Bayshore: When Good Businesses Keep Getting Better

One of the things that makes Bayshore special is that it never stands still.

Nathan Vanderpool and Josh Remmenga have inherited one of Anacortes’ most iconic businesses, but rather than simply maintaining it, they’re continually looking for ways to make it better. They aren’t changing what people love about Bayshore—they’re refining it. Trying new ideas. Paying attention to how customers move through the store. Looking for opportunities to celebrate Anacortes and create a more welcoming experience.

For generations, Bayshore has earned the loyalty of local residents by bringing a wide variety of useful products to our island at great prices. Whether you need office supplies, gifts, household essentials, toys, school supplies, or printing services, Bayshore has become the place where locals know they’ll find what they need without leaving Anacortes. Nathan and Josh are building on that legacy while continually looking for thoughtful ways to improve the shopping experience.

One of the Downtown Anacortes Alliance’s favorite roles is connecting great businesses with people who want to help them succeed. Sometimes that means introducing potential partners, recruiting volunteers, or simply lending an extra set of hands to bring a good idea to life. In this case, it also meant connecting Bayshore with volunteers whose professional expertise could help elevate the customer experience. Tenley Huste, a retail experience designer, and Carrie King, an interior designer and maritime enthusiast, generously volunteered their time and talents to help Nathan and Josh think through merchandising, store layout, customer flow, visual storytelling, and opportunities to celebrate Anacortes’ waterfront heritage. Their ideas complemented Nathan and Josh’s vision, helping refine the shopping experience while preserving everything that makes Bayshore special.

Small Changes That Make a Difference

Inside the store, Bayshore has been thoughtfully reorganizing the retail floor.

The office supply department has been relocated adjacent to the print shop, making everyday errands simpler for customers. General merchandise has been reorganized near the main entrance, creating a clearer introduction to the store while showcasing Bayshore’s unique mix of gifts, local products, and daily essentials.

The objective wasn’t to reinvent Bayshore.

It was to preserve Bayshore’s existing retail model while transforming the store into a clear, curated, discovery-driven experience—simplifying buyer decision-making, elevating brand perception, strengthening Bayshore’s position as the trusted source for daily essentials, and creating a destination that delights.

Celebrating 100 Years of the Port of Anacortes

This spring also marked an extraordinary milestone for our community: the 100th anniversary of the Port of Anacortes.

For a century, the Port has helped shape Anacortes into the community we know today—supporting jobs, commerce, recreation, fishing, boatbuilding, marine trades, and a working waterfront that remains central to our identity. The Centennial is an opportunity not only to celebrate the Port’s remarkable history, but also to recognize the people whose vision and hard work built an institution that continues to serve our community every day.

Nathan and Josh embraced that celebration by transforming Bayshore’s front windows into a tribute to the Port’s first hundred years.

Working alongside the Port of Anacortes, the Downtown Anacortes Alliance, and an incredible group of volunteers, the displays were curated entirely by community members, with artifacts generously loaned by local residents. The DAA helped recruit volunteers, coordinate partners, and support the installation, while volunteers contributed retail merchandising, interior design, exhibit planning, historical research, artifact curation, installation, and storytelling. Together, Bayshore, the Port, volunteers, local businesses, and community partners brought Anacortes’ rich waterfront history to life.

One window invites visitors to step back in time—a glimpse into life inside a 1926 port office. Thoughtfully assembled details evoke the rhythm of early maritime commerce, where handwritten ledgers, weathered furnishings, logging saws, cork fishing floats, and steady hands helped shape a working waterfront from ambition and grit.

The second window looks forward. It is lighter, playful, and full of possibility—a tribute to the youth of our community, who will carry this legacy into the next century. A toy ferry, a wooden airplane, marbles, sea life companions, and small treasures remind us that the Port is not just infrastructure—it is imagination, opportunity, and the promise of what’s to come.

Together, these windows tell a larger story. Of a place that grew into a thriving port—creating jobs, commerce, and connection. Of families supported, visitors welcomed, vessels launched, and livelihoods built along these shores.

As Port Commission President Kathy Pittis shared:

“These windows capture more than our history—they reflect the heart of this community. For 100 years, the Port of Anacortes has been built by people who care deeply about this place, and it’s that same spirit that will carry us forward into the next century.”

Bringing History to Life

The celebration continued during June’s First Friday Gallery Walk.

Mayor Ryan Walters stepped into the role of a 1926 dock clerk, sharing a brief monologue reflecting on life along the waterfront a century ago—and imagining what the Port and our city might become over the next 100 years.

The performances brought history out of the display windows and into the streets, giving visitors another reason to explore downtown while celebrating Anacortes’ maritime heritage.

The Best Ideas Grow Through Partnership

One of the things we love most about this project is that it reflects what makes downtown Anacortes special.

Nathan and Josh had the vision to keep improving a business that the community already loves. The Port of Anacortes invited the community to celebrate an extraordinary milestone. Volunteers shared their professional expertise, creativity, historical knowledge, and countless hours of work. The Downtown Anacortes Alliance helped connect people, recruit volunteers, coordinate partners, and support the effort wherever needed.

The result is more than refreshed retail displays or beautiful Centennial windows.

It’s a reminder that when local business owners are willing to experiment, community partners step forward, and volunteers generously share their talents, great things happen.

We’re grateful to Nathan and Josh for inviting so many people into the process. We hope these projects inspire other businesses to keep trying new ideas, because downtown Anacortes is at its best when we build it together—one thoughtful improvement at a time.