Port Madison has new home

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, October 12, 2005

The furniture store assumes a prominent place on Winslow Way.

John Hays is one happy man.

He spends his work days doing something he loves, in one of Winslow Way most prominent storefronts.

Hays recently moved his business, Port Madison Home, from Hildebrand Lane to the former Winslow Hardware location. From 1991 to 1995, he owned Hobble and Hays on Madison Avenue, and has “waited to get back to this ever since.”

“I’m just tickled not to have to commute any more,” said Hays, who has been in the furniture business his entire career. “I count myself very fortunate.”

This Saturday, Hays and his staff will celebrate the grand opening of the new store with live music and refreshments for all who come by.

Hays recently hosted a preview party for community members, merchants and designers. The event featured a ceremonial “passing of the coffee pot and apron” from Ken Schuricht and Mary Hall, Winslow Hardware owners, to Hays.

Schuricht and Hall closed Winslow Hardware earlier this year, ending the nearly six-decade run of a durable goods outlet on Winslow’s main street. But Port Madison’s decision to assume the space replaces that “anchor” with another high-profile and locally owned store.

“The downtown core and all of the membership are thrilled not only to have the space filled, but to have the space filled by a merchant of that caliber,” said Cris Beattie of the Bainbridge Island Downtown Association.

Out of respect for what Winslow Hardware meant to the community, Hays is keeping the name atop the store, Beattie said. The sign will read, “The Winslow Hardware Building.”

“I’m sorry that the hardware store is gone. A local hardware is the right thing for a community,” Hays said. “Ken and Mary have been very generous and helpful.”

Its new location is the right thing for Port Madison. The shop is nearly three times the size of the former space, allowing Hays to expand his collection of upholstered furniture, dining and bedroom pieces and area rugs.

Now he can offer other special things as well.

“We have the opportunity to add women’s and men’s bags by Vera Bradley, a company very well-known in the East and Midwest, a bit less so in the West,” Hays said. “It’s priced right, made in America and contributes heavily to cancer research.”

Hays also brought in men’s accessories, including gym bags and computer and messenger-type bags. That’s not all.

“We have real space now dedicated to helping customers with the design of their home,” Hays said. “Our design service is a no-risk thing.”

For a fee, customers can avail themselves of interior design help from a staff member, either in the shop or in their home. If they purchase a certain amount of merchandise within six months, customers will get the fee back.

Hays compares his furniture selection to that of Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn, but says, “our quality is better, and it’s better priced. The furniture is priced for families.”

“We keep styles fresh. They’re island style, a little on the urban side,” he said. “Kind of a Northwest style, but it comes from around the country.”

Hays invited a newcomer, a garden shop called Over the Fence, to share the space.

“It’s a complementary kind of a thing,” Hays said. “It’s a garden shop with pots, furniture and tools for the garden lifestyle. I thought it would be really good here.”

The timing was perfect. Owner Jeri Sanford had recently closed her Bellingham location when she got the call from Hays. Her other store is still going strong after nine years in Sequim.

“Downtown Bellingham was drying up and so we relocated the store to Winslow,” Sanford said. “John has really exquisite fine products for the inside and I think we are the perfect complement. We have really high-quality fine things for the outside.”

Over the Fence doesn’t sell live plants. Its focus is on unusual and unique large containers and garden furnishings and accessories. “Wonderful, knowledgeable people” are in place to help customers with their selections, she said.

“We’re not a gallery, but a real functioning gardening store,” Sanford said. “I’m a gardener and I have been all my life.”

A lot of her items cross over as well, she added, such as a Japanese water feature that is made for outdoors, yet people place it inside their homes.

“We have a lot of change in our store. I like to keep it exciting and fresh,” Sanford said. “Customers can anticipate coming in and seeing new (items) constantly.”

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A new home

Port Madison Home and Over the Fence are open seven days a week. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. For more information call 842-3410.