The 2025 Polar Dip was a success! Bravo to our friends who braved 49 degree water and had an invigorating start to the new year. And well done to the many supporters who came supplied with towels, warm drinks and hugs. We are grateful to Tom and Sue for continuing this tradition for our community for 30 years. Keep scrolling for more pics!

We love Winter Solstice. Five added seconds of daylight on December 22 and 293 added seconds by December 31. It doesn’t sound like much, but like supporting your community store, it adds up. We hope you enjoy the extra light while continuing to appreciate the stillness of our long nights.

Our annual member meeting was a night of celebration and merriment. Thank you Lee, Carol, Linda, Susan and Rebecca for making the evening special. We are grateful to the Nordland Garden Club for providing a gathering place for our overflowing crowd. We envisioned creating a simple general store. What we built together is a space that binds us as a community.

We love to chat with islanders Devon and Jim after their bike rides. Jim is training for a 3,000 mile bike ride next spring from the southern tip of Italy to the northern tip of Scotland! This duo stops in almost daily for produce and plans to do their holiday shopping at our store. Forgot to ask. Are you wearing bike helmets to stay safe in the store or do you have impressive helmet hair?

Tomato-loving two-year-old Aleila and her dad Layne gave our new shopping carts a solid thumbs up! Sorry about the tomato seeds and juice on your cozy outfit!

On your marks, get set, GO!!! Run, don’t walk for Nordland General Store wine from Marrowstone Vineyards, coffee from Port Townsend Roasting and gift cards. Treat your people or treat yourself. We may have just sampled both the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend and the Mild Dark Roast coffee. Which could explain our current state. Glug. Yum.

Check out these dedicated birders! Karin, Jackie, Cinda, Wendy and Hillary participate in the Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS). Once a month they monitor the bird population at Fort Flagler. And, of course, they gather on our porch after for coffee, tea and Pane d’Amore pastries.

Yes, Quince has been in our newsletter three times. But how can we resist his toothy smile made even cuter with our scarlet cranberries? He pops them raw from a paper bag. Kids these days!

June loves her border collie Bruno (Encanto fan!) and is surprising him with Gathering Place biscuits. No doubt Bruno will use the 2025 Gathering Place calendar to track his treat schedule. June and her family are island residents and regularly support our community store. Which allows us to support organizations like the Gathering Place. Yup. We’re all connected!

TOMORROW, October 19th from 2 to 4 pm

Cherie Priest, author of The Drowning House, is coming to the Nordland General Store for a reading and book signing. Grab a freshly stocked baked treat and warm beverage and snuggle in with us!

This store crew keeps us stocked in smiles, groceries and gifts. From left to right; Sarah, Tim, Jill, Dean, Wilson, Sue, Zac, Cheryl, Chelsie and MaryBeth (Ally isn’t pictured). Our store would be empty without these souls to fill it.

Find your store. Find your people. Find your community.

Five year old Thea wants you to guess the weight of our porch pumpkin. When she’s not balancing on giant pumpkins, Thea is preparing for her role as a mouse in The Nutcracker. She’s sporting ballet slippers inside those boots!

We planned for arrival by bike, boat and car but we forgot horses. Kristen is an energetic Chimacum teacher who thinks our produce is fabulous. We think her horse Lucy would agree about our Red Dog Farm carrots. Kristin loves to see her sons hop off the school bus, throw down their backpacks and run to the store for ice cream. Love these neigh - bors!

The Nordland General Store took to the water at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival! Holly and friends made an impressive spread of items from the store including Cearra’s chocolate chip cookies, Ladybug grapes, Rustic Bakery apricot pistachio crackers, Beecher’s flagship cheddar, Samish Bay chili chive gouda and lots of wine, bubbles and beer.

We wait all year for the simplest pleasures. Visit us for lucious Midori Farm slicing tomatoes and enjoy the easiest meal of the season. Caprese salad is a universal favorite and we have loads of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, SpringRain Farm basil and plenty of balsamic vinegar and olive oil choices. Add a bottle of wine and you have a fully balanced meal!

Luke Sauvignon Blanc is summer in a bottle according to Board member and secretary Tina Podlodowski. Tina is proud to be part of the tasting committee who thoughtfully selects the wine we carry at our community store.

Board member Linda Secord loves supporting the Nordland General Store. She is thrilled to have access to bountiful, local, organic produce without leaving Marrowstone Island.

Staff Picks: Zac loves local Timber City Ginger Beer. He thinks the just-released seasonal apricot might just top the classic flavor.