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About Coast river business journal. (Astoria, OR) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL OctOBER 2019 • 11 BUSINESS NEWS Home at the Beach Latest clothing, shoes and handbags in inventory Home at the Beach Glenna traen and Billy Weiss, owners 600 Pacific Ave. Long Beach 11-6 daily, closed Wednesday LUKE WHIttAKER LONG BEACH — Glenna Traen was always happy to fill in, now she’s full time. On Saturday, Sept. 21 Glenna Traen held the official grand opening as owner of Home at the Beach, a home décor, gifts, jew- elry and women’s apparel store at 600 Pacific Ave. in downtown Long Beach. Traen bought the business from former owners Karyn Zigler and Kathy Matthews. “I have worked with Karyn and Kathy at Home at the Beach for years as well as been a regu- lar customer,” Traen said. “It’s always been a great place to find unique items made locally as well as fine gifts items and great jew- elry. When I saw an opening on Pacific Avenue, I thought it was meant to be.” Traen, from Portland, has been in the area about 10 years. “I came down from Alaska to be a snowbird,” she said. “For five years we went back and forth, but we just liked it so much here. I was semi-retired, doing inn-sit- ting and part-time work around the Peninsula.” Among her part-time jobs, Traen worked for Deux Cha- peaux and for the former Home By The Beach owners when they traveled. “I really enjoyed it and work- ing with both women. I’m thank- ful they thought of passing it along to me,” she said. Traen credited her partner and co-proprietor, Billy Weiss, with bringing the business into fruition. “Despite how crazy-busy and overwhelming it’s been, my part- ner has been there all the way through it. There’s no way I could have done it or still be doing it without him,” she said. best-selling line so far she said. “I’m down to just two jack- ets now,” Traen said. “They’ve got great fabric and style, their clothes are smart and sharp.” New location LUKE WHIttAKER Glenna traen held a grand opening for Home at the Beach at 600 Pacific Ave. on Saturday, Sept. 21. traen worked with former owners Karyn Zigler and Kathy Matthews before eventually buying the business. Over the summer, Traen moved the business to from 110 Pacific Ave. to 600 Pacific Ave. The new space, formerly occu- pied by a tattoo studio, boosted exposure for the business. “People can now see the shop on their way into town,” Traen said. Roughly five weeks after relo- cating, sales have been steady. Small home wares, such as dish- cloths and napkin rings, have been among the best sellers. “Everything has sold pretty well since I opened,” Traen said. “I can’t say I’m going to phase anything out because it all seems to be popular.” Challenges Home at the Beach carries consignment sales from local and regional artists, including Shirley Girl, based in Sea- side, pictured. Latest fashion, local jewelry Traen attended a women’s apparel show in Las Vegas in August, where she ordered a large portion of inventory featur- ing the latest in fashion, including clothes, shoes and handbags. The four-day trip was LUKE WHIttAKER Home at the Beach has an array beach-themed of home decor. exhausting Traen said, but served as a great learning experi- ence, with informative seminars and inspiring interactions with designers. To compliment the clothing, Traen has invested in jewelry made by regional and local art- ists, including Shirely Girl based in Seaside. Traen is anticipating the arrival of her full line of fall and winter apparel soon. “I try to carry a mixture high- end and medium-priced women’s clothing in all sizes,” she said. The clothing line, Parsely & Sage, has been among her Becoming a business owner and transitioning to full-time work from seasonal has been a challenging change for Traen, particularly getting up to speed on managing the business, books and inventory. Since the summer, Traen has found time to slow down and cut- back her schedule, moving from a seven-day workweek to six by closing on Wednesday. Curating the store shelves with hand-picked clothing has been among her favorite parts. “I enjoy the clothes. I take a lot of care in choosing them. I like fun things like secret pockets and reversibility, things that are great ideas and you don’t find at Fred Meyer,” Traen said.