CHIMACUM INTERDEPENDENCE DAY
This year marks the 15th annual Chimacum Interdependence Day, on Sunday July 12th! It has grown into such a village-wide phenomenon, it’s sometimes easy to forget how it all started. In July of 2011, the Chimacum Corner team decided to host a gathering in gratitude for basically still being afloat as a business. It was dubbed Interdependence Day to acknowledge all the people / businesses / orgs that made the Farmstand possible. It was held on the back lawn (what is now the Nursery Staff work area) of the Farmstand grounds, and there was free Elevated ice cream and live music. Fast forward 15 years and it has become a daylong multi-site celebration with so many people and businesses participating to make it an awesome day of community. With things happening at Finnriver, the Grange, Chimacum Cafe, and Chimacum Ridge Community Forest, there is no shortage of local goings-on to get inspired about! As a reminder, we will be closing the Farmstand early (6pm) on July 12th so that all of our staff have a chance to get over to Finn to celebrate together. In the spirit of the original event, we thought we’d take a moment to celebrate all of the supportive interdependences within the store itself.
First there is the Nursery department, which works hard to be the beautiful first face of the store. The Nursery team cares for more than just retail plants, they also ensure that our landscaping and surrounding grounds are upkept as well. As the first face of the store, they also play a vital role in orienting people to the store as a whole. They also work through a wide swing of weather conditions seasonally! Thank you Corner Nursery Crew!! We see you!
Next we have the Produce Department, who strive tirelessly to keep the vaunted Produce Porch looking sharp and abundant. They handle big swings in seasonality and have a vast understanding of our local produce growers and their practices and rhythms. Having won “Best Produce in the County” several times over, a lot of love and care goes into handling and prepping the produce that is displayed. And even the step to prepare the produce, generates trimmings which is then picked up by One Straw Ranch destined to be munchies for the pork they are growing for our store. And around and around we go! Produce peeps are also quick to lend a hand to other departments in the store when things get hoppin’. Thank you Produce Department and Crew! You are our crown jewel, our hallowed ground, our reason for being a Farmstand!
The Chimacum Corner Kitchen is a unique department in that they are the only department that mostly works offsite (currently in the Finnriver commercial kitchen - with plans to move into our brand new kitchen being developed at the former Farms Reach Cafe location). However their work and prepared products are a driving force for connected sales in other departments. Turns out our deli case is a real draw and the scratch made items are always lovingly made with quality ingredients. The Kitchen is also an important node for catching and storing seasonal abundance, such as when the Produce Team gets ambitious and orders an excess of a certain kind of fruit, for instance, have you tried the Strawberry Shortcake? Thank you Corner Kitchen Crew for keeping a steady stream of tasty prepared items flowing! You are our early risers! Our fresh made daily masters with the first items entering the building by 8am daily!
The Grocery team tackles the entirety of the store, the inner guts so to speak. Curating all the items in the coolers and freezer that surround the perimeter and the island maze of center store goodies. They are a solid nucleus of people working to manage all the ins and outs of our weird former autoparts store infrastructure. Receiving everything at a human scale, unloading, carting, and stacking by hand. It’s a feat of strength and organizational tetris to pump through the amount of items they do weekly. Big huge shout out to our Grocery Crew! The powerhouses! Box knife wielding baddies!
Finally, we arrive at the Front of House team, who keep the registers (and coffee) flowin’. They are the true ambassadors of the Corner, and their cheer and impeccable vibes set the tone for every interaction that unfolds under our little tin roof. They are mindful of helping all other departments with rotating stock and managing culls and so forth. Ever ready to lend a hand, while ensuring everything runs smoothly at the register, they are an essential piece of the Chimacum Corner puzzle. Corner Clerks you are top tier!
Let's Celebrate Our Interdependence!
Join the Chimacum community in celebrating our interdependence with our annual Chimacum Interdependence Day. An all-ages and all-together day of interconnection and activities to share and grow arts, food, culture and community.
The beauty of the Corner lies in this simple notion: that everyone is ready to help each other at a moment’s notice, and that doing so brings joy and solidarity. That is true interdependence. So let’s celebrate both all of the internal and external ways in which Chimacum Corner Farmstand remains dedicated to the ideal of interdependence!! Wahoo!!
