Like so many islanders, I’m shocked and saddened at the impending loss of the quilt shop. Walking into the shop is like stepping into a kaleidoscope of color. It is an asset to the island.

Every Tuesday for the past two years, I’ve attended Karen Gwilym’s knitting class there, enjoying the beautiful quilts and friendly atmosphere. Every Tuesday I see off-islanders, often in groups, admiring the quilts and buying fabric. They go on to shop neighboring stores and have lunch or dinner on the island.

The quilt shop is a community gathering place and an anchor store, drawing in customers for all the businesses around it. Replacing the quilt shop with an exercise studio is like pulling Nordstrom out of Southcenter to replace it with Gold’s Gym. This makes no sense.

Vashon Landing was once a vibrant community of little shops at the heart of town; now it’s an empty graveyard for failed restaurants.

Isn’t there any way to find a more appropriate location for the exercise studio? The front of the quilt shop will be left vacant in search of a tenant, so a smaller space could be appropriate for the gym. But it’s hard to think of a better space for the quilt shop and its gallery than exactly where it is.

Many disheartened islanders would cheer the new building owners for helping to find another solution.

— David Reynolds