A Touch of Dutch has been a staple of Whidbey Island since 1996. They purvey European goods from several countries including The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and more. There is also a great selection of beers, wine, and mead with a European bent.
Adam and Mel Regan are proud to be the owners of one of Whidbey Islands’ most unique retail establishments. But how did they come to own the store?
Growing up, both had found a love of Whidbey and all it had to offer from scenery to activities. The couple met while Mel was living in Coupeville and they agreed that the little town was special and that they wanted to put roots down on the shore of Penn Cove. After they were married, they lived in a few different places until the pandemic found them in Mead, WA. At night they would look out their windows at the miles and miles of wheat waving in the evening breeze and recognize and appreciate its beauty, but something was missing.
Adam had been kicking around the idea of starting a business in Spokane, but had not found anything that felt right. One night while looking at businesses on Whidbey Island he noticed a very vague listing for a “unique” store on Whidbey Island. Without thinking about it, he looked up at Mel and said, “I bet that is A Touch of Dutch.”
The rest was just paperwork and the couple packed up and moved to Coupeville to continue the A Touch of Dutch tradition that is now more than 28 years in the making.
However, the store is much more than the owners. They both agree it is the community, the other Coupeville business owners, and most of all the customers who make the store special.
“My favorite part about the store is when a person will walk in, gasp, and exclaim that they remember an item from something in their past,” Adam explained with a smile.
The store is open 363 days a year and is usually one of the first to open and last to close during the day on Front Street. They also have a website, atouchofdutch.com, and ship everywhere including internationally.
