Gig Harbor business owner Alfredo Linares began his apprenticeship in ornamental plaster work when he was just 12 years old, working alongside his father and his uncle in Mexico. At age 17, Linares had become a full-fledged professional and began to make his … read more

Paulette Hoflin is a sculptor known for the uncommon material she chooses. This material can be less than an eighth of an inch in size, but when gathered en masse by multiple stitches of fine thread, the beads can take on the three-dimensional … read more

Linda McWhirter’s art rocks. Literally. McWhirter paints lovely images — some whimsical, some very detailed and realistic — on small, smooth stones she finds here and there. She’s been doing her little rock paintings since she retired from 20-plus years of teaching — … read more

The unmistakable, booming, Italian-accented, jovial voice of Michele “Mike” Simone leaves no doubt Il Lucano is Gig Harbor’s iconic Italian restaurant. Simone makes the rounds of tables, greeting customers, inquiring about the quality of food and thanking them for patronizing his business. “I … read more

A great many things have changed since 1969: the world, technology, the Kitsap Peninsula, Gig Harbor. But The Beach Basket, a mainstay iconic retail store in Gig Harbor, has remained. Since 1969, The Beach Basket and the Schmidtke family have toiled through all … read more

Gardeners seem to be some of the happiest and nicest people on Earth. There is something euphoric about getting one’s hands in the soil, planting little sprouts and seeds, and watching them become beautiful, living things. As if that weren’t enough to make … read more

If you walk down the halls of Evergreen or Harbor Heights Elementary schools on a particular day, you might find Rohan or Sasha stretched out on the floor of the school library, tails wagging, listening to a child read a book. No, people … read more

The unofficial summer kickoff in Gig Harbor starts with an annual fundraiser benefitting the Gig Harbor Kiwanis. The Eighth Annual Gig Harbor Beer Festival on Saturday, May 18, brings 25 brewers to the Uptown Gig Harbor Pavilion from noon to 5 p.m. — … read more

In 1988, a small handful of artists got together and rented a space in the old Shoreline building where Marketplace Grille is located today in downtown Gig Harbor. Gretchen Wilbert (a former mayor of Gig Harbor) was their landlord, and very supportive of … read more