Starting February 2024!
The Vashon Heritage Museum and The Hardware Store Restaurant are partnering to create a delightful collection of Vashon's history with photos and sculpture which will be displayed in the restaurant’s gallery space during the months of February and March, 2004. The Heritage Museum will be undergoing renovations during this time and, to ensure access to many great parts of our rich Vashon history which are stored and displayed in their building, they are curating this clever and enticing pop up exhibit to install in one of our islands oldest and most significant buildings, The Hardware Store Restaurant. Visitors will enjoy images of people, places, events and commerce, some rarely seen in the museum or anywhere, all tastefully displayed in the restaurant gallery. This show should not be missed.
The Hardware Store Restaurant, originally built in 1890 as a general merchandise store and later named Vashon Hardware Co, is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. The building was the fourth store on the Island, and the first in the town of Vashon. Through Vashon Island’s evolution from a rural farming community to a suburban residential community, the building’s purpose has evolved with it. The owners and operators of business in the Hardware Store building also operated other town businesses, including a grocery store across the street in the Blooms building. The building opened as a restaurant in 2005, with features such as the tin ceiling, wood floor and stained-glass windows still preserved from the original build.
It was a natural partnership for The Hardware Store to team up with the Heritage Museum whose volunteers have dedicated countless hours discovering, collecting, and presenting the rich history of Vashon Island in their museum. The Hardware Store Restaurant has always been proud to promote and inhabit Vashon Island history and has long outfitted and fed the museum volunteers and generations of island families who contribute to our rich Vashon tapestry.
The exhibit will be open for viewing during February and March, Wednesday – Sunday, from 11:00 - 8:00.
Walking Tour Exhibit of Vashon Town Presented by Vashon Heritage Museum
This was a collaboration between Brian Brenno and the Heritage Museum’s Mini Exhibit Committee members, Sue Hardy, Laurie Tucker, Alicia Widmer, Bruce Haulman and Elsa Croonquist.
Brenno has had a long obsession with the Town of Vashon as he states in his curators’ statement, “As a fourth generation Islander I have always been fascinated with the history of the Island. Both my grandfather and father were businessmen in the town of Vashon and I grew up hearing stories about the town. In 2011, I co-curated a show at the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum titled “Main Street Vashon”. I was frustrated by the lack of written information about the town. Starting around 2013, I began a systematic search through old Island newspapers, memoirs, research papers and books to find all the information I could about the town. Vashon is unique among Puget Sound islands and islands in general, most islands have a seaside town or port as the main town, Vashon-Maury has a landlocked main town. Bainbridge Island, for example, has the town of Winslow, adjacent to the ferry landing in Eagle Harbor.”
Vashon Heritage Museum “Main Street Vashon” Co-Curators and Committee Members
- Brian Brenno, Exhibit Curator, past Board President
- Sue Hardy – VP and Chair Mini Exhibit Committee
- Laurie Tucker- Head of Collections, Past Board Member
- Alicia Widmer -Board Member
- Elsa Croonquist- Executive Director
- Bruce Haulman- President
- Jessica De Wire – Exhibit Design
- Christine Dubois – Copy Editor
- Mike Sudduth-Treasurer, Copy Editor
Exhibit Open February and March 2024
Wednesday-Sunday
11:00am to 8:00pm
Thank you to our supporting donors
