Sequim Daily Photo

Our local knitting shop, A Dropped Stitch, is the go-to place for knitters and weavers. It’s a sweet little store located on Bell Street, filled with beautiful supplies and plenty of good cheer.

They offer classes and tech support. And there’s even a spot toward the back of the store where yarnheads can hang out, knit, and spin woolly tales.

This post reminds me of the cable scarf I’ve been working on for months. It sits in a semi-neglected basket, growing so slowly you’d think perhaps it was ignored in lieu of blog posts.

This is an aisle from one of my favorite places in Sequim, Doodlebugs on West Washington. To say they sell paper arts and scrapbooking supplies doesn’t begin to cover it. They open up a universe of creativity to anyone who never completely left scissors, paper, and library paste behind in grammar school. They offer demonstrations and “make and take” projects to get you started. My holiday cards began here this year, but that just capped an array of fun and crafty playdates with a great staff full of good ideas.

Voters selected Walmart in the Peninsula Daily News polling “Vision” category. The honors are divided between the Walmart in Sequim and in Port Angeles. I’m not certain if “vision” means optometric care and/or dispensing opticians, which refers to fitting and selling glasses. But I guess if you like the Walmart experience getting your vision fix there makes sense too.

Voting in the Best of the Peninsula poll conducted by the Peninsula Daily News features many “best of” opportunities for businesses on the Olympic Peninsula. Today’s winner, Costco, offers one stop shopping in two categories: hearing aids and hot dogs.

I’ve not explored the hearing aid department but have dined on Costco hot dogs in California, Oregon, and Washington.  For $1.50 you can’t beat a Costco hot dog — the ones in Sequim are a good tube steak fix. And I suppose you can enjoy a quiet lunch at Costco while you wait for your hearing aid to arrive. . .

Here’s another Sequim selection from the Peninsula Daily News voting on “Best of the Peninsula.” JC Penney was voted best in the “clothing” category.

They must have known I was coming, because they moved a selection of their clothes out front so you could get a view of what’s on offer. Sorry the price tags are so hard to read.

There are places to buy clothing here and there on the Olympic Peninsula, but if you’re a serious clotheshorse the nearest racetrack is the mall in Silverdale, or you’ll want a trip to Seattle.

Sunny Farms is a local go-to spot and recently was voted as one of the “Best of the Peninsula” in the Peninsula Daily News.  Their store on Highway 101 is packed with most anything you’re likely to need, from bulk items like beans and grains to a small deli and butcher shop. They offer an array of vitamins and supplements at their main store but also have a shop on West Washington Street, shown above, that specializes in them.  They were honored as “Best Health Food” and also “Best Produce” in Clallam County.

The displays in front of the store change seasonally and they often have beautiful and tempting flowering plants that overflow from their nursery and farm store. Inside is a good selection of fruits and vegetables, including lugs of produce and supplies for canning during summer.

Here is a post of the inside of the store from Shannon. (I’ve never seen the store empty; I suspect Shannon took this at the crack of dawn!)  And here is a view of the nursery and farm store from Lavenderlady.

I think the French have a handle on living a good life.  There’s usually a good boulangerie (bakery) in the neighborhood where people can pick up the day’s loaf of bread, fresh and delicious. Pane d’Amore in Sequim is nestled off Washington Street and is easy to miss but it offers the kinds of artisan breads that say “life is good” and can spoil you for anything else. Their baguette makes me dream of Paris.

One quickly learns to not get there late in the day, as I did. They may be easy to miss, but they have a loyal following and if you arrive toward the end of the day the selection may be slim.

The nice ladies who work there begin their day with the racks to the right full of beautifully made breads as well as cookies and a selection of pasteries.

There is also a small selection of goodies for a nice gourmet gift basket or a well stocked larder at home.

Pan d’Amore breads are offered in other stores around Sequim and they also have bakeries on Bainbridge Island and in Port Townsend.