For many boaters hailing from ports all around the Salish Sea, a relaxing sojourn in the San Juan Islands would be incomplete without several days anchored in Blind Bay on Shaw Island—home to our Choice Chandlery marine and cruising supply store spotlight. We plan to celebrate those in the marine retail business who are often a boater-in-need’s saving grace in locations both near and strategically along cruising grounds.
The essential and perpetual advice, “watch your charts,” is critical when entering Blind Bay. Some nasty rocks lurk in the outskirts of Blind Island, a Washington State Marine Park at the head of the bay. The four mooring buoys at the park are available to boats under 45’ for $23 per night. There’s also a small dock at the state park where a boater can tie up for $1 per night. Shaw Island is the smallest island in the San Juans to enjoy regularly scheduled ferry service, so be mindful of these large vessels maneuvering in the area.
It’s a short jaunt on a dinghy from anywhere in Blind Bay of Blind Island Marine State Park to the Shaw Island General Store. The store is located immediately next to the ferry dock. In the unlikely event that a boat is fully provisioned and there’s nothing that could or should be added to galley stores, a visit to the store needs no commercial justification—it’s certain to be fascinating as well as entertaining.
Shaw Island General Store looks almost impossibly charming—like a plywood façade for the set of a Hollywood film about small-town life in a bygone era. The anachronistic ambiance is legitimate.
A cedar shake portico, supported by roughhewn logs, stretches the length of the General Store. Unobtrusive wooden barrels help frame the entrance. A cluster of well-worn crab floats, with colors like faded Easter eggs, dangles from one of the porch supports. The overall effect seems to declare “Welcome home!” even though, in the summer months, most visitors to the store live somewhere else. Somewhere else likely much more hectic; likely less serene.
Stepping through the double wooden doors is an exercise in time travel. The fir floors, burnished with over 100 years of foot traffic, unify sections of the store with a cornucopia of diverse offerings. A bottle of wine? Of course. Some meats and cheeses? Naturally. Garden-fresh vegetables, picked elsewhere on the island earlier in the day? Absolutely. How about a bouquet of freshly picked flowers for the table? Let your culinary imagination run wild.
While at the store, check out the arts and crafts from folks living on Shaw and nearby islands.
For those who would rather snack than cook, Shaw Island General Store offers a selection of fresh sandwiches, coffee, and several flavors of ice cream. The Shaw Island General Store also serves as the island’s official post office.
One gets the impression that there are small businesses in remote locations that can be, at least in part, described as a “labor of love.” If that description fits Shaw Island General Store, then perhaps that love explains the happy atmosphere that’s almost contagiously apparent here.
Even if nobody is getting particularly rich at Shaw Island General Store, thousands of people every year are enriched by a visit here.
Shaw Island General Store
37 Blind Bay Road
Shaw Island, WA 98286
360-468-2288
