Tieton, Washington. It’s about 15 or so miles west of Yakima, in the heart of apple orchards and the gentle poverty that agricultural communities seem to share. A few years ago, a Seattle man had a vision of building it into a community of artisan businesses and a nucleus for regional cultural events. Carrie and Robb took a drive out with us out there last July. Honestly, it didn’t look like much. I noticed in the Yakima newspaper that they were having a summer Solstice event, called Arts Unbound. Art, artists & books. So we took a drive out there today. We started with the Lions club barbeque. Lesson to be learned – don’t pay your money expecting culinary treats, but just view it as a contribution to help a local, small town club. Then we wandered over to the Book Arts Studio, which had books, art exhibits and demonstrations. A man from Idaho (Jim Croft) had a demonstration about handmade wood and bone book art tools and Medieval bookbinding. It was pretty interesting. He even had really old books from the 1500’s out that you were allowed to look through and handle. Dave kept asking if it really was all right to touch them. 
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Then we wandered over to the “Lofts”. These are condos fashioned from an old fruit warehouse. At $250,000 for a 1400 square foot unit (not finished), they’re pretty pricey for the overall depressed Yakima market. We peered in some windows of condos deliberately left open for gawkers (which were visually very intriguing), and walked through the art exhibit in the open courtyard. It was a pleasant space, of sorts.
But I still wasn’t left craving it. I mulled over whether I’d want to live there, and voted “no”. So what is it that makes a place enter into the category of “wow, I want to quit my job, sell everything I own, and move here ” versus “this has some interesting things about it, but it’s not for me… yet”
We also stopped at an art gallery with an art and book exchange. We meant to see the main event gallery at the “Mighty Tieton” warehouse, but didn’t feel like paying the entrance fee to what looked like more art galleries. I guess we have a low threshold for art! I’m glad we went, but still wonder the same thing I wondered a year ago: In 20 years, will we come here and say “Wow, this guy really had a vision of things and it happened?”, or will Tieton just continue to slide into increased poverty and decay?
Another story “to be continued”…
12 Brix 