Best of the Peninsula: Jewelry

This year’s polling of Peninsula Daily News readers awarded Sequim’s Costco with “Best Jewelry” honors. If you thought that Costco is focused strictly on low cost production jewels, take a look at the price tags for these baubles. In addition to expected gift gems, they carry pieces that are definitely outside the typical impulse purchase price range.

Best of the Peninsula: 2nd Hand Shop

Here’s another winner in the Peninsula Daily News polling. Goodwill was selected by readers as our best 2nd hand shop. This store opened in Sequim a year or so ago; there’s another branch in Port Angeles.

Goodwill is big. In addition to clothing, they sell small appliances and televisions that Goodwill workers have fixed if necessary, kitchenware, and some furniture. They do stock some new items and there was a big selection of stuffed toys when I was there last week. I picked up a really good Eddie Bauer down coat here for a song a year or two ago. In case I haven’t admitted it before, I’m an avowed bargain hunter.

Locals: old computers, monitors, and televisions can be recycled for free at Goodwill, another reason to make a stop here.

Street corner politics

I had four corners of new friends waving at me as I drove into downtown Sequim on Saturday. There were people supporting Omama and Romney, some holding handwritten signs linking women’s rights and the Democratic party, and an assortment of other candidates.

We vote by mail in Washington state and my ballot went into the mail last Wednesday. For me it’s all over but the waiting.

It’s open!

Signs are up, paper is off the windows, and Kiwi’s Fish and Chips has been officially open for business for about a week (though not when I took this shot around 9 a.m.).

So far there are two reviews on Yelp.com. One’s great, one’s not. That sounds about par for the course with a new restaurant. But the location is good, on Washington Street near Sequim Avenue, and the fish qualifies fish and chips as health food, right? And think of the lycopene if you add catsup!

Fresh Mix Grill

I saw the name of this place in the newspaper recently, then spied it a few days later. With its bright colors, it shouldn’t be hard to miss. It’s across the parking lot from the Coop on Washington Street and from the looks of it seems to be doing well. The building itself appears to be a converted gas station convenience store; it is steps from gas pumps.

I didn’t have a chance to stop in and sample the fare. Our latest set of summer visitors was due to arrive soon.