The Islander Store

*The lady at the counter was friendly and kind and their donuts were good but I was really disappointed in the lack of local island goods
*I just don’t think it would be a stretch to stock vegis, honey, eggs, etc… from Lummi or around the San Juans, this is the only store on the island with superb traffic right off the ferry, it’s a crying shame
*It has a local vibe store wise, just not product wise, I get that this isn’t Roche Harbor, but there could be so much more here

Oh boy. Careful; grandma’s writing reviews again. I mistakenly listed this review under the Beach Store Café. A function of being one of only three estimable businesses on the island, I suppose.
But then, why the hell is a restaurant called a store, anyway? Maybe it’s an ESL thing. Anyway, now that we’re all categorized properly, let’s proceed, shall we?
The best offering of the Beach Store-​I mean THE ISLANDER – aside from Bellingham’s Hempler bacon (which I’m less moved by now that I’ve got a friend in the Mangalitsa bacon business!) and the deliciously random video offerings – is the staff. They’re always so goddamn nice. Add to that my general beatific love of Lummi Island and the way it soothes my savage breast (that’s right, I just took a stand in the «‘savage breast’ vs. ‘savage beast’» debate… though either take works equally well). Once I get onto to the island, it’s like a full-​body sigh, a bleeding-​out of bad juju and city exhaustions, and a sudden oxygenation, a total solace. Hard to believe that within ten minutes of arriving on Lummi Island, having just had a root canal on my f*king birthday, no less, I knew I was going to have a perfect birthday.
First stop off the ferry for those who don’t live on Lummi is the The Islander. It’s the only game in town, but that sure doesn’t mean it isn’t the best ;) Buy yourself some eggs and bacon, local fish, a few bananas, a bottle of wine and some Tony’s coffee (from nearby Bellingham – a nostalgic presence for me, having grown up in that town) oh – and a DVD or two if the weather’s shit – and you’ll be set for a shut-​in weekend. All the while, you’ll likely be chatting pleasantly with the guys at the counter, who know everyone except you.
But listen, Islander. It’s just not quite cricket to have box after box of organic dark chocolate bars sitting empty and bereft of product when a woman is shutting herself into a cabin to enjoy a post-​op birthday. Chocolate up, you guys – and nobody counts Nestle, either – and then you’ll rock that fifth star.

I will grant that I am a city girl. But I often seek out the smaller places, and I both loved this little grocery on a little island, and felt disappointed at moments. If you can feel disappointed in a general store, that is.
First, both staff that I encountered there were AWESOME. So friendly, so lovely. To that I give 5 stars. And their breadth of items offered was good (lots of yummy baked goods). But I found it funny that there were so many empty boxes/​shelves of stuff. I rarely get a craving for macaroon chocolate with marshmallows, but because there was an empty box sitting there with none to offer me… I wanted it. Whereas if the box was just taken off the shelf I never would have known. ‘Islander’, were you playing your little islander games with my cravings system? Because that is a cruel cruel little trick.
Speaking of which… does anyone know where I can get a macaroon chocolate with marshmallows?