Mary from Second Spring LOVES a Challenge

    The theme for this post about the owner of Second Spring can be nothing less than "Mary  Adams LOVES a challenge". It would appear to even the untrained eye that everything she does starts with a challenge. Let's take the name of her 

store, for instance, Second Spring.  "What's so challenging about that?" you ask. She heard that the name sounded too much like the store sold only used merchandise, which is the feeling everyone gets with the word "second" .... second hand, second grade merchandise.

   Mary wanted to keep the name, since it represented for her an old Chinese saying dealing more with second chance, a fresh start, a new beginning, rather than used or cheap, or just saved from being thrown out. It referred to the beginning of the second half of a person's life. In her case, with the recent birth of  grandchild, it was indeed a new beginning.

   And what are these items the store holds? First, let's not kid ourselves. The "store" is known to be the smallest building in Port Gamble, the old scale shack for the mill.  In this case It lies on Puget Way, just across the street from Quilted Strait, and if too large a truck parks in front of it, you lose all sight of it.

   But once you get past the diminuative stature of the building, you quickly realize that there are clothes and ideas all through the store, and it's as hard  for Mary to wander through her inventory as for any one else to do so. Why? Because the ideas, the designs, and even the creation of some of the items may have come from four others who provide inventory to Mary on consignment . And she loves to see what these women have done. 

    She has reason to be proud. They do a magnificent job of giving a different appearance to what is essentially kid's clothes, and being a grandfather of two quite young girls, I know that right from the start those young ladies are not easily satisfied.

   But I call all this a challenge? Well, what do we have so far? The challenge of getting the word out that "Second Spring" handles new clothing, not used, the challenge of keeping six people  sewing, from the smallest building in town. The challenge of getting her merchandise to show well in a forgotten location.

   Let's stop and look at a few others. She and her husband recently moved to Hood Head, which is that piece of land just north of the west end of the Hood Canal Bridge, looking like an island, which it is not, but which still puts out all the fun and difficulties of island life. There is a spit of land connecting the "Head" to the mainland, but at most times of the day or year it can't be walked. So how to get to work? You row ashore. If it's raining hard? You row. If it's snowing hard? Row. Blowing a gale? Row. After dark? Say, you aren't listening. You Row. And you don't call that a challenge?

  How about this, then. When they first moved to the "Head" late last summer (I originally was going to call this post "Moving To The Head Of The Class"), the house was not quite finished. So until fairly recently she lived in a house with no water, many walls with no sheetrock, very few walls painted, but all livable. And this after spending years living on Bainbridge Island, known for its ability to offer comfortable living. NOW are you seeing what I mean about enjoying a challenge?


  Does Mary have any more plans for the future of her store? Yes, she admits she would like to get one of the buildings on Rainier Ave., the more popular street among the tourists.  (And if she did, I'm sure that the folks at Port Gamble would like to get back her acres of underground parking .... just kidding.) She then could have more display and get even more people working. She would also no longer find herself in the position of being a tourist information center. She says when she opened her store all the visitors saw her little building first and wandered over  to it to get their tourist questions answered. Was she bothered by it? No, but for one more time she saw the questions as a challenge and found all the questions and answers she could, just to be ready. Love a challenge? She LIVES for them.

Hours:

Thursday to Sunday 10am to 5pm

Phone 360-536-4800

e-mail maryatsecondspring.biz