EVERETT — Judi Ramsey is happy she moved her store from Snohomish to Everett back in 2021, but building the customer base for her combination art gallery, bookstore and coffee house is taking time.
While Ramsey said she has many loyal customers who visit her store, Artisans PNW at 1800 Hewitt Ave., she wishes more people would visit and shop in downtown Everett. The store includes the Art-o-Mat, a repurposed cigarette machine that dispenses Marlboro-sized art for $5.
Around 100 Pacific Northwest artists display their work.
“It’s art in a broad sense,” she explains.
A poster for open mic night hangs next to books for sale at Artisans on Sept. 22, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The art in the store includes small paintings, jewelry, pot holders, stickers and a wood table with designs created by burning the wood.
The bookstore portion puts an emphasis on Pacific Northwest authors like mystery writers Tony Kief from Marysville and Lya Badgley of Snohomish.
The store also offers regular events, including an open mic event on the second Friday of each month and a silent book club on the first Thursday of each month. Attendees read their books in silence and then share their experience during a discussion period.
“Our focus is to support the artist while bringing art to the public,” she said.
The Everett shop can trace its roots to a Snohomish Girl Scout troop that wanted to make the world a better place.
It’s leader: Judi Ramsey. She said the enterprising troop fashioned jewelry from old silverware, repurposed second-hand sweaters and mixed-up environmentally friendly cleaning products and then offered the items for sale at local consignment shops. Her daughter Emma Kate Ramsey was one of the Girl Scouts. The money the troop made paid for trips to Europe for the girls.
Inside the cafe, music venue and bookstore side of Artisans on Sept. 22, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In 2015, both mother and daughter opened an art gallery in the city of Snohomish. The gallery turned out to be successful, but their landlord decided not to renew their lease in 2021, Judi Ramsey said. She decided to move the shop to Everett, where she had lived for three decades. She found a space in the historical Hodge’s Building on Hewitt Avenue that had been empty for years after fire swept through the five-story building in 2013.
Judi Ramsey said she thought her business would be back operating in a matter of months, but she encountered water-damaged walls and floors. It took until April 2022 and $200,000 in renovations to open the store.
Ramsey said her daughter stepped back from the business last fall because of health issues. Ramsey remains optimistic about the future of her shop. She believes downtown Everett will be thriving in five to 10 years with many shops and so will Artisans PNW.
Randy Diamond: 425-339-3097; randy.diamond@heraldnet.com
Soaps, along with other items crafted by local artisans for sale at Artisans on Sept. 22, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
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