Bill Austin: Dedicated to a more beautiful Poulsbo | Building Community

Published 10:17 am Monday, April 27, 2015

By MARY NADER
Contributing writer

It’s hard to miss his influence in Little Norway.  If it is beautiful, if it is unique, if it is awesome, chances are “Poulsbo’s best friend” — Bill Austin — has had a hand in it.

Since he moved to Poulsbo in 1971, Austin has been busy beautifying Poulsbo. And how he got here was not by accident.

Born in England four years before World War II started, Austin can recall the sounds of bombs approaching his village; he witnessed first-hand the devastation when war comes to your home town. He remembers as a small child, “often waking up in air raid shelters,” so used to the sounds of war that he could sleep right through them.

The image of London burning has never left him.

“I remember even at that early age the sounds of Doodlebugs (V1 flying bombs) and the images of flames from burning buildings in the distance, making the night sky red,”  Austin said.

When the war was over, Austin and his family lived a normal life in post-war England. Leaving grammar school at 15, his first job was as a sign writer/painter. He entered into a seven-year apprenticeship with a goal of learning how “to make a store front look so inviting that it sucks people in.”

He learned later that his great-uncle was a master sign painter, going on to create signs for Queen Victoria and even painting the Lord’s Prayer on the back of a sixpence, a small coin.

Another great-uncle immigrated to Canada and would become a famous builder in Hamilton, Ontario. These two skill sets would play pivotal roles in Austin’s life later on.

Even when Austin joined the British Army in the 1950s, he was immediately put to work as a regimental sign maker.

“I remember painting gold leafs on the guns for the Queen’s coronation.”

Upon his return from the service, Austin heard that Canada needed good sign makers. Being close to his aunt and uncle in the area prompted his decision to follow that call, and he immediately got work making $1.75 an hour.

Later, another call reached Austin , but this time it was to make signs in Seattle, and for $4.75 an hour. He jumped at the chance and remembers crossing the Aurora Bridge when he first arrived and saw a big metal thing reaching into the sky, half constructed. He would find out later he was watching the Space Needle being built.

Years later, in 1971, Austin knew it was time to branch out and find another community that was a perfect blend of small town and business opportunity.  He found that in Poulsbo, and opened a restaurant with an English friend that featured the fare of their homeland. It was called the Poulsbo Inn and harkened back to the pubs so prevalent in England. That business venture did not end well, with a falling out with the business partner that ultimately caused the restaurant to fail.

That prompted a dark, difficult time in the life of Bill Austin.

“I remember while all this was happening, I was walking in the rain, with no car, no house, no idea of what was next.”

It was in that hard time that Austin decided a change would do him good. He began focusing on building and opened the Austin Sign Company in 1974. The projects started rolling, with Austin creating structures that would include the Aroy Dy Thai restaurant, the Austin Towers complex with its waterfall, the Kvelstad Pavilion — now Austin-Kvelstad Pavilion — on the waterfront, and Nelson Park.

In the years that followed, Austin worked tirelessly on one project after another, all the while donating his money when needed, volunteering his time to help local charities, hanging with a group of long-time friends and watching Poulsbo grow.

It all seems very natural to Austin — “I like to buy old buildings and make them better. I enjoy it so much, it doesn’t feel like work. I guess you could say my life is my hobby — I love building things.  And I will continue to do what I do as long as I can, to better our community.”

Poulsbo is indelibly engraved with the dedication and creative spirit of this amazing, special man, and his legacy is assured.