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Travel Story

A Warehouse Hide-A-Way

Comfort and style in the heart of Old Gibsons Landing

In 1886 George Gibson's boat, the Swamp Angel, blew off course forcing him into the entrance of Howe Sound. After a night on Keats Island he and his two sons crossed over to the mainland, liked what they saw, claimed homesites, and settled the land that still bears their family name. While our own recent visit to Gibsons Landing was less dramatic it was also something of an accident.

When our planned trip to southeast Asia was cancelled due to SARS we decided to explore some destinations closer to home – and where better to start than the Sunshine Coast. With our kayaks on the car we took the Queen of Esquimalt from Horseshoe Bay across to Langdale, drove down to Gibsons, and like George and his boys, found much more than we expected.

In the guide to accommodation on the Sunshine Coast it's listed as just another bed and breakfast, but as soon as we arrived at the Warehouse Hide-A-Way we realized it was much more. True to its name the place is indeed hidden. A short distance up Gibsons Way from the wharf in the centre of town a small sign signals a sharp right turn into a gravel parking area at the head of Killarney Lane. First impression – this can't be right! No vacancy sign, no sign at all, just a rough cedar gate. But swing open the gate and enter the secluded world of Mary Jean Brown's B&B – a leafy green oasis right in the heart of Old Gibson's Landing.

The rustic garden, bounded on one side by a steep fern-covered bank and on the other by a low fence draped with vines and fish-floats, is shaded under a canopy of giant broad-leafed maples. Patio-block walkways lead past a central grape-arbor and raised garden beds to the immaculately restored old warehouse that has been transformed into Mary Jean's home, studio, gallery, and the two stylish cottage/lofts that offer accommodation to visitors like Betty and me.

At the front door we are greeted enthusiastically by Madi, the resident golden Lab. who seems overjoyed to see us. Before showing us the cottages Mary Jean welcomes us into her home and tells us a bit of its history. Looking at it now it’s hard to imagine this was once a warehouse. Below the high ceilings the walls are hung with original art. The space is tastefully divided into comfortable sitting and dining areas, kitchen, studio, and a computer work-station. Originally built by the Inglass family as a stove factory the structure subsequently housed boat builders, a moving and storage company, and finally, during the 19-year filming of the Beachcombers TV series, the CBC leased it as a place to store sets.

Accompanied by Madi, Mary Jean took us to see the rooms. Its was an easy decision – yes we'll be back for the night. We parked the car and kayaks just inside the cedar gate and strolled back into town.

Known as "The Gateway to the Sunshine Coast" the village of Gibsons is too often ignored by travellers passing through en-route to somewhere else. Guilty of the same thing ourselves we decided to stop for a closer look and began by dropping in at Molly's Reach for a late breakfast.

Its been more than a decade since Molly (a.k.a. Rae Brown) ran the place. The Persephone is no longer tied up to the dock at the foot of the street, and the only signs of Nick, Relic, and the rest of the Beachcombers are the pictures on the wall of the Reach. But the place still serves a mean cup of coffee and the refurbished "Reach" is still a gathering place for West Coast locals and nostalgic visitors who can get a good seafood dinner and recall the TV antics of Bruno Gerussi and Robert Clothier as Nick and Relic.

Molly's Reach is only one of many locations in Gibsons that were featured in The Beachcombers, which ran for 19 years to become the longest running drama series in Canadian television history. Although the program ended in 1990, re-runs continue to be shown, bringing images of Gibsons Landing to viewers around the world.

After downing the last of our coffee we walked out to the wharf where hundreds of pleasure boats share the docks with boat-houses, work boats, commercial fish-boats, boat rentals, and sleek-hulled rescue vessels of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The working harbour is nestled into a natural bay and protected from rough water by a massive breakwater.

Looking for a good place to launch our kayaks the next morning we follow the seawalk which runs the entire length of the waterfront and are rewarded by chatting with a fellow working in his garden. "Sure," he says, "just park over there – not far to the water – supposed to rain though." Just one of many friendly encounter with a perfect stranger in a town still too small to have a traffic light, where the locals still genuinely welcome visitors.

Being a history buff I dropped into the Elphinstone Pioneer Museum while Betty browsed through the meandering streetscape of Molly's Lane with its clutter of shops, galleries, and markets. Two hours later I was still absorbed in the museum's excellent displays of pioneer life. Among the many settlers who came after George Gibson an influx of Finnish farmers brought their saunas to Gibsons Heights and began cultivating berries and fruit on the benchlands above the waterfront. They also came with some socialist views that clashed with the conservative old-guard pioneers and may have had a lasting impact on B.C. politics. The local Methodist minister, James Shaver Woodsworth, in attempting to reconcile the two factions, found himself swayed by the Finn's socialist philosophy. Who knows how much this influenced his career as a social activist and ultimately his leadership of the CCF, which later evolved into the New Democratic Party.

By mid-afternoon the rain had started and we headed back to the Hide-A-Way. Both of the self-contained cottage/lofts are masterpieces of architectural ingenuity – a blend of utility and artistic elegance. Completely self-contained with separate entrances onto private outside patios, they come with fully equipped kitchens, large tiled showers, and an open stairway leading to a raised sleeping balcony with a duvet-covered bed. Our unit was once a truck garage and the huge counter-weighted door now forms most of one wall. On a sunny day the whole thing can be raised, converting the outside patio into an extension of the inside space.

About eight o'clock that evening Mary Jean arrived with a basket containing our breakfast for the next morning. She is reluctant to talk about herself but she stayed for a long visit and gave us some glimpses of her life before Gibsons Landing. Originally from Vancouver she studied art and interior design in New York and for 20 years ran her own business as an interior designer in Manhattan. Her portfolio includes award-winning commercial and residential designs that were written up in the New York Times Magazine. Somewhere along the line she found time to live in India.

She came to Gibsons seven years ago. Two years ago she bought the old warehouse and started renovating. Most people would consider the job done – complete in every detail. But to Mary Jean the Warehouse Hide-A-Way is a work in progress, a labour of love with a focus on the future.

"I'd rather look ahead than back," she says. In the meantime this is where she paints, teaches art, displays and sells her work, bases her interior design business, and still finds time to run a very classy B&B.

We went to sleep to the sound of pouring rain but the next morning the "Sunshine Coast" lived up to its reputation. Before we had finished breakfast the clouds were gone. Mary Jean and Madi came to say goodbye and we drove down to our launch site. The fellow in his garden waved – "looks like you gonna have a good day," he called.

And we did. As we nosed our kayaks out past the breakwater the choppy surface of Shoal Channel sparkled in the morning sun. We paddled across to Keats Island and had a picnic lunch on the beach. It felt like we were an ocean away from the Vancouver mainland.

It was only a two-day trip – a single relaxing night at Mary Jean's B&B – but as the Queen of Esquimalt pulled into Horseshoe Bay and we headed back to Whistler it felt like we were returning from a much longer holiday. For travellers in Sea to Sky country a trip across the waters of Howe Sound to the Sunshine Coast is the perfect complement to the alpine grandeur of Whistler – but don't forget to stop at Gibson's Landing.

For further information contact Mary Jean Brown

Voice: 604-886-3849; fax: 604-886-3849

e-mail: mjb@dccnet.com

581 Killarney Lane, Gibsons Landing, B.C. V0N 1V9