APB writer opens Coupeville bookstore

By Stefanie Donahue and Pat Grubb

Longtime Point Roberts residents Meg and Brad Olson have sold both their house on the Point and another one in Blaine and moved to Whidbey Island to open a bookstore in historic Coupeville. Located on Front Street’s water side, the two will be able to jump into the water at high tide after closing the store at the end of the day.

The three-story building is one of the oldest in Coupeville and dates to 1916. The bookstore is on the street level and the Olsons will live above it in the residence which includes a historic one-holer, thankfully not in use at present.

Before she could make the move official, Olson had some loose ends to take care of first. After serving on Blaine City Council for just over a year, Olson announced her resignation on November 13 in a letter to city manager Michael Jones.

“With the sale of our home in Blaine, and relocation to Coupeville for business reasons, I must resign from my position on Blaine City Council effective today,” she wrote. “I had anticipated being able fill the position until January but things have moved much faster than we had anticipated.”

Olson was appointed to Blaine City Council in September 2017 after Dennis Olason resigned. She had expected to fulfill the remainder of his term, which expires December 31, 2019.

Mayor Bonnie Onyon formally announced Olson’s resignation during a regular city council meeting on November 13, at which Olson was not present. “We’re going to miss Meg,” she said. “She was a valuable member of our team here.”

Olson said she will miss serving the city and working with councilmembers and staff.

“It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve the citizens of Blaine during this period of important transitions,” Olson wrote. “During my short tenure, the city has seen changes in a number of staff positions including the city manager and chief of police, and I have enjoyed being part of the development of an excellent team.”

Olson, a long-time editor and writer for the All Point Bulletin, intends to keep on covering Point Roberts for local readers. She said, "Brad and I had been talking about buying a place to live and work together when he retires and this is about as perfect as it gets. Coupeville is like Point Roberts in a lot of ways, a small supportive community surrounded by natural beauty, so we felt right at home. We’ve already had a few friends from the Point and from Blaine come and check us out in our new home and we hope to see lots more."