New downtown store offers arts and crafts

The new shop championing more than 20 small local businesses sits on Pioneer Way.

By Marina Blatt • August 5, 2025 1:30 am

Co-owners Kate Kilpatrick and Paul Rose officially welcomed the community to Whidbey Thread & Timber at a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday.

The new shop that champions more than 20 small local businesses sits in a prime location on Pioneer Way. It offers shelves loaded with PNW-themed gifts, shirts, hair accessories, artwork, crocheted toys and more. Its owners have been very intentional with the space, they said, emphasizing bright lighting and inviting open spaces to help crafters feel comfortable. Just three weeks after being open, they said they still have more space to fill and will be bringing in more fixtures for new vendors in the following weeks.

“Both our neighbors, the shoppers and our vendors have all been incredibly warm, welcoming and supportive here. And this has been me realizing a dream,” Kilpatrick said.

Kilpatrick shared stories behind each vendor’s products with bubbling enthusiasm, highlighting mother-daughter duos and offering tidbits like where makers source their materials.

“We’ve developed this microcommunity here within our shop of vendors, Paul and myself,” Kilpatrick said.

As a lifelong crafter, Kilpatrick knows firsthand how difficult it is to get a business off the ground, she explained.

“You run into a plateau when you’re on sites like Etsy,” Kilpatrick said. “I know where the hurdles are. I know what the challenges are.”

She always had dreams to open up a business, but once Kilpatrick moved to Oak Harbor from Oklahoma, she fell in love with the storefront, and “the rest is history,” she said.

Despite having a separate full-time job, Rose helps Kilpatrick run the shop.

“I love her. I want to support her. I saw that she’s really passionate about this,” Rose said. “And so, I had no qualms about going in with her on it.”

What makes the shop stand out from the rest, they said, is its options for up-and-coming vendors to rent space at an affordable rate without having to pay a commission fee to the store owners. The store’s vendor model offers flexibility and support that works well for creatives from all walks of life, including military spouses looking for a low-risk way to share their talents with the community.

“We think our welcoming vibe, prominent downtown location and emphasis on handmade, upcycled and locally inspired goods are a big part of what makes the shop so special,” Rose said. ”We just hope to make a strong community around small local artists.”

In the future, the co-owners are considering hosting pop-up shops inside their store so that artisans can demonstrate their crafting in real time.

For inquiries or to become a vendor, email kate@whidbeythreadtimber.com or visit whidbeythreadtimber.com.