Valerie Stafford’s life in a nutshell: She grew up in Concrete, moved away for career and college, returned in 2009 to buy the Concrete Theatre with her husband Fred West, and in 2021 they bought an abandoned adjacent building to renovate.
“After leaving Concrete in my early 30s, I earned a master’s degree in human services and marketing,” Stafford says. “I directed a domestic violence and sexual assault program, served as marketing coordinator/director of development for two local hospitals, and volunteered for a variety of different nonprofits in the Skagit Valley. For the last 40 years, I have also been a fitness instructor, owning my own studio and/or working for other health facilities. I am passionate about helping people be healthy, organizing special events in our community, and doing what I can to be a valuable member of society.”
Stafford has taught for 35 years physical education, wellness and domestic violence prevention at Skagit Valley College, Whidbey Island campus. Her earlier life didn’t reflect these later passions. Being shy in school, losing her father when she was 13, and failing PE classes, was a starting point and quite different than the confident woman now. “I was afraid of my own shadow back then.”
“The untold story is I grew up in poverty, quit high school and got married, always hated anything that looked like physical activity, and lived with domestic violence for a decade. Then I changed my life and made it what it is today,” she shares.
“Mindset is a big part,” she adds. “Anyone can change. I believe if you want something, you can have it.” While taking a stress management class years ago, the instructor had his wife come in to lead a session in movement and Stafford was hooked. Unlike the PE classes, it was simply playing music and feeling the joy in movement. She said her response was to sign up for three exercise classes a day.
She went through a divorce, became a single parent while working on her degrees with full-time jobs, and married West, a student from one of her classes. The location of the wedding was the workout room at Brakefield Elite Fitness, then in Mount Vernon, in their 1980’s exercise clothes. The workouts also brought together networks of long-time friends.
For a woman who had spent most of her life within the same county, Stafford enlarged her world by exploring some unusual places, which started during her time working at Skagit Regional Health on Whidbey Island. Stafford’s first trip was to France and Ireland with a group. Destinations that have stayed with her: Sri Lanka, Ecuador, South Africa and Nepal. Kenya is on the horizon. Her social media has many colorful photos of these ventures.
Valerie Stafford Finds Business, Community and Passion in Concrete
Now at age 76, Stafford has reached many goals – with the help of friends who believed in her at the hard times – and has helped others do the same.
With West’s entrepreneurial spirit, the couple have owned multiple business ventures in the course of their time together. Stafford developed teaching skills, marketing abilities and putting together special events. At one point West sold yachts, another they decided to raise alpacas for fiber, which was popular at the time. This required bigger living quarters. Next thing, they had 40 alpacas as the babies came before eventually selling down to keep three. Their mini farm took them back to Concrete. Since the couple had a bit of funds from running other businesses and careers, they invested both in things that brought them joy but in things to help the community.
Today, Stafford and West have the Concrete Theatre, Act One Ice Cream Parlor and Encore Fitness.
The Concrete Theatre was purchased in 2009, but it needed a bit of work and opened in 2010. When Stafford saw it had a dance floor at the front, the building had an additional purpose which suited her skills and interests, Encore Fitness. It’s not a gym with equipment, monthly memberships, or glitzy mirrors, as the website proclaims, but it has room for eight to 10 people to work out together. Movies, are shown on weekends and selected from those with “talented casts and interesting storylines.” With extensive remodeling, and a bit of coercion, they purchased the neighboring building, took out walls during COVID, and had space for the ice cream parlor and a proper lobby. They serve gourmet popcorn with real butter. Freddie’s Bar, named for West, has beer and wine.
Stafford loves to create events and has served as the Concrete Chamber president. Most recently, she hosted the 20th Concrete Ghost Walk which came together with volunteers and ghost stories galore. While Stafford said she didn’t especially enjoy history classes in high school, she now enjoys knowing – and sharing – the history of the region she calls home.
Concrete Theatre and Act One Ice Cream Parlor, 45920 Main St., is open Fridays and Saturday from Noon to 6 p.m. and Sundays from Noon to 5 p.m. Movie showtimes are Fridays and Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with captions.
