When Laurie and Phil Erickson attended Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash., in the 1980s, they didn’t think much about their surroundings. When they returned for a fund-raising event in 2018, however, they were struck by the area’s rugged beauty.
After living outside Seattle in Bellevue, running businesses and raising two children, the couple had a newfound appreciation for Ellensburg’s more relaxed environment.
“I’m able to take a breath,” said Ms. Erickson, 62, the founder of France Luxe, a hair accessories and soap brand. “The pace is slower.”
She and Mr. Erickson, 65, the president of Ocular Instruments, a medical device company, decided they wanted a home there. But when they looked at houses on the market, nothing seemed to be a good fit for their current stage of life.
“All the homes that I saw were homes that you would likely raise a family in,” Ms. Erickson said. “And we’d already done that.”
