In 2012, the empty and run-down 1866 Haller House at the corner of Front and Main went up for sale. Local preservationists worried that the waterfront lot would be worth more with the house gone, and that demolition was a real possibility. On Saturday, December 5, Santa will ride past that same corner in the Greening of Coupeville parade. The house will still be standing, restored and open to the public, with a soda fountain in its south wing.
That corner sets the tone for the rest of the route. Over the past year, the parade route through downtown Coupeville has picked up a rebuilt historic house, a mercantile, a woodworking gallery, a pottery studio, a botanical goods shop and a coffee counter on the wharf. A few of these opened only months ago, so December 5 is the first Greening they'll see.
The Corner Where the Parade Turns
The Chamber's route starts at 1st and North Main Street, runs down North Main to Front Street, follows NW Alexander and crosses Coveland to the library. The turn from Main onto Front happens right at the Haller House, 1 NE Front Street.
Saving the house took most of a generation. Historic Whidbey formed as a nonprofit in 2013 for that one purpose. By its own account, raising the money to buy the house took six years, and rehabilitating it took another eight. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a stand-alone property in 2022. The grand opening and ribbon-cutting took place on August 22, 2026.
Historic Whidbey Executive Director Lynn Hyde told the Whidbey News-Times that raising money was the hardest part. She estimated the cost of the remodel, counting volunteer labor, at about $1.5 million. She described the start of the effort this way:
"I don't think anybody thought we could do it at first, but after we bought it, people had a little more faith."
The work went down to the structure. The house was lifted onto a new foundation, every wall was stripped to the studs and rebuilt, and water, electricity and plumbing were installed. The building is older than its name. According to the News-Times, the first section was a one-story plank house built in 1859 for Raphael Brunn. Col. Granville Owen Haller bought the property in 1866 and added the two-story Georgian house that faces Front Street.
What Changed Inside Since Last December
On parade night, most of what's new sits behind the windows. On the News-Times tour, Hyde pointed out these details.
- Wallpaper that is a custom recreation of the original, plus a display of swatches showing every layer added since 1859
- Fireplaces painted to look like marble, a popular finish in the 1800s
- Lamp sconces copied from an original found while the new foundation was being dug
- Cast-iron door hardware from the 1850s with relief scenes of patriotism and westward expansion
- Haller family signatures recreated in the window glass, based on signatures Historic Whidbey found for each family member
The room most visitors head for is Haller's Mercantile & Soda Fountain, which sells gifts, books, clothing, snacks and candy along with soda fountain drinks and floats. It opened on July 4 in the house's south wing, reviving the building's history as a store. The bay windows, removed about a century ago after a boundary line change, have been rebuilt. Hyde pointed out the room's 1914 backbar on the News-Times tour. Historic Whidbey asks people to shop there because the store helps support the house. The group also says its remaining work includes restoring the landscape and installing history exhibits.
Seven New Names, Mostly Along the Route
In her State of the Town address in October, Mayor Molly Hughes named seven businesses that joined downtown Coupeville. The News-Times covered the speech. Haller's Mercantile was on the list, along with Artists Lounge, Breathing Space, Redwood Burl Company, Spectacled Sasquatch, In With the Tide Coffee and Ritual Mischief Goods. The same report gave the town's sales and use tax revenue as $600,655, up 5% from the previous year and 41% since 2022. Hotel/motel tax revenue fell 9% from the previous year, to $22,938. So sales activity kept growing in a year when lodging tax went down.
Most of the new storefronts are on the streets the parade uses.
| Stop | Address | What it offers | Where it sits on Dec. 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redwood Burl Company | 302 N. Main St., Bldg. B | Custom live-edge furniture and wood art | North Main, near the start of the route |
| Artists Lounge | 105 S. Main St., Ste. 101 | Paint-your-own pottery studio and gift shop | Main Street |
| Haller's Mercantile & Soda Fountain | 1 NE Front St. | Gifts, books, candy, soda fountain | The Main-to-Front turn |
| Ritual Mischief Goods | 5 Front St. NW | Botanical body care, homewares, local art, vintage | Front Street |
| In With the Tide | 26 Front St. NW | Espresso, pastries, light bites, marine-themed gifts | Front Street, by the wharf |
Up on North Main, Redwood Burl Company runs a studio gallery of tables, clocks and bed frames. The company says it has been family-owned and operated since 1984, so the business is far older than its Coupeville gallery. Farther down Main, Artists Lounge has customers choose and glaze ceramics, which the studio then fires in a kiln. Its Chamber listing says classes, parties and special events are on the way.
On its way down Main, the parade also crosses the vacant lot at Main and Coveland. The mayor announced plans there for Volunteer Park, paid for by the Coupeville Festival Association, with a wall of honor made of bricks dedicated to longtime town volunteers. This year, the lot still stands empty along the route.
Front Street, Toward the Wharf
Past the Haller House, the parade runs along Front Street. Ritual Mischief Goods opened at 5 Front St. NW this fall. It stocks bath and beauty products, botanically dyed textiles, gifts, local art and vintage pieces.
In With the Tide, at 26 Front St. NW, has been open since June 26, according to its Chamber listing. It serves espresso, pastries and deli bites, and sells marine-themed gifts. For anyone staying for the Oak Harbor Christmas Boat Parade of Lights at the Coupeville Wharf, it's the closest place for a hot drink. Check the hours on its site before you plan around it.
Planning the Day
December 5 is a long day in Central Whidbey, and the events overlap.
- 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Port of Coupeville holds a Holiday Market in Historic Barn A at Greenbank Farm. The market runs half an hour past the parade's start time, so anyone doing both should leave Greenbank early.
- 4 p.m. The Greening of Coupeville parade leaves 1st and North Main, and Santa arrives at the end.
- After the parade. Tree lighting and caroling with The Shifty Sailors at Cooks Corner Park.
- After the tree lighting. The Oak Harbor Christmas Boat Parade of Lights, seen from the Coupeville Wharf, weather permitting.
- Through the evening. The Town of Coupeville's October–November newsletter includes late-night shopping in the day's activities.
Holiday hours at the new shops may differ from their usual schedules, and Haller's Mercantile lists Thursday through Monday on its own site. Check before you go if one stop is the reason for the trip.
The Port also has holiday events a week earlier at Greenbank Farm. There's a Holiday Market on November 27 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Santa arrives on a firetruck on November 28 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
For a seat after the boat parade, try The Spectacled Sasquatch, which opened in January in the former Penn Cove Taproom and Whidbey Tides and Taps space. Jen Schmitz owns the bar, and the South Whidbey Record reported that its walls are lined with framed photos of cryptids and Weekly World News clippings. The menu has made-to-order sweet and savory crepes, Bear 'n' Beaver craft root beer that can be made into a float, and a Show and Tell night every other Wednesday. The house cocktail is the Sasquatch Sunrise, a lemonade mimosa with orange juice and grenadine.
At Better Homes & Gardens McKenzie Realty, we're glad to see the corner of Front and Main lit up for the Greening again, with the Haller House still standing on it. If you love Coupeville's historic downtown and want to talk about what owning a home near it involves, we're happy to share what we know. Let Us Bring You Home.
