223 Second Street
Windermere Real Estate (Puget Power and Light / Flowers / Big Sister)
Circa 1960: Puget Power and Light
1961. Puget Power and Light building (arrow) on Second Street (Courtesy South Whidbey Historical Society).
The Puget Power and Light Company bought the power company in 1930 from Phil Simon who had generated power for 16 years at the Langley Marina. The company had an office at several locations in Langley before constructing the building on Second Street.
1975. South Island Real Estate and Puget Power & Light on Second Street (Courtesy South Whidbey Historical Society)
Cornelius ("Con") O'Sullivan. Con and his wife Linda bought the building from John R. Vanderzicht as an investment in July, 1979. At the time, the O'Sullivans ran South Island Realty next door.
According to the O'Sullivan's son, Steve, "About 1982, my parents divorced and my Dad got the (Puget Power & Light) building in the divorce settlement. He promptly opened up "O'Sullivan Real Estate" directly next door to what had become my Mom's building housing 'South Island Realty'. Very shortly after the settlement, my dad died in 1983 and my brother Michael and I inherited the building in 1984."
"At that time, my Mom was a bit tired of Real Estate and she opened a florist/gift shop, Linda's Flowers and Gifts in the building."
1987: Linda's Flowers and Gifts
Circa 1989. Linda's Flowers on Second Street (Langley City Hall).
Circa 1989. Linda's Flowers (Langley City Hall).
According to Steve O'Sullivan, "Mom did that for about a year and found she preferred Real Estate so went back to that full time. An employee of hers named Paula Stubblefield bought the business from her. Paula got tired of the business and sold it to a Debbie Holting. The business was named "Something Special."
1992: Something Special Flowers (Courtesy Langley City Hall).
The O'Sullivan brothers "sold the building to Isabelle Pasquale in February, 1992 who gifted it to Sandra Nogal in March, 1992 as an investment." Sandy was the manager, and her husband Steve was the chef, at the Inn at Langley.
When Something Special Flowers moved to the vacated City Hall building on Anthes Avenue, Michele LaRue opened "Big Sister," a woman's clothing store, in 1993.
The Nogals left town in 2003 to start a restaurant in Montana, and sold the building to Langley Partners LLC; three couples who were Windermere franchise owners from Seattle. after the Nogal's sold the building, Michele LaRue moved her Big Sister business to First Street in 2004.
2004: Windermere Real Estate
2018. Windermere Real Estate (Courtesy Robert Waterman).
A pitched metal roof was put over the originally flat roof, and opened as the Langley branch of Windermere Real Estate.
In 2008, the building was sold to one of the three original Windermere franchise couples who operate as Northwest Metro LLC.