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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2012)
6 area news november13 2012 The Cottage in Scappoose continued from front page Scappoose and is displayed prominently throughout the store. Her brightly col- ored paintings adorn almost every wall. “She has a great international follow- ing,” says Mann. “She continues to ex- pand her form and continually keeps me guessing. She has a hugely successful business mind as well and has mastered the ability to reproduce her higher value wall art into more affordable things. For instance, I bought a day planner last year because it had my favorite picture on it—I couldn’t afford $200 for wall art, but I sure can carry that planner around and enjoy her art work!” Another artist that Mann is es- pecially excited about is Cody Galvin Pottery. Galvin is a senior at Scappoose High School who took his first ceram- ics class at the high school and really has a passion for the art form. He cre- ates unique hand thrown pottery includ- ing vases, cups, jars, bowls and more. “Cody found a talent that he didn’t know he had,” said Mann. “He asked about selling some of his pieces here and I was just amazed by the quality of his productions. It’s been fun to watch him develop—he was in here the other day working on scholarships for art school.” Galvin has won some art shows over the past year and been making business cards and is just starting to think about how to market his talents. “It is very beyond most seventeen year olds,” says Mann. “I think without having a place like The Cottage to display his work that light might not be as bright.” A vendor that has been very popular is Sauvie Island Coffee Com- pany which is owned by Brenda Enyart. Enyart started out making jams, which The Cottage carries, and has now moved into roasting coffee beans as well. “She gathers lots of exotic blends and I know she is very excited about her Guatemalan Blend and her Bali Blend,” says Mann. “We go through a lot of coffee—it’s one of our big sellers—which is good be- cause that means that it comes in and is available fresh.” Mann says that they are now offering an organically grown roast which is shade grown and a decaf bean that is water pressed as opposed to chemically treated, which are both envi- ronmentally friendly additions to the line. Jewelry artist Julie Kujawa works with pure, precious metals and exotic stones to create extreme- ly unique pieces. “All her pieces are one of a kind,” says Mann. “In owning jewelry or art work having something unique is very valuable. Her price points are really great and affordable—you are getting great quality jewelry. I have really en- joyed watching her designs continue to evolve and develop.” Mann says Kujawa has recently started moving into the wedding industry and creat- ing some higher end products from her studio. Jollie Baby offers cute knit hats and baby clothing made from vintage fabrics. “Carmen and Brandy have a great fashion sense and know what is go- ing on and trending in the baby world,” says Mann. Chef Donna LeBlue from War- ren hand crafts tasty treats for furry friends and markets them through Wiggle Butz. She uses locally sourced ingredi- ents in her recipes, including Bridgeport IPA. As most small business owners in smaller towns know, it is sometimes very difficult to make a service or goods business successful. And that is why the cooperative business model of the The Cottage is proving to be so successful. One other example is the way The Cottage has found to offer fresh baked goods for their customers. Ac- cording to Mann, Brown Butter Bakery has been a hugely successful part of the business and created the most buzz within the community. “We approached owner Darcy McDonald about opening a bakery because we loved consuming her products,” says Mann with a chuckle, “and we wanted to share them with our customers.” Of course, as Mann ex- plains, opening a bakery involves a huge cost. Brown Butter Bakery instead uses a licensed, home kitchen and brings the products to the customer in what Mann calls a “Pop-up Bakery.” Brown But- ter Bakery delivers fresh baked cookies, scones, muffins and more at least two days each week on Wednesdays and Sat- urdays, making Mann and many of her customers very happy. “It’s hard to have just a single point of entry and I think that is what makes this establishment so unique and I believe it will continue to be successful,” says Mann. “There are certain points in time when flower sales are naturally high, like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day and times like Christmas when hard goods and gift type items are more in demand. So when one thing is flourish- ing maybe another is not. So having all those facets available is very unique and Readers Lend Their Voices... continued from page 4 Average Daily KWH’s used? 4. TREE TRIMMING: By right of recorded easements, WOEC has legal access to member-owned properties for clearing the right of way under WOEC power lines. Actual experience has shown some property owners block full-easement clearance. This results in at-risk trees falling and severing transmission lines. This causes higher electrical costs and higher monthly bills to all co- op members. Power of One recommends: • Each property owner be notified of WOEC easement rights. • Each property owner be notified of pending right-of-way clearing, before it occurs. • Each property owner be notified if proper clearance is prevented by the property owner, the owner will be liable for the electrical transmission costs involved from interruptions caused by the owner’s trees. • WOEC contract with one or more of the many logging outfits in WOEC’s service area to handle clearing of larger trees. The Questions: A. What is your current policy for both private & public lands? B. What steps will WOEC take to accomplish the above recommendations? 5. SELECTION FORMAT FOR OUTSIDE SERVICES: Competitive bidding is the norm for outside services to Debit/Credit now accepted 5x10 $39 10x10 $69 10x20 $99 RV Storage $149 Outside storage available Totally fenced and gated Padlocks Available The Cottage is located at 52490 SE 2 nd Street, Suite 120 in Scappoose, OR. They are open Wednesday and Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Thursday and Friday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. They can be reached at 503-543-3135. cooperatives. The Questions: A. Were the contracted services for the new headquarters obtained through competitive bidding? B. What criteria were used? C. Are competitive bidding procedures used for accounting, legal, tree trimming, construction and other professional services? D. If not, what process was used and why? 6.MERGER/ACQUISITION EXPERIENCE: In the past, WOEC has considered changing its business plan or selling to another utility; e.g., Tillamook Peoples Utility District. The Questions: A. Historically, what specific business options have continued on page 18 Christmas in the Country Bazaar Wants You! Need more room? See us for the lowest prices GUARANTEED! I think, in the end, it’s what makes this work.” Mann’s own floral business has also expanded. She has a business de- gree from Oregon State University and worked in banking for eight years be- fore finally releasing her own inner artist through her floral design work. She says she enjoys gardening and working in nature. She worked with a florist in an apprentice capacity and eventu- ally used her business knowledge to develop a business plan for her own endeavor. She says the artistic side of her business has come very natu- rally for her. She just finished her seventh wedding season and through The Cottage is doing more everyday arrangements. “I am very passionate and en- joy helping create special events and big events but I’m also really eager to share my art work with this com- munity on an everyday basis,” says Mann. Mann says she also really en- joys living in a small town, which is very different from where she grew up in Southern California. “It was a big change for me but I really enjoy it here,” she says. “I think there are really great opportunities to be part of the commu- nity in an impactful way. There are a lot of community service options and the ability to be involved in the school. And being a business owner just adds an- other element to where you feel like you can have an impact. And I think that is something really special that small com- munities have to offer.” Authorized U-Haul Dealer Boxes and Supplies Available We can make your reservation Pick up here or anywhere 58605 Nehalem Hwy South • P.O. Box 292 Vernonia, Oregon 97064 (503) 429-7867 10-5 Tue-Sat 12-4 Sun Looking to sell your handmade items this holiday season? Well, we are looking for vendors. The Christmas Bazaar has a much bigger space to fill up now, and would like to FILL IT UP! The bazaar will be held in the new school commons area December 8th & 9th. The hours this year will be 10-5 on Saturday and 11-4 on Sunday (Sunday has new hours) Contact Corrie Smith at (503) 429-1052 or vernoniabazaar@aol.com. We also have a page on facebook- “Christmas in the Country Bazaar.”
