Orcasional Musings | Something’s missing

— Orcasional Musings by Steve Henigson —

About two-thirds of the way from the ferry landing to Eastsound, on the west side of Horseshoe Highway, there’s a high, weather-worn, wood-slat fence. Behind it sits an old, but well preserved log cabin that had been built in 1866. The cabin sits vacant now, which is a tragedy of sorts.

Back in 1959, Richard Schneider and his partner, Bud McBride, opened Crow Valley Pottery, a manufactory and retail store, in the old cabin, once the home of Richard’s ancestors. Richard and Bud made and sold folk-art-revival ceramics which were nice to look at, comfortable to use, and sturdily constructed. Their works were decorated with solid, earthy colors, and bird and floral designs, all of which were presented using a purposely limited palette of old-style glazes. They even made some of their pieces using real Orcasian mud, dug from a nearby source of good-quality clay.

In the fullness of time, Richard and Bud retired and, in 1994, they passed the business on to Richard’s nephew, Jeffri Coleman, the son of Richard’s sister, Viola. Jeffri had met his own partner, Michael Rivkin, when they both were in culinary school, in, of all places, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Michael was good at running the business, while Jeffri took over the artistic and decorative side, just as his uncle Richard had before him. Between the two of them, they expanded what was already a warm and friendly place into an exhibit of not only their own work, but also an inviting collection of the products of many other Orcasian artists. There were ceramics, of course, but there were also metal sculptures, paintings, glasswork, jewelry, and even candles and soaps. If it was interesting and in good taste, Michael and Jeffri were sure to have it in stock.

Their business prospered, not least because the two of them were personable, friendly, and easy to converse with. Michael presented a warm and inviting smile, and Jeffri became infamous for his slyly sardonic, but gentle, wit. He also became famous for his flower garden and his food.

Crow Valley Pottery grew and grew, until it outgrew the ancient cabin at the side of the road. Michael and Jeffri then expanded their business into a large, recently-vacated space in beautiful downtown Eastsound, and added more, and, of course, equally interesting, arts-and-crafts inventory, sourced from all over the Northwest. The old cabin was opened now only from late spring through early fall, to catch tourists and summer visitors who were interested in picturesque surroundings as much as they were in tasteful and artistic, decorative and utilitarian home furnishings.

But then disaster and discord struck. Jeffri’s uncle Richard had died in 2015, and, upon his death, the property on which the aged cabin sat passed into the hands of other members of the family. In 2016, those other people decided that Crow Valley Pottery would have to close, perhaps because the land had become much more valuable than the craft business which sat upon it.

This forced closure was so very painful for Jeffri and Michael that they decided to get rid of the store in Eastsound, and then to leave the island entirely. And without the picturesque old cabin, and the actual pottery-making shed on the same land, the Eastsound store became difficult to run and to keep stocked. So then it also closed.

Jeffri Coleman and Michael Rivkin moved to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, about 60 miles from where they first had met, and became the proprietors of a Bed-and-Breakfast inn called The Parsonage. Michael probably runs the business side, while Jeffri does the cooking and, by now, will have developed a gorgeous garden. The town of Jim Thorpe has gained, and we have lost.

Something that was once very important to our community is now gone from our island. I don’t know about you, but I really miss Jeffri, Michael, and Crow Valley Pottery.