Submitted by Friends of the Olga Store Building.

The Olga Store is coming back to life!

We, Friends of the Olga Store Building (FOSB), are excited to announce the beginning of Phase III which will complete the renovation of the beloved building that will soon house the Post Office and a small “satellite” of Orcas Food Co-op. With this final push, we will be able to open our doors again to the public!

Through previous phases, our community has achieved amazing accomplishments. In January of 2020, we purchased the historic Olga Store building through our nonprofit FOSB. Over the months since then, we obtained permits from the county, a lease from USPS to keep our Post Office in Olga, and a contract with Orcas Food Co-op. The building has been through initial demolition and received upgrades to the foundation, electrical, septic systems, and HVAC systems. Our awesome contractors have also removed the old siding and damaged flooring.

Our local contractor team of Josh Johns and Jason Smith have been doing excellent and artful work, as well as resolving some unexpected issues and doing their best to keep costs down.

Now, we are so close to re-opening the doors. The financial goal for Phase III is to raise $370,000 and finish the renovations. We’ve waited to launch Phase III until we secured enough tangible progress to show our amazing donors and volunteers, and so we could get an accurate estimate of what it will take to add the finishing touches amidst a time of rising construction costs.

Our beloved historic building that has sat dormant for many years will soon take on its new iteration as a vibrant East-side community anchor for generations to come…a place for our Post Office and Co-op, a place to have a cup of coffee with a neighbor and look out at the water.

Visit our website (www.theolgastore.org) for more information and to donate.