On a crisp December morning in 1996, Sharon and John Connell lingered over breakfast at the Calico Cupboard, a popular La Conner cafe. Gazing out the window, Sharon was inspired by the 19th-century brick beauty on the corner. "That would be a great bookstore," she said.

After 23 years in business, the Oak Harbor, Washington, couple had sold their lumber company on nearby Whidbey Island and were ready for their next venture, a combination bookstore and coffee bar.

They paid their check and walked across the street, apparently with an angel in tow. The building's lessee was ready for a change; the owner wanted to sell; and the Connells had a deal.

Today, the Connells and The Next Chapter (their successful bookstore) weave vibrant threads through the fabric of La Conner. John coaches the high school soccer team, and Sharon gives book-related talks to groups. Their living space above the bookstore looks out to Swinomish Channel. John says, "We loved Oak Harbor, but there's a serenity here. No one is ever in a rush."

Perhaps in somewhat of a rush is the town's mayor, tall, energetic Eron Berg. The 26-year-old Hawaii-born mayor settled in La Conner in the second grade and has lived here ever since. "I even commuted from here to Bellingham and Seattle for college and law school," he says. On a misty spring afternoon's stroll through town, his pride leaps two paces ahead at every turn as he shows off the town's history and its future.

For starters, Town Hall has evolved nicely from a bank to a jailhouse to the building where Eron presides. Down the hill, the Maple Hall performing arts center incorporates bricks that townspeople helped recycle from local historic buildings.