In 2021, as Seattle began to reopen and we ventured out after months of isolation, I found myself wandering the halls of the Seattle Art Museum. In the painting gallery I stopped, transfixed, before a portrait by Alice Neel—a favorite artist of mine from college days. Neel’s style, raw and perfectly imperfect, captures personalities with intimacy, and seeing her work again was like meeting an old friend.

Back in college, I had dreamed of a life in art, but practicality took over. I set my degree aside, entering the working world where I worked my way from an administrator to a Senior Vice President, managing large teams and tackling ambitious goals. But there, in front of that portrait, I found myself reflecting deeply: if I had perished in this pandemic, would I be content with the art I had — or hadn’t — made? Or the creativity that I set aside to be practical?

This realization shifted something inside me. Within a month, I had resigned from my job and picked up my paintbrushes again.

Opening Bench & Board

In October of 2021, the pieces fell into place: We leased a charming little cottage and turned a small online side project into a brick-and-mortar store and a leap into creativity and entrepreneurship. It was a leap, to say the least — we even had our ribbon-cutting ceremony, masks on, uncertain of what lay ahead. We expanded in June of 2022 across the street at 610 Main St. in what was a formerly a bridal salon.

Now, three years later at Bench & Board, our shop in Edmonds, I am constantly reminded of the community’s warmth. The support and encouragement from our neighbors, many of whom express their hope that local shops survive and thrive, has been both humbling and heartening. There is a shared awareness that we all need special places where people can connect beyond online shopping and automated deliveries. We are so grateful to those of you who have found us and brought your friends into the shop. We love learning about and talking with our customers who have become our friends.

And so, if you have not, we invite you to visit. Touch and see what we offer, try on beautiful hand cream, pick out the perfect candle. Laugh with us at our quirky finds and discover a beautiful gift, or delight in our home goods. We would love to welcome you, in person, to Bench & Board. We hope you can find the perfect gift to express your sentiment to those you love. And yes, we even have local art for sale!

This holiday season as with all of them, we are focused community giving projects including a “Giving Tree” that benefits the Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County. You may pick one or many tags from the tree and bring them back unwrapped. The deadline for bringing back your item is Dec. 6 so they may be distributed. In addition to the giving tree, we have a Wreath fundraiser for the Edmonds Food Bank where you can pre-order an evergreen wreath made from very fresh Pacific Northwest greens. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Edmonds Food Bank. You may preorder here. Don’t forget to invite your friends to Edmonds to ride the Holiday Trolley and enjoy the merriment of our community. We hope to see you soon!

Find us at:

Bench & Board
www.benchandboard.com
610 Main Street
Edmonds, WA. 98020
425-712-0634