Laurie Michael:

Island Market Lead for Bakery and Deli Displays and OPAL Homeowner

For more than 35 years, Laurie has quietly helped shape life on Orcas Island. Long before she became the creative force behind Island Market’s inviting bakery and deli displays, she was simply trying to find a way to stay on island.

“When I landed on Orcas in the 1980s, I fell in love with the community,” said Laurie. “I knew I had found home and did whatever it took to make ends meet while raising my daughter on my own.”

She did the island slog, working multiple jobs: cleaning hotel rooms, delivering flowers and the mail, and working as a pharmacy technician. She lived on friends’ couches, in employee housing, trailers, garages, and even above a barn while caring for llamas.

When an OPAL home became available, it changed everything. For the first time in years, she and her daughter had the permanence they had been dreaming of. It gave her the confidence to build her career and, today, as the lead for Island Market’s bakery and deli retail displays, Laurie helped to transform one of Eastsound’s busiest spaces into a warm, welcoming place that residents and visitors appreciate every day. She mentors younger employees and takes pride in bringing people together over something as simple as fresh bread or a favorite pastry.

“For me, home is the certainty that I’ll always have a place for my daughter to return to. It’s the peace of mind that comes from feeling like I belong.”

Affordable housing means not having to choose between stability and belonging.