by Angela Bandurka
"Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be.
As a friend, as a friend, as an old enemy."
Appropriate for the city of Edmonds, these lyrics of Nirvana's song, Come As You Are, says it all. Everyone is welcome down here - young, old, hipsters, traditionalists. Folks who grew up here but moved away are coming back, because of the energy and artisan craftsmanship in the shops around downtown.
The smell of artisan spirit is everywhere (a bad play on words, I know - obviously there was Nirvana playing on my car stereo this morning).
Last night as I was teaching my water-soluble oils class, Tracy Felix Fraker commented on the wonderful scent of the paint (fume free!) that filled the studio. It's true! The whole place smelled of creativity and intention.
At the new butcher shop on the corner, the air is filled with the bouquet of high quality meat and meat products, crafted lovingly. And down the street you can catch the whiff of a mix of Thai, Mexican, Coffeeshop and other delightful aromas that make you want to stay and eat, play, chill.
There is a liveliness here. You see it in the hand-holding elderly couple window shopping in the rain, and you see it in the young teenagers browsing our selection of art supplies. It's everywhere.
Come, as you are.