The fabric of a community

I have been an interior designer for over 30 years, so fabric has been a major part of my life. I moved to Kingston 11 years ago with the thought in mind that I could be part of a small town, and somehow, my being there, might make a difference. I am not wealthy. I struggle along with the rest of you. The cat hanging from a wire has been a constant image in my mind – but the cat is still there. I am still here.

This little community – North Kitsap, not just Kingston – is like fabric. We are woven together by virtue of where we choose to live. Americans – sure – we listen to news of the greater whole and shudder. It is time for us to band together and prove what kind of stuff we are made of.

If fabric: are we some kind of gauze that will pull apart, shrink, rot, or be eaten away with holes? Or are we a rich tapestry: colorful, textured – tightly woven to wear timelessly and brace us from cold?

I am writing to encourage you, North Kitsap, to come to town. Come to downtown Kingston and make your presence known. Shop, walk around, eat, drop into local stores, galleries and businesses and say “hello.” Every little business here is waiting to embrace you.

Tell us what you need or want to see here. How can we sustain our beautiful little tapestry if businesses fail? OK, we are tightening our belts. However, before you trek off to a mall for the limited holiday spending you are going to do, come to town and buy locally first. When we get to the other side of this, we will all be proud of the tapestry we have woven and be stronger and happier for it.

Susan Rodgers

Cleo’s Landing

Kingston