Canadian music icon Joni Mitchell lives on "Both Sides Now" - figuratively and literally.
Mitchell, known for her hauntingly beautiful lyrics and voice, splits her time between Los Angeles and British Columbia. And recently on this side (of the border), a local business owner had a special run-in with the living legend.
About twice a year, the songstress stops at a popular vintage store on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast.
The Shop on the Shore is located at 4780 Sunshine Coast Hwy in Davis Bay en route to Sechelt. It's home to over 30 vendors selling everything from art to tea and clothes. Most of the vendors are women who live in the community.
Julie-Anne Corby sells at the shop with her new business called The Knitting Machine Lady. She was waiting for the bus by the shop on Nov. 16 when her friend texted her that Mitchell was at the store.
Now that she's older, Mitchell sits in a chair while her assistant picks out the things that she likes. She had four assistants and a driver with her, Corby says.
While Mitchell picked out a bunch of baby clothes for a friend's new baby, Corby went up to say hello.
"I said I was the lady who made the stuff," Corby says.
Corby offered to give Mitchell a fuzzy blue hat, which the songstress warmly accepted.
Joni Mitchell switches hats, shares warm chat with local musician/business owner A little while later, Corby heard her name. It was Mitchell again, asking if she could switch the fuzzy blue hat for a knitted turquoise one that matched her scarf.
Corby switched the hats and asked if she could have a picture with her holding it, but Mitchell did one better. She asked for a mirror to put that hat on and then stopped for several photos with the vendor.
"She was very wonderful," Corby recalls, adding that they spoke about everything from music to the Sunshine Coast, odd jobs and artwork. Another vendor mentioned a song he liked, and Mitchell even started singing.
As it happens, Corby is a musician in her own right. Previously, she travelled across Canada five times as a singer in a reggae band in the 1990s and 2000s. More recently, she sang a tribute to women in reggae at the Empress Bar in Vancouver.
But last year, Corby chose to leave Vancouver, after taking a job at the public washrooms at Main and Hastings, which she describes as a "very trying experience" (and has ranked on Google as one of the world's worst jobs).
During that time, a friend told her that she had a place to stay on the Sunshine Coast, and the former Vancouverite followed her internal compass northward.
Now, Corby is crocheting up a storm, by hand and on her knitting machine, and occasionally finding common ground with passing stars.
Next time you're in Sechelt, you can visit her at The Shop on the Shore.
Last week (Dec. 5), Mitchell was seen by a local #jonispotting enthusiast on a ferry from Gibsons to Horseshoe Bay.
Printed from the official Joni Mitchell website. Permanent link: https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=5972
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