BUSINESS & AG LIFE
THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
Keeping the place spiff y pays dividends for business owners
C
urbside appeal does
tion to the front of the store.
not just apply to
Do you have cracks in
your sidewalk with grass
houses. It’s the fi rst
impression customers have
growing up in between? If
of your business, and espe-
you don’t want to use chem-
cially during this tough
icals, give your local exten-
economic time, anything
sion agent or nursery a call
a business
and fi nd out
owner can
what nat-
GREG
do to attract
ural options
SMITH
and keep
there are.
SBDC
customers
Is your
is more
sidewalk
important than ever.
swept and regularly hosed
The fi rst step in making
off? Check to see if your
sure your business is
entry is free of cobwebs
inviting is to step outside
and that your front door and
and using your critical eye,
knob are clean—maybe
scan the entire area. Often a even consider repainting
business owner or manager
your door an eye-catching
uses a side or back entrance color.
and neglects to pay atten-
Look at your signs. Are
they faded or worn? Can
they can be easily seen
while driving or walking
by?
Check to see if there
are too many fl yers in your
window and whether they
are outdated. Having a des-
ignated spot inside will
give organizations a place
to advertise their event or
other information and will
leave your windows clear so
customers can see what you
have to offer or enjoy your
display. This may lessen the
chances of them reading the
fl yer and walking on by.
Speaking of seeing
through your windows…can
you…or is it time to break
out the window cleaner?
Are objects in your window
display covered with dust or
faded by the sun? When was
the last time you changed
it? Shoppers are looking
for what’s new and dif-
ferent and are not going to
be drawn in by the same old
stuff.
Have you planted,
weeded, and watered your
fl owers? Is your fl ag faded
and tattered or properly lit?
Make certain your days
and hours of operation are
clearly posted and that you
adhere to them. It doesn’t
make customers very happy
to fi nd a note saying, “I’ll
be back in ten minutes or
closed for vacation.”
As shoppers venture out,
feeling safe is of utmost
importance to them. Post
your COVID-19 policy
on your front door so cus-
tomers know what to expect
and what your efforts are
to keep them safe. Many
businesses are providing
hand sanitizer near the front
door and requesting cus-
tomers use it when entering
and exiting. Some are pro-
viding masks. Be certain
you are following the man-
datory safety guidelines
for your type of business.
Clean often, paying spe-
cial attention to doorknobs,
the counter, and pin pads
on debit card machines —
doing this in front of cus-
tomers so they can see
you are paying attention to
cleanliness is not a bad idea.
Finally, you may want
to consider joining a down-
town association or banding
together with other business
owners in coming up with
a plan inviting other shops
in the area to participate in
keeping their store fronts
spiffed up. Everyone will
benefi t and customers will
have a reason to come in
and spend their money.
About the Author
Greg Smith is the director
of the Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity Small Business
Development Center, which
provides free, confi dential
business advising.
INTERCROPPING
Small-business & Ag
Continued from Page 1B
HAPPENINGS
Again, canola produces a bit more.
Tim said when harvested in early September, the peas
are harvested with the mustard or canola they’re growing
with and then separated in their seed-cleaning facility.
He said mustard has at least three uses. The most well-
known is as a condiment used on food. And, he said,
“Some people just crush it for oil.”
But another use helps the harvest. Mustard can be
plowed back into the soil to work as a natural soil fumi-
gant that serves as an insecticide.
Canola is popular for its oil, and the dry matter left
after the oil has been extracted can be used for animal
and pet feed, as well as fertilizer.
Yet it’s for more than productivity the Melvilles grow
such crops as mustard, canola and peas. Tim said the
entire operation is no-till. That means they don’t reg-
ularly plow fi elds prior to planting, which disrupts the
soil and allows for erosion. Although he’s getting near
retirement, he’s thinking of the future and wishes more
growers had used no-till practices longer.
“If we’d started doing this 100 years ago, there
wouldn’t be the erosion there is today,” he said.
Even so, no-till allows for weed growth so herbicides
such as Roundup are necessary today.
“I’m confi dent they’ll come up with something better,”
he said.
Weeds aren’t the only problem farmers in the Wallowa
Valley face. Kevin noted depredation of crops by deer
and elk are a constant headache.
“But there’s not much we can do about them,” he said.
“The ODFW (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
opened a new season so we can start shooting cow elk in
August” through November.
Urban residents aren’t that familiar with such prob-
lems, he noted.
“They just do a lot of damage on private property,” he
said of the elk. “We had a couple fi elds that were a total
loss because of elk damage.”
He said they received an insurance payment, but it
wasn’t near what the sale of the damaged crop would’ve
been.
Tim Melville, who started the farm in 1973 with his
wife, Audry, worked with his father and brother before
launching his own operation. Audry, he said, is a vital
member of the Cornerstone team.
“Somebody’s got to keep track of the money,” he said.
“You’ve got to know your costs or you’re going to go
broke.”
As for the markets, Kevin said he expects this year
will be about average. Wheat prices, he said, are looking
a little down. But mustard, canola and peas are all com-
modities for which they have a contracted price set ahead
of time.
“We already know what we’re going to get on those,
which is nice,” he said. “We don’t have to worry what
price those commodities will bring and we can budget
accordingly.”
He said overall, he’s pleased with how all the crops are
doing so far this year.
“They’re doing very well because of the timely rains
and cool temperatures,” he said. “Generally, the crops
look pretty good.”
EO Media Group
Pandemic hitting auto dealers
ENTERPRISE — Doug Crow, co-owner of Main
Street Motors in Enterprise, said the pandemic has
caused large dealerships and auto makers nationwide to
shut down or scale back.
“I’m just kind of guestimating that with the way
COVID-19 has caused dealerships all over the country
to shut down … now the late-model used cars that we
specialize in are getting hit hard, too,” Crow said.
According to reports by a national used-car deal-
ership organization that posts movement of inventory
and lists automobiles online, Crow said there was a bit
of a rise in sales during the early part of the pandemic.
Figures from early April showed about 56,000 vehicles
sold, increasing to a high of 65,000 by mid-April.
From there, it was a steady decline to less than
24,000 vehicles July 8.
“We’ve never had a better month than June,” Crow
said.
He said his lot received inquiries from all over the
country and sold nearly 30 vehicles that month.
“For a little outfi t like us, that’s not bad,” he said.
But looking ahead with the bleak prospects for
the availability of inventory, Crow isn’t particularly
optimistic.
“We’ve wondered if we can survive or should we
make plans to get out of the business?” he said. “It’s
tough to have enough inventory to remain in the black at
the end of the month.”
Enterprise’s other dealership, Milligan Motors, has
sold all its new inventory. Management there, however,
declined to comment on the reason or the future.
Photo by Sabrina Thompson/EO Media Group
Olivia Westenskow, owner of Snoasis, starts mak-
ing each treat by shaving ice into a cup. The shaved
ice shack is open this summer at Riverside Park, La
Grande.
SNOASIS
Continued from Page 1B
Westenskow said. “As
a mom I thought it
would be a great idea to
give my kids that same
experience.”
Previously the shack
was open on Adams
Avenue, but Westenskow
said she thought they
would have more luck
selling at the park.
While playing or
attending an event, park
JOBLESS
Continued from Page 1B
Leisure and hospitality
had the biggest rebound
statewide in June, adding
31,400 jobs. That gives it a
two-month total of 47,600
according to the OED press
release, but still just 39% of
the more than 121,000 lost
the prior two months.
visitors see the shack as a
nice treat. She said it also
is great for date nights or
family time.
Despite COVID-19,
Westenskow said, there
are plenty of customers.
She said employees are
talking the appropriate
measures by wearing
masks and gloves and fre-
quently cleaning.
The shack is open
Tuesday-Saturday from
around noon to 6:30 p.m.
depending on the weather
and events at the park.
Manufacturing, the
hardest-hit sector in Union
County during the pan-
demic with more than
half its jobs slashed from
March to May — a drop
from 1,310 to 650 — saw
a small uptick at the state
level in June. Statewide,
there were 13,900 manu-
facturing jobs lost from
March to May in Oregon,
and about 26% of those
Gas prices continue to rise
PORTLAND — Demand for gasoline in the United
States has climbed to its highest level in four months as
stocks decreased, according to AAA. The combination
is sending pump prices higher in most states, and the
West Coast continues to have the most expensive gas in
the nation.
For the week, the national average increased 2 cents
to $2.20 a gallon. The Oregon average gained 3 cents to
$2.65. Oregon’s average is 56 cents less than a year ago.
Oregon has the fourth highest pump prices on the
West Coast, while Washington is third at $2.78 a gallon.
jobs (3,700) were brought
back in June. The total at
the county level for June
won’t be released until
later in the month.
Baker County,
according to data on the
OED website, was hardest
hit in the leisure and hos-
pitality industry — 270 of
the 890 job losses shown
from March to May.
One analytical group
said Oregon’s recovery
from the pandemic was the
best in the nation during
the last week in June and
beginning of July. The site
WalletHub marked Ore-
gon’s change in unemploy-
ment claims in the week
June 29 as compared to
the week of Jan. 1 — 9,771
vs. 6,714, an increase of
45.5% — was the “quickest
recovery in the U.S.”
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