties in the community. Give her a call if you have a need our co-op volunteer team can help you meet!

Amy considers herself a homebody – but applies the same work ethic to her play time. She always has multiple projects going on at once: restoring furniture, knitting gifts, taking care of her chickens, and spending lots of time with her daughter, whom she partially homeschools.

Together, they are learning to play the ukulele, enjoy arts and crafts projects and are currently studying the history of solar power.

Cali Bagby/ Staff photo

Three generations of business women. From left to right: Colleen Smith Armstrong, Colleen James and Michele Smith. local clientele all year that she is grateful for.

Prior to opening the gallery, James worked as a full-time artist and ran the household as a mother and a wife to Doug James, who owns a floor covering business.

James is known for her figurative sculpture work, hand-made cameo jewelry and drawings. Before living on Lopez, James lived in California and was featured in local galleries. She was also accepted into the prestigious Laguna Beach

Festival of Arts for many years. She moved to Lopez in 1978. Both her daughter and her granddaughter have dozens of pieces of art in their homes.

“Coming from a line of strong women has shown me you can be a mother and a wife and be a very strong community business figure,” said her granddaughter Colleen Smith Armstrong, who is also the publisher of the Sounder newspaper on Orcas. “Her store is amazing … it’s like walking into a fashion oasis

on a tiny island community.”

James said she tries to give each customer a personalized experience. She describes her many years of business as providing the opportunity to meet so many lovely people and establish nice relationships.

“A lot of people have told me coming into the store is like coming home,” said James.

For the winter Gallery 10 is open at noon and closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

For more info, call 468-4910.

By Colleen S. Armstrong

think about the sacrifices of those who came before me.

I take it for granted that I can vote, achieve my goals, survive on my own income, choose whether or not to start a family. I can dress

how I please, I can voice my opinion, I can file for divorce. And on the isolated occasion that I do feel discriminated against because of my gender, I brush it off because it has no relevance.

There will always be ignorant people in this world. It is my choice to internalize it or move on to something else.

But when I pause to really consider history, I feel an earnest and intense kinship with the women who pioneered my rights decades ago. They took the real risks. They were strong in the face of challenging deep social traditions. And the shocking part – and this is true for Civil Rights as well – is that it wasn’t very long ago that our cultural fabric was based on severe restrictions to human rights.

As we salute our modern business women in this special section, we also pay tribute to those who laid the way for our success. What follows is a timeline of notable events in the history of

Celebrate Women’s History

Sounder Editor/Publisher

Their footsteps echo in the corridors of history, but we rarely hear them. As a young woman living in the 21st century, I don’t often

Hannah Rose, LMP Massage Therapy Injury Rehabilitation Body Reclamation

What if health care felt good?

Call 468-4110 to schedule Wa DOH License #ma60201093

The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • October 22, 2013 – Page 6

See history, page 7

Help with the hunt for health coverage

By Anna Haefele

Special to the Islands’ Weekly

Shopping for an insurance plan is one of the most uniquely frustrating and stressful experiences imaginable, but Lori Taylor, an independent broker and owner of Health Insurance Northwest, is the piece that puts the human element back in the process. For the last 11 years, Taylor has been aiding locals and offislanders in their hunt for health coverage, linking individuals and small businesses with providers that meet their needs.

Taylor understands the difficulties of the insurance trade from the consumer perspective.

“It’s a very convoluted industry,” she said.

However, despite the insurance industry’s notoriously

history CONTINUED FROM 6

women, courtesy of Encyclopedia Brittanica.

1800 The U.S. logs the highest birth rate worldwide, 7.04 children per woman.

1833

bad reputation, Taylor prefers to keep things positive. She said of her role as a broker, “I’m not a salesperson...I love the personal connection, and I love representing integrity within the industry.”

Taylor got started in the industry when she herself was looking for an insurance plan back in 2001. She had such a positive experience with her own agent that she decided to try her hand at the trade.

“Once I started, I really loved it. I became a top producer in just a short time,” she said.

She started out as a “captured agent,” affiliated with a specific provider, but in 2007 she decided to be an independent broker to be able to offer more options for her clients.

Although she serves people across the state, most of her clients are north of Seattle.

While her business is a huge part of her life, she’s quick to clarify that it isn’t her whole life. She balances her professional success with a passion for mosaic art, sailing, and a deep appreciation of nature. She’s also a grandmother and an active member of the island community.

Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin College) is founded in Ohio as the first American college to admit men and women on an equal basis.

1900

1893

1904

Largely through the efforts of suffragist Kate Sheppard, New Zealand becomes the first country to grant women the right to vote.

In French law, women are no longer permanent minors.

Juliette Gordon Low founds the Girl Guides (later Girl Scouts) in the United States. By 1927 there will be a troop in every state.

1908

1913

Women of the Islands’ Weekly

British tennis player Charlotte Cooper wins the first women’s gold medal at the Olympics.

A group of women storm the British Parliament demanding suf frage.

Twenty-four of them are arrested.

1909 In New York, shirtwaist factory workers go on strike. The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and the Women’s Trade Union League work together in support of the strike.

1911

Marie Curie is awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry for the isolation of pure radium.

1912

We had a great summer thanks to our fabulous Fudge Natalieteam.

Wilson the fudge Factory Ashi,and Bree,MarJoe Emabet,Davidson, Emalie, Karan, Kyle, ladies of Lopez, thank our community on Lopez Island MacKenzie, Maddie, and Maya. We thank everyone in and the for their your continued support throughout theSan San Juan's Juans’ for support. the

last 4 years. We couldn't have done it without you!

Come shop Lopez Especially in this at economy.

WePreschool hope you thinkBazaar of us for more than just fudge.

We have a wonderful selection Nov 30th and Holiday Marketplaceof gifts for all occasions, jewelery, angels, Lopez souvenirs, Friday Harbor toys, gourmet foods, as well asNov local 29-30th artisans, Seraphim Soaps, Lopez Island Candy Co., Dancing Lamb Studios Thank you and Papa George seafood.

Wefrom scoop Lopez Island Creamery Ice Cream cones, sundaes, floatsWilson, and MarJoeshakes, Davidson and Natalie hand packed pints. Wethewill pack and ship your gift of fudge ladies fudge to friends and family. Come by and see us, we might be making fudge, try a free taste.

468-2439

Just Heavenly Fudge Factory www.justheavenlyfudge.com 9 Old Post Rd Lopez village 2 doorsShop down from the Chamber of Commerce Early Shop Local

468-2439

Norwegian women win the right to vote. In 1915, Danish women win the right to vote.

1914 In Russia, Princess Eugenie Shakhovskaya is the first female military pilot. She flies reconnaissance missions.

1917 The United States Navy hires 12,000 women as See history, page 8

Our Women In Business

Roxanne Angel, publisher.

Cali Bagby, staff reporter, website editor.

Questions about Health Care Reform?

We invite you to come in to see what a    

Nicole Matisse Duke, circu- Kathryn Sherman, graphic lation manager, administra- artist. tive coordinator.

community bank has to offer.

A competitive suite of Consumer and Business products: Secure Online Access with Bill Pay Wireless Credit Card Services Loans and Lines of Credit including Home Energy Improvements Affordable Housing Specialist ”Shop Local, Buy Local, Bank Local” 45 Weeks Road Lopez Island, WA 98261 360-468-2295 ®

As a Licensed Broker specializing in individual, family and self-employed health insurance plans in Northwest Washington since 2002 and a local full-time San Juan County resident, I am just the person to ask!

I am also a Certified HealthPlanFinder Producer, able to give advice and help you with the lengthy application process. If you don’t qualify for the subsidies, I can help you find a plan that best meets your needs in the general marketplace.

My services do NOT cost you anything extra!

Give me a call today! 468.3998

Islanders Bank

www.IslandersBank.com

The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • October 22, 2013 – Page 7

The rich history of Deja Vu

By Cali Bagby Weekly editor

T

here are some places that no matter how far we travel we always come right back to.

That is especially true for Jennifer Turunen, owner of Deja Vu, an apt name for a store where clothes are resold and re-loved. But the name has a double meaning since that is the building where as a child Turunen was babysat while her mother worked across the street at the post office and the telephone office.

In the 70s her grandmother worked at the real estate

office, which was called Washington House. In the 80s, Turunen worked for Washington House. She also worked as a barista next door at Isabel’s.

It was during her stint at the coffee house that she watched the space go up for rent and she started wondering what she could create in it. Clothes and consignment came to her.

“Something that I knew something about: Clothes and shopping,” she said.

Turunen opened Deja Vu in March of 2012.

Since then she describes the store as constantly changing.

“Changing seasons, changing displays, offering a visually pleasing experience,” she said.“My merchandise is picked with a very discerning eye and it’s presented in a way that it’s hard to tell if the clothes are new or used.”

The merchandise is either vintage, like new or very well cared for garments.

She also likes to showcase local artists who make clothing and accessories in a gallery type of way.

Growing up on Lopez has shaped the way she looks at owning an island business. Her great-grandparents operated the telephone company. Her grandfather and father started and ran Lopez Ready Mix, which is still the only concrete company on the island. Turunen’s mother had a catering business for 20 years and has worked in property management for 30 years.

“I come from hard working island families and have been exposed to their good business practices,” she said. “Do something you’re good at and provide quality.”

Turunen also adds her own personal touch inspired from her childhood. She remembers years of devouring Vogue and other fashion mags and her mother’s shopping trips to downtown Seattle at Nordstrom or Fredrick and Nelson.

history CONTINUED FROM 7 17 years ago, I thought it would be fun to open an art gallery.

It was, and is. Over the years, I’ve added fanciful clothing and unusual home décor, all chosen carefully, with my eye for beautiful things. I think Gallery 10 is a unique collection of delights, and if you haven’t as yet indulged yourself, I hope you soon will. I am so grateful for my many customers and friends (often one and the same), who help make it possible for me to be living my dream.

Artists represented: • Julie Creighton – watercolor • Colleen James – sculpture, cameo jewelry • Anni Leedy – pastel, watercolor • Robert Proctor – oil

clerks in the same job classifications and for the same pay as men.

This is so that it can send men overseas.

1918 Canadian and British women are granted the right to vote, although in Great Britain a woman must be over age 30.

The U.S. government reports that 1.4 million women work in war industries. After World War I these women are forced out of industrial work.

1920 The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is signed into law, giving women the right to vote.

Despite death threats from the Ku Klux Klan, Mary McLeod Bethune begins a voter registration

Cool Clothes for Hot Lopezians

• Nancy Dean – felted hats with birds • Jonelle Johnson – watercolor, monoprint • Marlyn Munter – acrylic, giclee, sculpture

• John Roser – sculpture, oil

FANCIFUL CLOTHING: hip, current, decidedly feminine clothes to make you feel special.

HOME DÉCOR: lamps, pillows, throws, baskets, dishes, French table linens, plus an array of charming decorative and gift items.

Located in Lopez Village

360 468 4910 • gallery10colleen@gmail.com P O Box 811, Lopez Island Wa. 98261 OPEN DAILY AT NOON (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays until spring) The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • October 22, 2013 – Page 8

*NEXT TO ISABELS ESPRESSO

Cali Bagby / Staff photo

Jennifer Turunen at Deja Vu. Although clothes are clearly important to Turunen, more than anything she wants Deja Vu to offer something special in addition to shopping.

“I hope it’s a place women can come to and look at some nice things with pretty fabrics and colors, have a visit, a cup of coffee or tea, talk about color, clothes, dogs, weather, dinner or whatever and maybe find something special to take home,” she said. “There is something there for every body. All styles, shapes and sizes.”

Store hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m.

- 5 p.m. drive for African American women.

The University of Oxford admits its first full-degree female students.

rules that women cannot be excluded from juries because of their sex.

1945

The U.S. Supreme Court upholds affirmative action on the basis of race or gender.

More than six million American women who entered the workforce during World War II are pushed out of their traditionally male jobs at the war’s end.

1975 The U.S. Supreme Court

1986

2002 Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years on the throne.