Anyone with an eclectic shopping list can have a great time at Guy Hobby World and Mini-Mart, which offers surprisingly diverse shopping opportunities.
That’s because of the nature of the six-year-old business, which has moved into larger quarters.
“He likes hobbies and I like groceries,” explained Fedelina (Lynn) Uy Gagen, referring to herself and her husband Phillip Gagen.
“And she didn’t want to run a shop by herself,” said Phil.
So what they have is two stores in one, with their respective goods intermingled. Model airplanes dangle from the ceiling, seemingly flying above shelves laden with exotic food imported from Asia. Fancy dolls from Russia and elsewhere occupy one corner, along with a selection of other gifts.
The entryway to the business, now located in the old Whidbey Island Bank building on Highway 20, is laden with boxes of imported vegetables and fruits. The old bank vault makes a great place for Fedelina to store 25-pound bags of premium grade white rice, and two downstairs offices where bankers once sat contain Star Wars and Star Trek models, radio controlled boat and airplane parts, and jugs of model airplane fuel.
Fedilina’s grocery shelves are one of Oak Harbor’s main attractions for Asian food preparers. “The big supermarkets don’t carry it,” she said. “We have what they don’t.” A sampling of the offering includes vegetables, rice, noodles, banana sauce, eggroll sauce, sweet chili sauce, purple yam jam, cans of quail eggs, Bagoong-Tuony brand anchovies, UFC Vinegar, Silver Swan soy sauce, Green Fields coconut juice and Calamansi fruit drinks.
Phil is delighted with the 8,000 square foot building they purchased, which is considerably more spacious than their former store on Bayshore Avenue. And he credits the bank for installing an outstanding electrical system. “We plugged everything in and didn’t even blow a breaker,” he said in wonderment.
Phil is retired Navy and spent 12 years at Boeing before being laid off recently. But he’s not taking the lay-off hard. It gives him more time to work in the store. Once his benefits expire, he plans to retire from Boeing, too.
Fedelina spent seven years working at Island Hospital in Anacortes before starting her own store. When she was growing up in the Philippines her father owned a grocery store, and she can remember running around the shelves when she was a little girl. The couple have two children, Jennifer, 11, and Kevin, 9. “They’re our retirement babies,” laughed Fedelina.
Phil said his radio controlled cars and boats are the hobby shop’s biggest attraction. They’re about one-tenth actual size, and hobbyists love “driving” them by remote control. More will be in soon. “I made a big order last night,” he said.
On the way out, check out the selection of casava, Chinese vegetables, Upo squash, and herbs from Hawaii. They might go good with those quail eggs and anchovies.
