If our blog is any indication, we clearly love the history that runs so deep in the Kittitas Valley. Of course we aren't historians, or journalists for that matter; so while we enjoy showcasing the history of Ellensburg we certainly aren't the experts.

Our neighbors across the street at the Daily Record have done an excellent job of honoring the history of Ellensburg with many special publications and sections. The Centennial edition that we featured on the blog a few weeks ago being just one example. If you love history ,The Daily Record, Central Washington Archives and the Ellensburg public library are great resources!

This week, we were lucky enough to have been lent a copy the 1989 Daily Record publication, “The Fabric of our Times”. This 128 page booklet is a beautifully bound collection of stories and photos. Its contents feature individuals and families in the Valley who have shaped history and the cultural patterns for the ‘next 100 years’.

Something that makes this particular publication so unique, is the fact that some of these stories are about smaller players who also played a role. Taken from the first page of print:

“Not all headline makers...some were more conspicuous than others – and all were contributors”

The idea of this community as a woven piece of fabric is a fantastic concept. A furniture store loves the idea of woven fabric – go figure, right? Jokes aside, we truly do love the concept that even the smallest fibers are important.

We hope you enjoy some of these photos taken from “The Fabric of our Times”. Most of these are still familiar faces in the community today!

Photo albums tell so many stories. Memories captured on film remind us of the shift in pop culture, style and trends through the decades. Who doesn’t love to look back at a photo of someone with big bangs, wearing chunky plastic jewelry? You're generally bound to say something like  “Wow, that’s so 80’s!”.

This seems to be the case with most decades. Little clues to the time are evident in fashion and even photos themselves give an indication to the time. Polaroids rather than digital photos or color verses black and white – all of these differences add to the experience of browsing through old pictures.

We didn’t necessarily go into the history cabinet looking for photos this week, but after moving some things around, we came across some pictures in an envelope marked 1980. These round edged photos are approximately 2” x 4”, and feature sections of the store from years past. While browsing through the stills, it was kind of fun to know exactly where some these photos were taken. Even though the store has changed so much in over 35 years, a few were easy to point out.

We went through and took some 2017 photos to compare to a couple of the 1980 photos in the cabinet. While much has changed, the promise of quality furniture remains consistent throughout time.

View Facing the Main Street Window

Circa 1980

September 2017

In these photos facing our Main street window, you can see some of the evolution of the store over the last 30 + years. The dividing wall on the right hand side and the Flexsteel partition were added after the 1980 photo. Sofas are seen in both floor layouts, but there were far more curio cabinets on the floor in 1980.

Looking at the Store from Fourth St

Circa 1980

September 2017

Some photos are harder to differentiate than others. So many changes to the store have changed the exactly layout - but we knew exactly where this photo was taken. The same fourth street window displays a sofa, artwork and lamps just like the 1980 version. While this particular window is missing a table in 2017 , our adjacent window is currently home to a dining set as well.

Classic Meets Contemporary

Though these photos do not have an exact 2017 match, they give you a sense of " before and after".

' A picture is worth a thousand words, but the memories are priceless.'

It’s probably safe to say that in Ellensburg, Labor Day Weekend is one of the most anticipated of the year. While the end of Summer brings shorter days, cooler weather and disappointment to students less than eager to end their vacation, it also brings Rodeo – something nearly everyone can enjoy.

The Ellensburg Rodeo has been a staple in this community since the 1920s. Each year the event draws crowds from near and far, bringing a unique energy to the city.

This week, we went through our cabinet of history in search of rodeo memories past. Its not often that you see a special rotogravure pictorial section featuring Ellensburg in the Seattle Times, so this sepia tone 9 page spread immediately jumped out.

Just one look at the cover is enough to know how important Rodeo is, and always has been. Though the text is not easy to read after scanning these pages, the theme is consistent throughout – Ellensburg has retained the feeling of an Old West town, despite also being very modern. Each picture showcases the rural western culture that remains present here, some 68 years later. The importance of wheat, livestock, city schools and other institutions are described in beautiful detail.

With so much available on the web in terms of Ellensburg Rodeo history, we want to stay true to the spirit of this pictorial section, and let the beautiful photos do the talking. We’ve included all nine pages below, but if you get a chance to stop by the store, we’d love you to take a look in person!

" DEEP BLUE SKY, the flashing water of the Yakima River, rolling hills, a Western wind bringing the scent of pine trees - then you know you are approaching Ellensburg"

We hope you enjoy fair and rodeo safely this year!