LOCAL WHIDBEY WITH MAGSY

About LOCAL WHIDBEY WITH MAGSY

Margaret Croom is ‘Magsy’, a local of Whidbey Island, Washington. Whether you’re a local, a would-be islander, or just someone who loves a good story, ”Local Whidbey” is your weekly dose of community, inspiration, and a reminder that the best places aren’t just found on maps—they’re found in people. Are you an AUDACIOUS ISLANDER(tm)? For more info, go to https://LocalWhidbeyPodcast.com (https://localwhidbeypodcast.com)

Publisher

With Magsy

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Jan 2025

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

61 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   THE GROWING CULINARY REPUTATION OF COUPEVILLE

   There are towns you visit because of the scenery, towns you visit because of their history—and increasingly, there are towns you visit because you know you’re going to eat really well when you get there. Coupeville might just be becoming all three. Over the last several years, something interesting has been happening in this little town overlooking Penn Cove. A collection of restaurants, bakeries, farms and food entrepreneurs has begun creating what feels less like a group of separate businesses and more like a culinary ecosystem. And three of the people helping make that happen are sitting with me today. Sophia and Chef Ben Jones are the owners of The Oystercatcher, the beloved Coupeville restaurant they took over in 2023, and Osprey Fish Co., its considerably more casual—and maybe slightly mischievous—younger sibling. And then there’s Tyler Hansen, who knows The Oystercatcher very well because he once owned it himself. Today, he’s one of the people behind Little Red Hen Bakery, where a bread-making experiment that started with eight Dutch ovens grew into a business built around locally grown grain. Then their worlds connected again. Sophia and Tyler, along with their partners, helped create Goldie’s and The Roost, bringing pizza, pasta, natural wine, cocktails and another gathering place into Coupeville’s growing food scene. What fascinates me isn’t simply that all these businesses exist. It’s that they’re connected. The baker works with the farmer. The grain grown just outside town becomes flour, bread, pizza and pasta. Former restaurant owners become collaborators with new restaurant owners. And rather than competing for the same diner, they seem to be creating more reasons for people to come to Coupeville in the first place. So for Creative Economy Builders, I wanted to ask a bigger question: Can a handful of food businesses actually help change the identity—and the economy—of a small town? Sophia, Ben and Tyler, welcome to Local Whidbey. LITTLE RED HEN | OYSTERCATCHER | OSPREY | GOLDIES

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   CREATIVE ECONOMY BUILDERS: THE FUTURE OF GREENBANK FARM & THE COUPEVILLE WHARF

   When most of us hear the word port, we probably picture boats, docks and shipping. But on Whidbey Island, the Port of Coupeville is something much more interesting. It is responsible for two of the island’s most recognizable public assets: the historic Coupeville Wharf and Greenbank Farm. One sits over Penn Cove and has been part of Coupeville’s waterfront identity for generations. The other encompasses farmland, trails, wetlands, businesses, art, food and gathering spaces in the middle of the island. And both have something important in common: They’re public assets that also have to work economically. That makes the Port of Coupeville a fascinating Creative Economy Builder. Its job isn’t simply to preserve historic buildings or maintain property. It’s to think about how these places can support entrepreneurs, attract visitors, host events, create opportunities for local businesses and continue serving the community for generations. And there’s a relatively new person leading that work. Marisa Michaud became Executive Director of the Port of Coupeville this past year, bringing more than two decades of experience in logistics and transportation leadership along with ten years of experience serving on a public school board. She also happens to be someone who was already spending time walking Greenbank Farm, biking around Coupeville and enjoying Penn Cove long before it became her job to help steward them. So today I want to talk about something bigger than buildings. How do you preserve what people love about Whidbey while still allowing places to evolve? How can publicly owned spaces help small businesses grow? And what could Greenbank Farm and the Coupeville Wharf become next? WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM Follow LOCAL WHIDBEY WITH MAGSY at @LocalWhidbeyPodcast ... Link: INSTAGRAM and on Facebook. You may also get to know Magsy and subscribe for invites to her supper club, at https://withmagsy.com. PODCAST SPONSORED BY THE OAK HARBOR CREATIVE ARTS FOUNDATION. Click on link to show your support for the Oak Harbor Performing Arts Center.

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   WHEN FREE MUSIC FUELS A LOCAL ECONOMY

   This episode of Creative Economy Builders is a little different. I’m reaching back into Season 2 of Local Whidbey to revisit a conversation that, looking at it now, was really a Creative Economy Builders story all along. Every Labor Day weekend, downtown Oak Harbor transforms. Streets fill with people. Musicians come in from across the country. Food trucks roll in. Local businesses see crowds they might never see on an ordinary weekend. And the public gets to experience all of it for free. The Oak Harbor Music Festival is obviously about music. But it’s also about what happens when creativity becomes an economic catalyst. A great event gives people a reason to come downtown. Then they stay. They eat. They shop. They discover businesses they may not have noticed before. And for one weekend, the energy of an entire city changes. My guest is Larry Mason, one of the driving forces behind the Oak Harbor Music Festival. When we originally recorded this conversation, we talked about moving to Oak Harbor as a toddler, his musician journey, Island Trollers, the festival, the musicians and what it takes to put an event of this scale together. Listening back now, I hear something else too. I hear a story about how culture can create foot traffic, community pride, tourism and economic activity — all while remaining accessible to everyone. That makes it a perfect fit for Creative Economy Builders. Here’s my conversation with Larry Mason. WEBSITE OH MUSIC FESTIVAL | WEBSITE ISLAND TROLLERS | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM Follow LOCAL WHIDBEY WITH MAGSY at @LocalWhidbeyPodcast ... Link: INSTAGRAM and on Facebook. You may also get to know Magsy and subscribe for invites to her supper club, at https://withmagsy.com. PODCAST SPONSORED BY THE OAK HARBOR CREATIVE ARTS FOUNDATION. Click on link to show your support for the Oak Harbor Performing Arts Center.

Who has been a guest on LOCAL WHIDBEY WITH MAGSY

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• HANNAH ANDERSEN
• Hai Anh Vue
• Dennis Browne
• Todd Hipsher
• Adrienne Hawkins

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

45

Social presence

91

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact LOCAL WHIDBEY WITH MAGSY

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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