As you might know, my family has been touched by autism. Our son, Gerik, is 27 years old, lives at home, and is a super smart, very persistent adult with profound autism. He does not use words to communicate, but understands them. We use this month to communicate a little about autism, and the world of disabilities as a whole.  I am blessed to work with several individuals who identify as being on the autism spectrum. They are amazing people, great co-workers and I admire them. They like all of us just need a little understanding and accommodations to thrive...

April is autism awareness month and several of us here at Jerrol’s have a personal connection and reason to honor this month.  My son, Will, is on the spectrum and Rolf asked me to write this article to give my own unique insight into what it’s like from a parenting perspective. The funny thing is, I almost didn’t get this finished in time, because I was too busy guiding Will through his spring break.  A week where the loss of school structure can mean big feelings and even bigger struggles.  At his best, Will is bright, silly, incredibly funny, extremely...

At our house Easter has always been about the family gathering at my parents house. When I was a kid this meant grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins from the “coast”, ok that really means the Seattle area, coming to our house for a giant meal, multiple Easter baskets for the kids and a huge Easter egg hunt. More often then not in a wind storm…. These days we still gather at Mom’s house, but now I’m the grandparent. There will be Easter baskets and egg hunts for the littles, but we also do a so called “adult” hunt for the...

The Jerrol's website has been going through quite the update recently. Running a site with over 10,000 products is a huge time-consuming task to get it done right, and our team just didn’t have the necessary time to make this happen on their own while simultaneously running a busy store. So we brought on Riley, Kyah and Mark to grow the online side of the business, make the site more user-friendly, and make sure orders go out quickly and correctly! Mark works in shipping and receives all of our online orders for both retail and business customers, Kyah works tirelessly to...

There are many great reasons to live in a small town, including the rich history. When you step into Jerrol’s, it’s a bit like going back in time. And then, as you continue to walk over to Winegar’s, the history continues. It’s a match made in heaven, really! Grab a book at Jerrol’s and then go sit down with a cup of coffee at Winegar’s. You’ll have to indulge us as we wax poetic because we’re about to celebrate a big milestone: the 10th anniversary of our two shops coming together. This “marriage”, if you will, started when Rolf Williams...

If you follow us on social media you might already know that Sarahlyn and I had the opportunity to attend the American Booksellers Association annual Winter Institute in Cincinatti last week. At the conference we met booksellers and authors from all over the world, and attended workshops and lectures on topics such as Open Book Management, Event Planning, How to be a good Leader, and so much more! We came back with a whole host of new ideas and plans for our team, and we had a great time connecting with peers. Attending these events is an incredible opportunity for...

Community Close-Up  Thorp Fruit Stand By Brook Buckingham   What is synonymous with summer? Fresh fruit! And what better place to get your summertime favorites than the Thorp Fruit and Antique Mall.    In this month’s Community Close-Up, we’re exploring this Kittitas County mainstay, that has been a fixture of our community for more than 60 years.    What we enjoy today, started out in 1944 as a small roadside fruit stand. Of course, there are still fresh fruits and vegetables, but now there are also unique gifts, locally produced specialty food items, and two floors of antiques.    I’m...

Corrie’s Craft of the Month   Woven Bowls   Here is a fun project to do this summer. Woven Bowls! A super easy and relaxing craft.   Here's what you'll need: Paper plate Template (at Jerrols) Scissors Yarn Hole lunch (optional)   First cut out your template and trace it onto your paper plate. I flipped my plate upside down when I traced it, but either side works. Cut out your paper plate.   Bend/fold the flaps on your plate up into the shape of a bowl.   Pick your yarn colors (my favorite part) and put a piece of...

As Jerrol’s approaches our 76th anniversary on June 21st, 2023 there is a new chapter beginning. Amy McClelland, my niece, has joined our Team as Frontline Team Leader. She comes to us from Bright Side Bookshop (www.brightsidebookshop.com)  in Flagstaff Arizona where she was their store manager for the past five years. Amy brings to us a desire to help people, a love of reading and sharing books, and is a burst of sunshine. Best of all she seems willing to put up with me… for now anyway.   Amy, my daughter Jordan, wife Michelle and I have spent the past...