Encore 12.16 by Lynden Tribune

A Guide to a Fulﬁlling Senior Life in Whatcom County

ENCORE Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Village Books founders Chuck and Dee Robinson have retired to Lynden................................. C2

Louise Sager’s vintage clothing collection beneﬁts the Ferndale Heritage Society..................... C5

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 21, 2016 | Ferndale Record

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Goodbye to Village Books, hello to retirement Robinsons return to small-town living in Lynden, and to travel By Elisa Claassen for the LyndenTribune

Dee and Chuck Robinson are settled into their Lynden home in which they added bookshelves for their big personal collection of books. (Elisa Claassen/Lynden Tribune)

LYNDEN — So much has been written about Chuck and Dee Robinson, it could fill books and the books would have plenty of space on the longtime bookseller’s shelves in their “new” Lynden home. The Robinsons, founders of Village Books of Fairhaven and now of Lynden, have been known in the Bellingham community for years. But many don’t know the “before” or even the “after” parts of their story apart from Fairhaven and the bookstore. In 2016 the Robinsons announced, via social media and the press, that they were passing on ownership of their beloved stores to a wellhoned in-house management team — and, probably more of a surprise, that they were moving to Lynden. Their noted condo atop the Fairhaven store offered views of sunsets along Bellingham Bay with sounds from the Village Green below. Now, they are in a Northweststyled home at the edge of Lynden with

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 21, 2016 | Ferndale Record

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The main floor view of the Robinsons’ Lynden home is to southeast farmland and Mount Baker. (Elisa Claassen/Lynden Tribune) floor-to-ceiling windows opens to views of farm fields and Mount Baker. While they could walk to an assortment of eateries and shops before, they now have a longer walk down Front Street into downtown. Back when Dee Robinson hailed from Hastings, Nebraska, Chuck from Galva, Illinois. Both were middle America, not unlike Lynden. They met in college years at Sioux Falls College in South Dakota. They married during school, with 50 years since to be celebrated in 2017. Chuck studied biology and psy-

chology, while Dee studied English, which led to teaching for several years. Both added graduate degrees in special education. Their journey took them from Illinois to Missouri and Colorado, back to Illinois, and then to the Northwest. Chuck was involved at points of his professional journey in curriculum development as Dee continued to teach to a special-needs population. “Once we got to the Northwest, we knew we were home,” he said. It was February 1980. They stepped away from teaching and worked to open a book store. Prepping space and building

bookshelves, by June 1980 they opened Village Books in space that is now filled with cookware. Another business had downsized and they had space to put their books. They continued to expand, from the original 1,500 square foot space to 2,200 square feet. Then they went from one level to two levels in the building. More books filled shelves. Fast forward: By 2004, the Robinsons had built a new building adjacent to Paper Dreams, a gift store which they also have owned. The construction matched the architecture of the neighborhood with a garage in the bottom store level, two more

store levels, and their new home and an additional condo at the top. This was home for 11 and a half years after living along Samish Way above Interstate 5 for 15 years. Life in Fairhaven was good. No complaints, they agree. It was close to so much with the “best commute” to work. “The elevator came pretty fast,” they laughed, taking them from floor to floor. Twenty-six eating establishments gave dinner variety. Lots of pluses. As to the cons for Fairhaven, really none. “We loved it.” It had been their dream See Robinsons on C4

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 21, 2016 | Ferndale Record

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Robinsons: 'We were falling in love with the town' Continued from C3 to live above the store and even easier to have one car for the household. It was used so rarely that sometimes the battery was too low for the car to start, Chuck said. Why move to Lynden? They know many saw the names of Robinson and Fairhaven as closely interwoven, yet they say they were surprised by the shock of people when they made their initial announcement to move away from Fairhaven and Bellingham to Lynden. Chuck acknowledges growing up in a Baptist household and he knew Lynden had a reputation for being more conservative than they were. It happened they were planning a store for downtown Lynden, now located in the renovated Waples Mercantile Building at 444 Front Street. They had signed the lease in March 2015 and started to attend local Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Association meetings. As they were going back and forth, they realized something. “We were falling in love with the town,” Chuck said. With time away to take a long planned cruise in the spring with friends from their special education teaching days, they start-

ed the discussion of moving. Dee started to look at links to properties being sent from a real estate agent. Lyndenites Kent and Gail De Hoog had designed and built a home they loved, but were in the process of moving across town to accommodate a disabled family member. The home, which Chuck had seen while visiting a business friend in the same neighborhood, caught the Robinsons’ eyes. They really liked it. Dee wasn’t particularly in a hurry to move, but saw others were interested in the house too. “We knew if we wanted it, we’d better jump.” So they jumped and everything happened fast. They listed their condo. The real estate agent made a video and they announced it on Facebook, resulting in many more sharing it with friends. It sold on the second day to a Bellingham friend. Many books went into boxes, and art was taken from walls. But only temporarily. In contrast to downsizing, their Lynden home has much more space on three levels. Book shelves for the main part of their personal library were constructed in the lowest level by friend John Blethen’s company New Whatcom Interiors. Yet books, Northwest art and personal mementos fill up all levels of the home. A large open airy great room with an oversized mantel above the fire-

place has a loft-like upper floor with room for visitors. They still each have office space. Part of Galva, Illinois, is present by a framed map in Chuck’s office. Part of Fairhaven is there too: A small glass bottle they found intact during excavation for rebuilding Village Books. A corner nook has framed postcards all of book readers surrounding a Shakespearean quote. All were found at museums they visited. What does ‘retirement’ look like? The transition wasn’t sudden, they said, yet it has been “smooth.” They talked with their management team at the store for two years. Dee had already stepped away from a day-to-day presence in the store in August 2014. For the past several years they have hosted literary-minded smaller travel groups going to Europe. The next one in June 2017 will involve taking a small group (which still has space) to Amsterdam and Paris. Two years ago they went to London and Paris. The itinerary will include at least two or three museums, canals, a concert at Sainte-Chapelle and walking tours with local guides. One special stopping point will be the Shakespeare and Company book store. As they both step away from the store,

they will also have more time to add a personal trip to the group adventure — their first trip to Scandinavia, seeing Bergen, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden, with additional stops in Russia and Estonia. While Dee’s knees have been a bit sore of late, Chuck has joined the ranks of die-hard cyclists. In June 2015 his goal was to ride to a school reunion back in Illinois, 1,480 miles away and with two mountain ranges to cross. The trip started with a flourish with many friends joining for the first few blocks or even miles. Dee drove the minivan/ camper along for support. The trip came to a halt when Chuck was “downed, and broke two ribs, by an attack of two dogs.” The rest of the trip continued inside the camper van to the friends and family, but Chuck still intends to take up where he left off in North Dakota and continue on to the East Coast, he said, next fall in time for the colorful fall leaves. A home exercise area beyond the books is faithfully used. As he cycles, he can watch TED talks on the largescreen TV in the family room. For being “at home” in the new home, Dee has inherited a garden that contains vegetables, roses, blueberries and apple trees. Chuck has ridden his bicycle in the local parades and has enjoyed getting to know the neighbors.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 21, 2016 | Ferndale Record

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Preserving history through fashion Louise Sager’s vintage closet and fashion shows give back to Ferndale Heritage Society By Ashley Hiruko ashley@lyndentribune.com

Louise Sager has been taking part in the Sager Family Breakfast for over 60 years. She hosted the event on Saturday and over 60 family members from all over Washington State converged into her home on Olson Road. She credits her family for supporting her volunteering in the community. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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FERNDALE — For over 60 years Ferndale resident and Heritage Society volunteer Louise Sager has been coming together with family members from around Washington state for the Sager Family Breakfast. “Not every family is fortunate as we are to be able to get together and be able to appreciate each other,” Sager said. On Saturday, 64 parents, grandparents, children, wives and husbands filled every room of her house on Olson Road, with smiles and a common laughter shared among the young and the old. Sager was a fitting host. She flowed from room to room and graciously greeted each attendee. The

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 21, 2016 | Ferndale Record

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Sager: Collection garnered esteem over the years Continued from C5 large-scale event is an atmosphere she fits most naturally in. Not surprising for the 77-year-old. Sager has been living in Ferndale since 1957 and for years has been making her mark by volunteering with both the Whatcom Old Settlers Association and creating a Ferndale-centric branch of the organization, the Ferndale Heritage Society — which most long time Ferndale residents are familiar with. Over time, her “closet,” a large collection of vintage clothing, has also earned her esteem. Originally a member of the Whatcom Old Settlers Association, Sager joined in 1989 and saw that additional upgrades and repairs needed to be done at Pioneer Park, things that could only be accomplished with more volunteers. Restrictions on members of the Old Settlers during that time made it difficult for others to join, Sager said. Members were required to have resided in the area for a number of years and a maximum of 35 people were allowed on the board at a time. New members were added only when spots opened up, usually upon a resignation or death.

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Sager takes a phone call from a friend in Florida while standing inside her vintage closet, a two-story building filled with sewn and donated clothes from various decades in time. She estimates she has thousands of pieces. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune) “My thought was there was a lot of things that could be done at the park,” Sager said, “a lot more that could be done if we had more people.” Along with others, Sager proposed the idea and was given the ability to create the Ferndale Heritage Society. “Four of us girls put our heads together and did the organization,” she said. Sager and Ferndale Heritage Society volunteers are responsible for maintenance of the Pioneer Park cabins, acquisition and displaying of artifacts, and events like the Olde Fashioned Christmas, which Sager started 23 years ago. This year, the

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event saw over 2,000 people, even with the continuous rain throughout the Dec. 2-4 weekend. “You may start something, but you can’t do it by yourself,” Sager said about the event. “If it wasn’t for the volunteers … it wouldn’t have happened.” The society also helps with the Old Settlers Picnic, a gathering that takes place each summer. Attendees of the event were known to dress in historic garb, Sager said. Among those who dressed up was Ethel McKay, longtime resident and previous owner of McKay’s Variety Store. Sager recalled seeing her employees dressed up

and admiring their threads. “Times have changed,” Sager said. “People don’t have the clothes and wearing a long dress when it’s 80 degrees outside kind of turns some people off.” It’s during the event that Sager’s lifelong love for costuming was kindled. She began not only collecting but also sewing together pieces with vintage-inspired flair. Every time she obtained a new item, she would carefully look up the article’s era and material, ensuring that it was historically accurate. “I have a weakness at an estate sale,” Sager said. “If I see an old dress or old hat,

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ENCORE I just have to buy it.” Sager soon began holding annual fashion shows, her first being one that compared fashion between two decades of time. The proceeds from the events always went back into the park, she said. “It’s my labor of love to my community, which I am very fond of,” she said. The costumes aren’t meant solely for the runway. Sager has been sharing costumes with volunteers during Olde Fashioned Christmas and will happily lend costumes out to residents for local events, although she keeps her more fragile and vintage items more safely stored. Today Sager owns thousands of vintage pieces and has sewn much of her own vintage-inspired clothing. Donated, purchased and created clothing articles from various decades fill up a two-story building, creating an impressive collection. But out of all of the pieces, her favorite is a vintage wire-framed hat from 1890 that is meant to be worn on a pillow of hair. The hat is composed of sequins and beads and is kept under glass to ensure its safety. The hat was gifted to Sager from McKay, who recently passed away. The hat has become near and dear to her heart, she said. “Life is uncertain. We never know when our day is going to come, but I enjoy every day doing what I do,” Sager said. “I’m living for the day more than worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 21, 2016 | Ferndale Record

Some of the pieces Sager lends to community members are poodle skirts for the 1950s. Here she shows off a red poodle skirt inside her vintage closet. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 21, 2016 | Ferndale Record

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