NORTH COAST
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
3A
Sweet success at Phillips as ownership is changed
Name, many
products, will
stay the same
Phillips’s connection to the
candy shop started in 1926, long
before he was born, when his
mother, Marguerite Blake, got
KHU¿UVWVXPPHUMREWKHUHDWDJH
14. The candy shop, established
By KATHERINE LACAZE in 1897, was already a well-es-
EO Media Group
tablished business in the com-
munity by then.
SEASIDE — Steve Phillips
Blake remained seasonally
is enjoying sweet success — employed at the shop through-
with a cherry on top.
out her college years. Even after
After spending years of she and her college sweetheart
long hours in the kitchen John Phillips were married and
making sweets for the well- moved to Milwaukie for his job
known Phillips Candies shop as a middle-school teacher, the
on Broadway, he sold the shop couple continued to help out the
to Mark and Marci Utti. Al- owners in the summer.
though ownership will change,
In 1939, the couple pur-
the shop will retain its name as chased the candy shop, running
well as many of the products it as a summer business from
patrons know and love. Dis- Memorial Day to Labor Day
cussions between Phillips and so John Phillips could continue
the Uttis began in spring 2013. teaching. The family resided in
3KLOOLSVKRSHGWR¿QGVRPHRQH a small wooden cottage behind
who wanted to keep Phillips the shop.
Candies relatively the same,
Tricky situations
name and all.
World War II brought with
While the Uttis will purchase
the business itself, TDM Enter- it some tricky situations for the
prises — of which Mark Utti is family, as for many business
a partner — is going to purchase RZQHUV7KHVWRUHZDVSUR¿WDEOH
the building. TDM Enterprises as people were making money,
also owns the nearby Funland particularly through war-related
Arcade and the Seaside Fulta- industries. Instead, the struggle
no’s Pizza on Broadway. The was to get products for can-
plan is for the transaction to dy-making during a time when
close Oct. 1.
sugar and other ingredients were
The goal, Phillips said, is a strictly rationed.
seamless transition for employ-
“It wasn’t like we have to-
ees, suppliers and customers, day, where we have all these
with operations and product candy stores where you can buy
quality remaining stable.
Jelly Belly candies and all that,”
father’s illness greatly expedited
the process.
“I had about six weeks to
two months to try and really
learn as much as I could. And
most of it was at home, with him
sitting on the couch or in a chair,
giving me as much information
as possible,” he said.
Taking over the store
Katherine Lacaze/EO Media Group
Steve Phillips, the owner and operator of Phillips Candies
of Seaside, is preparing to retire and pass on his candy
shop, which has operated since 1897, to new owners in
October.
Phillips said. “It was what you
made, and that was it.”
His parents struck deals
with local dairies, farmers and
producers to get the items they
needed.
Fortunately, he said, there
was no shortage of demand.
Phillips Candies would open its
door at 1 p.m. to a line of people.
Even with a limit of 2 pounds per
customer, the shop would sell out
within a few hours. They would
then close the door and start mak-
ing candy for the next day.
One summer, the family
made more money than John
Phillips’s salary as a teacher,
so they decided “this was what
they ought to do,” Phillips said.
They stayed in Seaside to run
the store year-round.
In 1947, the year Steve Phil-
lips was born, the couple tore
down the old shop and con-
structed the current building.
Throughout the years, it was
understood he would take over
the shop someday, he said. Mak-
ing candy just seemed to be a
family trait, as his older broth-
er, Pat, worked many years as a
plant manager for See’s Candies
in Los Angeles.
“Both he and I have business
degrees with backgrounds in
food technology from Oregon
State,” Phillips said.
Around the winter of 1974,
John Phillips contracted cancer,
dying within four months of
being diagnosed. While taking
over the family business was
Steve Phillips’s future plan, his
In the spring of 1974, Steve
Phillips bought the business it-
self from his parents, and took
over the lease agreement for the
building and property — both of
which he would later acquire.
Even after his father’s death,
his mom continued to work at
the shop until her late 80s.
“She would come in here
and work almost every day. She
just loved it,” he said.
Throughout the years, little
has changed at Phillips Candies.
“We’ve really tried to keep
exactly the same formulas,”
Phillips said. “When someone
comes in and says, ‘Gee, I re-
member 20 years ago I was
here and got rocky road; what’s
changed?’ The answer is ‘noth-
ing.’ The recipe is absolutely
identical. Same product line,
same chocolate.”
Because tastes evolve, they
added and removed a few prod-
ucts. The advent of emulsions
replaced chemical-based ex-
WUDFWVDQG³MXVWHQKDQFHGWKHÀD-
vor and made it so much better,”
Phillips said.
Business got a big boost
by the nearby construction of
Trendwest Resorts, now World-
Mark by Wyndham. While the
store experienced a nice, steady
growth of 3 to 5 percent every
year, Phillips said, the new resort
brought “almost a 25 percent in-
crease in business overnight.”
The increase remained
steady year round, and the store
was staffed by two people in-
stead of one during the winter,
he added.
A new era
Through grade-school, Phil-
lips played in the back while his
parents were busy running the
shop. At 10, he started taking
on responsibilities like wash-
ing dishes and running the taffy
wrapper. In 1974, he purchased
the business and has been oper-
ating it ever since.
“I don’t think I had a desire
to ever do anything different,”
he said.
Nevertheless, the time is
approaching for the business to
change hands. Phillips admitted
he’s ready.
“Physically it’s getting hard-
er and harder to dump those
80-pound batches of candy,” he
joked. “I will be here to continue
to make sure the quality of the
product remains.
“I told Mark that I could
teach about 80 percent of this
operation in about six weeks,”
he added. “But the other 20 per-
cent is going to take a couple
years. It’s just the facts of life.”
&DPS¿UHVSURKLELWHGLQVWDWHSDUNV )ederal Iunds sought Ior Eridge ¿[es
would further tax limited
firefighting
resources,”
The Oregon Parks and MG Devereux, the de-
Recreation Department is partment’s deputy direc-
SURKLELWLQJDOOFDPS¿UHVLQ tor, said in a statement.
state parks and other prop- “Most communities have
erties owned and managed sent local firefighters and
by the department, effec- equipment to help with
tive immediately. The ban wildfires throughout the
includes but is not limited state. An unintentional fire
WR GHVLJQDWHG ¿UH SLWV WLNL in a state park would add
torches and candles. The an unnecessary burden to
EDQDOVRH[WHQGVWR¿UHVRQ firefighting efforts.”
ocean beaches.
The state park ban does
“Our goal is to avoid not apply to propane stoves
any accidental fires on or charcoal briquettes for
OPRD
property
that cooking, but there may be
ORFDO ¿UH UHVWULFWLRQV WKDW
do limit propane stoves and
briquettes. Visitors plan-
ning a trip should check
with park staff for the most
current information, or call
the state park information
line at 800-551-6949, or go
to www.oregonstateparks.
org
This ban will remain
in effect for at least one
week and will be re-eval-
uated based on fire status,
weather, and guidance
from state and local fire
officials.
The Daily Astorian
Land trust seeks input on accreditation
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — The North
Coast Land Conservancy
is applying for national ac-
creditation and is inviting
public comment on its ap-
plication. The land trust
accreditation program rec-
ognizes land conservation
organizations that meet na-
tional quality standards for
protecting important natural
places and working lands
forever. A public comment
period is now open.
The Land Trust Accred-
itation Commission, an in-
dependent program of the
Land Trust Alliance, con-
ducts an extensive review of
each applicant’s policies and
programs. “As we approach
our 30th year, achieving
national accreditation will
help us demonstrate to our
friends and supporters that
we are doing what we say
we do: responsibly conserv-
ing Oregon’s coastal lands,
in perpetuity,” Executive
Director Katie Voelke said.
The commission invites
public input and accepts
signed, written comments
on pending applications.
Comments must relate to
how the land conservan-
cy complies with national
quality standards, which ad-
dress the ethical and techni-
cal operation of a land trust.
For the full list of stan-
dards, to learn more about
the accreditation program,
or to submit a comment, go
to www.landtrustaccredi-
tation.org. Comments may
also be emailed to info@
landtrustaccreditation.org,
faxed to 518-587-3183 or
mailed to the Land Trust
Accreditation Commission,
Attn: Public Comments, 36
Phila St., Suite 2, Saratoga
Springs, N.Y. 12866.
Comments on the land
conservancy’s application
will be most useful by Oct.
31.
GO
ONLINE
www.dailyastorian.com
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County Public Works
recently submitted a request for
$6 million in federal funding to
replace one county bridge and
rehabilitate three others.
If funded, the projects would
take place between 2018 and 2021.
The bridge eligible for re-
placement is at the Klootchy
Creek Park, two miles east of
the U.S. Highway 26 junction
near Seaside. The 100-foot-long
bridge over the Necanicum Riv-
er offers access to the park and
to acres of private timber land.
“It’s an important bridge to
maintain,” Public Works Direc-
tor Michael Summers said. “It’s
LPSRUWDQWIRU¿UHDFFHVV´
The three bridges in need of
rehabilitation are:
• The Rodney Acres Bridge
on Dolphin Road over the Ski-
panon River in Warrenton;
• A Youngs River Road
bridge over the Klaskanine Riv-
er south of Astoria;
• Stavebolt Bridge on Logan
Road over the Stavebolt Creek
south of Astoria.
Summers said each bridge
is made of timber components
reaching the end of their useful
lives. He wants to remove the
wooden components and install
Clatsop Dems meet next week
wildlife issues the commis-
sion faces.
Local environmental is-
Forestry expert Bob Van
sues will be addressed at the Dyke will give an update
Monday meeting of the Clat- on the changes proposed for
sop County Democrats, which Clatsop County forest lands.
takes place from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
There will also be an up-
at the Astoria Yacht Club, 300 date from the Democratic
Industry St., Suite 201.
Party of Oregon Environ-
Bruce Buckmaster, who mental Caucus, which met
was recently appointed to the on Sunday. Two members of
Oregon Department of Fish the Clatsop County Demo-
and Wildlife Commission, FUDWVDUHRI¿FHUVLQWKHHQYL-
ZLOOVSHDNDERXWWKH¿VKDQG ronmental caucus.
The Daily Astorian
There are no words that seem
adequate enough to say “thank you” to
everyone who expressed their sympathy
and support during the loss of our Gary.
He was a wonderful person, and through
the memories he gave each of us, he will
live on forever in our hearts.
The family of Gary Pritchard
Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
W !
O
N N
new steel or concrete structures.
“I want to remove the timber
structure and put in a steel struc-
ture,” Summers said. “It’s a long
process, and this is just the start
of it.” The Oregon Department of
Transportation bridge engineering
section distributes the federal mon-
ey to qualified projects throughout
the state. The funding is competi-
tive since there is a total pot of be-
tween $25 million to $50 million.
“They have to pick and
choose,” Summers said. “There
is a lot of need statewide.”
If any of the local projects
are chosen, Clatsop County
would have to submit a 10 per-
cent funding match.
PERFORMING
ARTS
PRESCHOOL
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START
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