Faces of Sequim: Lavender Festival Director Kelly Iriye finds her calling

Published 3:30 am Wednesday, July 15, 2026

As they pulled their RV into Rainbow’s End RV Park almost a decade ago, Kelly Iriye and her husband Micah thought they were just passing through.

The couple had planned a two- to three-week stay in Sequim as part of a West Coast camper trip. A Google search of “RV parks with good Wi-Fi and dog-friendly policies” led them to the Sequim camper site. They didn’t imagine at the time that Sequim really would be their “rainbow’s end.”

Church visits led to friendships, a three‑month stay, and eventually a home purchase. This October will mark nine years since they decided to put down roots in Sequim.

That decision led to Iriye becoming a local business owner — she took over Northwest Bras from its former owner — and at the center of one of the community’s signature annual events: the Sequim Lavender Festival.

When COVID-19 hit, Iriye was running an essential oils business and looking for ways to connect. That led her to Business Networking International (BNI), where she met other local business owners, including Colleen Robinson, executive director of Clallam County Habitat for Humanity. Robinson had previously directed the Sequim Lavender Festival under the Sequim Lavender Growers Association (SLGA).

As the community emerged from lockdown, the association began exploring how to revive the festival.

“The city came up to Colleen and was like, ‘Hey, we’re thinking of starting the festival back up. Would you be the director?’” Iriye relayed.

Robinson agreed on one condition: she wanted to find a successor.

“She offered me the position,” Iriye said. “She’s like, ‘I think you’d be a good fit. Here’s what it entails: I’ll be the first year, you be the director the second year, and the third year I’ll bow out and give you full reins.’ I was like, ‘All right, that sounds cool. Let’s go for it.’”

Iriye stepped in as assistant director in 2021. Now five years in, she is firmly at the helm.

The director’s role is a paid position, but Iriye describes it as more of a calling than a job.

“I basically get October through December off, and even then, like this last year, I spent those months redesigning the (lavender) map,” she said.

Planning, closing out the prior year, and coordinating vendors and logistics basically take up all 12 months of the year.

“It is a year‑round part‑time job, and then in July it’s like a full‑time, all‑encompassing, eat-breathe lavender until after the festival,” she said.

During festival week, Iriye is on site from about 6 a.m. until 9:30 or 10 p.m., starting Wednesday and running through Sunday. She estimates she walks 10 to 12 miles a day in Carrie Blake Community Park, checking in with vendors, monitoring crowd flow, and responding to problems.

Her goal each year is to make the layout more intuitive and the experience smoother.

“My head is constantly evaluating and monitoring and tweaking things that could be tweaked because I’m always trying to figure out ways to improve it,” she said.

The work can be intense, but those quiet moments when the radios go silent have become a benchmark of success.

“Last year on Saturday, I think I went three or four hours without anybody calling my name on the radio,” she said. “We’re going for that again this year.”

Although Iriye is the public face of the festival, she is quick to emphasize the importance of the team around her. Beyond the core team, Scouts, local volunteers and friends of team members also pitch in to help.

Business owner

When she’s not walking the park in July, Iriye is most often found at Northwest Bras, the specialty shop she now owns in Sequim.

Her connection to the store began around 2019, when the previous owner hired her to track inventory. When the owner began talking openly about either selling or closing the business, Iriye and her husband reviewed their finances and offered to buy the business.

The sale went through in October 2024, and Iriye has been working to upgrade the website, build a stronger social media presence, add signage, and keep a full staff so she can step away during the Lavender Festival.

“Truthfully, the legacy is one that I inherited,” she said. “We’re continuing it as best we can.”

Looking back, Iriye sees a common thread running through her roles, from high school leadership experiences to managing a festival and a retail business: she gravitates toward organizing people and helping them grow.

“I’ve put a lot of effort into learning how to be a good manager and a good director, and I have a ton of fun doing it,” she said. “It’s really satisfying to see things come to fruition and to help grow my team and let them do what they do naturally.”

And as for how long she plans to stay at the helm of Sequim’s tourist-drawing Lavender Festival?

“My joke is, until they fire me, I’ll probably be doing this,” she said.

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Sequim Lavender Festival team

These other “Faces of Sequim” are Sequim Lavender Festival Director Kelly Iriye’s team, helping to make the annual tourist-drawing event run smoothly and safely.

Brookann Payseno: Assistant director

Jim Stoffer: Parking “guru” and “catch-all’ guy

David Blakeslee: Food director, soon to be replaced by Sheena Shrader

Melissa Herbelin: SLGA vice president

Kasydy Elliot: SLGA treasurer

Ashley Reddick: Activities tent and merchandise

Joe Regalio: Marketing director

Keith Koehler: CERT

Blaine Zechenelly: CERT