|
|
|
Nelson’s Market – Heartbeat of the York Neighborhood
By Lauren Fritzen
Photography by Christina Katz
|
As you walk in the front door of Nelson’s Market, no annoying convenience-store bell rings overhead; instead the solid thwack! of the wood-framed screen door shutting behind you announces your arrival. A soda-fountain style counter faces the check stand, but with a nod to modern tastes, the ice cream has been replaced by an espresso machine. Antique cold cases display milk, eggs and microbrews. As the sign out front states, Nelson’s Market has been serving the York neighborhood since 1895, and in today’s world of warehouse supermarkets and gas station mini-marts, this is no small boast. Nelson’s Market, in Bellingham, Washington’s York District, is one of the oldest surviving neighborhood markets in the city. Says York resident Tonie Sibillia Marlow, “This market is the heartbeat of the York neighborhood.”
Jon Ostby, owner of Nelson’s Market for the past 19 years, has restored much of its vintage charm, all the while serving up neighborly service to the market’s faithful customers. For most of the store’s early life, it was a grocery on one side, and a meat market on the other. When Jon took over, he knocked down the dividing wall, utilizing the entire space as a grocery store. The large storefront windows had been painted over, making the inside dark and cavernous. Jon replaced them with new double-pane windows, opening the store to its surroundings once again. Still finding winters in the store uncomfortably cold and drafty, Jon ripped out the old wood flooring, replacing it with concrete and hydronic heating. He also updated the plumbing, wiring and added insulation.
To re-establish the vintage character of the store, Jon replaced the overhead fluorescent lighting with hanging schoolhouse lights salvaged from Anacortes High School. He retained some of the original cold cases, and used original hardware to enhance newly built cases. Outside, he stripped off layers of modern siding to reveal the traditional look of the storefront. “I’ve massaged every inch of this place,” says Jon. And he’s not done yet; a good portion of the store is currently being remodeled into café space, with tables, chairs, and French doors leading to an outdoor patio.
On any given day, the store is host to a bevy of regulars. “Old-timers” stop in for their morning coffee and sit down to read the paper or catch up on local gossip; college kids get their hot drinks to-go before catching the bus to campus. On weekday afternoons, grade-schoolers hop off the school bus and wait at the store for their moms to pick them up. “It’s a safe place to come to,” says Jon. Employee and neighborhood resident Asta Sestrap smiles as a young boy asks, “What can I buy for a dollar?” She comes around the counter and follows him down the candy aisle, helping him get the most for his money. “This community is very small, and by coming to the store, you get to know all your neighbors,” she says.
Jon knows just about everybody who comes through the doors, and has even adopted the previous owner’s tradition of keeping accounts for his oldest customers. Monthly community meetings are held in the store, and notices of local events are posted in the window. While Nelson’s Market is a nostalgic throwback to a slower-paced, community-centered time, it’s also strongly rooted in the present, and very much a thriving member of its community.
|
|
