ZOOM | Fall/Winter 2018

fresh
WHERE LOCAL ART DWELLS
WORDS | NANCY PINCOMBE
Visitors who come across Fresh From the Coast are delighted with the
eclectic assortment of Coasty things. Locals check in regularly to buy
gifts for their off-Coast friends or to find just the right quality objects
to decorate a corner of a room, a garden, or a new suite. Everything is
charming and local: knicks and knacks, birdhouses, beautiful pottery,
jewelry, soap, glass, and so much more.
Karen Weissenborn has been running Fresh From the Coast for
eleven years. She now features more than 150 artisans, all of them
local, independent makers. Sustainability just happens when local
is the focus; there is little in the way of packaging. Most materials,
ingredients, craft, and inspiration come from right here. What you
get is a great cross-section of lovely stuff that reflects our incredible
natural surroundings and the creativity of our community. The store
has grown over the years and is in its fourth location (Trail Avenue,
beside the toy store).
The inventory is ever-changing and always surprising. Some of
the best-selling items are Linda Buckingham’s earthy and intricate
driftwood creations. The recognizable pottery of Jack Olive and Darcy
Margesson is very popular for gifts. And the myriad consumable items
such as soap, teas, chocolate, beeswax candles, beewax wraps, and
bath products sell like hotcakes during the busy Christmas season. On
the walls the artwork of Brett Varney and Anita Lindblom are favourites
with customers. And don’t forget the jewelry.
Weissenborn is proud of the store’s development over the years.
“When I first started, I asked about twenty artisans if they would be
interested in participating. Since then the work has been coming in
unsolicited, and I think the calibre of the work keeps improving! One of
the joys of Fresh is that I never know what will come in.”
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FIND FRESH AT 5498 TRAIL AVENUE IN SECHELT.