Celebrating The Dads and Grads

It’s that time of year again: When grill smoke wafts through the blocks mixed with the smell of freshly-mown grass, our beaches get busy, and caps are thrown in the air. Dads and grads are celebrating, and we’re toasting to them, too!

You may be stumped on what to gift your people for a milestone like a graduation or to show how much you appreciate their fatherly impact. Fear not! We’ve put together our ultimate guide to celebrating the dads and grads in your life. So, pop a cold one and keep scrolling because showing your favorite humans how much you care has never been easier in downtown Edmonds.  

For The Keepers of Keepsakes + Grillmasters

Stroll the streets to grab the perfect gift from places like The Paper Feather, The Papery, Crow, Bench & Board, or Ace Hardware. Not only do many of these shops have beautiful, thoughtful stationary, but they’re all staffed by experts who can steer you in the right gifting direction. Ace, of course, needs no explanation. It’s your one-stop shop for gifts, cards, home supplies, grills, and BBQ chicken to go. Oh! And don’t forget to reserve your sweet treats from Cakes by Frosted, located right inside the sliding doors. 

For The Homebodies

Dad or grad enjoy their home oasis? Yeah, they do. Take them to choose a new-to-them piece mid-century decor at Driftwood Modern, a vintage flag for their wall from newly-opened Camp Vintage, outfit their kitchen at The Wooden Spoon, or engender good vibes with a crystal or piece of palo santo at The Wishing Stone. Homebodies tend to love to curl up with a good book (this writer speaks for herself). Gift them something to bury their nose in while lazing in a hammock or under a blanket by the fire pit from Edmonds Bookshop. Still trying to decide what to grab? The store team will be happy to help. If you know what you want, you can also order it ahead and pop by for pickup.    

For The Art Lovers

The Edmonds Arts Festival is back for Father’s Day weekend (June 16-18, 10am-7pm Friday and Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday) and gives you not only the chance to bond over art but also the opportunity to find something perfect for your favorite people—together or as a welcome surprise. Over 160 artists will showcase their work at Frances Anderson, so the likelihood of finding something meaningful is exceptionally high. Get your grad a piece of art that reminds them of home when they’re away at school or some new lawn art for dad (dads and their lawns could be a whole other article!). Use the festival as a jumping-off point to explore all that downtown has to offer. 

Looking to explore more evergreen art, as it were? Take yourself on an art tour down from the Festival to Graphite and Cascadia Art Museum. Or, invest in continuing education and sign up for an art class! 

For The Glass Raisers

For the 21+ crowd, clink glasses with a fancy sip at Calypso, Santa Fe Mexican Grill & Cantina, ChurchKey Pub, Daphnes, Kelnero, Dusted Valley Wine Bar, or Vinbero. 

Dad or grad more interested in a cold beer? Take them to Maize & Barley to check out what’s on their rotating taps or to Salish Sea Brewing Co. for their pick of fine hand-crafted ales and lagers. For the underage crowd, head to either Salish location for root beer on tap! 

For The Food-Lovers

There is something tried and true about a special occasion dinner out. Take yours to Salt & Iron (weekend specials include a braised short rib with black plum demi-glace and a “Papa’s Home” cocktail made with bacon-wash rye, amaro Montenegro, maple syrup, smoked cherry bitters, and candied bacon), Fire & The Feast (open for brunch and dinner with a ribeye on special), Charcoal, Demetris, Las Brisas Restaurante, or Kahlo’s Cantina. Don’t forget to cap the night off with froyo loaded with extra toppings (hey, you’re celebrating!) from Revelations Yogurt and a sunny stroll to the water.

Breakfast more their speed? Hit up Claire’s Restaurant, Chanterelle, or Rusty Pelican Cafe. 

And, if you want to get more interactive with it, grab some seats at Table for 12 and the whole crew can learn how to cook what they’re eating. 

For The Giftees Still Pulling All-Nighters

Whether they’re night owls or coffee connoisseurs, they’ll love a hosted visit or gift card to Red Twig Bakery Cafe, Cafe Louvre, Walnut Street Coffee, or Waterfront Coffee Company. And, if they need a place to work with 24/7 tech (and both cold brew + drip coffee) available, gift them a membership at Workhorse Coworking.  

For The Explorers

Whether your grad is perusing cooljobs.com and planning to shear sheep in Spain or dad cashed in his 23andMe from last year and is now interested in tracing his Nordic roots, Edmonds is the place to learn all about Europe. We’re blessed to be home to Rick Steves’ Europe, where they can—if they’re lucky—meet the man behind the tours, and learn as much about the Old World as they can handle. They can also get geared up while planning their trip on any budget. 

Dad may be exploring Europe, a local oyster farm, or the beers on tap at Maize and Barley on Father’s Day, so outfit him in threads from Rogue, which launched its men’s selection last year. They have your grad covered, too—from gifts to dresses to wear under the ‘ol unflattering robe.

How Are You Celebrating Your Dads and Grads This Year?

Is your mind now full of ideas about how you want to toast to your dads and grads downtown? We sure hope so! 

Take us along by tagging us in your social media posts or add #loveedmonds to your captions. We’ll share your papa props, champagne pops, hoots, and hollers to our stories! 

By Whitney Popa, photos by Matt Hulbert