Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Coast river business journal. (Astoria, OR) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2021)
BUSINESS NEWS COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL AUgUST 2021 • 3 New travel agency in Warrenton N.M.Kaim Travel opens Story by Emily Lindblom CRBJ STAFF Publisher Matt Winters mwinters@crbizjournal.com Editor Emily Lindblom editor@crbizjournal.com Office Coordinator Sarah Smith ssmith@eomediagroup.com group Publisher Kari Borgen kborgen@dailyastorian.com Advertising Director Sarah Silver ssilver@dailyastorian.com Layout/Design Emily Lindblom | Matthew Vann NEXT ISSUE Publication Date: September 8, 2021 Advertising Deadline: August 30, 2021 CONTACT CRBJ Submit news: editor@crbizjournal.com Website: CoastRiverBusinessJournal.com Coast River Business Journal 205 Bolstad Ave. E. Suite 2, P.O. Box 427 Long Beach, WA 98631 Phone 800-643-3703 Coast River Business Journal is published the second week of every month. Opinions expressed by contributing writers and guest columnists do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Publisher. Letters to the Editor will be accepted, and will be printed at the discretion of the Editor. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. © Copyright 2021 Coast River Business Journal CRBJ is part of EO Media Group Coast River Business Journal editor@crbizjournal.com The first time Nicholas Kaim got on a plane to go somewhere, he immediately caught the travel bug. “It was a simple trip to Maui and it blew my mind how awesome it was and the next year I went on a cruise to four countries in one vacation,” Kaim said. Another trip that stood out to him was to Hong Kong. “It’s the cool- Nicholas Kaim est city in the world and I would tell any- body to travel to Hong Kong,” Kaim said, adding he was impressed with how enormous, clean, safe and friendly the city was. He said he took advice from his father-in- law about the importance of traveling with no preconceived notions. “It gives you a better outlook on the world and on vacation,” Kaim said. “Every- thing is a surprise and it makes it that much cooler I think.” Kaim now runs his own travel agency, N.M.Kaim Travel, in Warrenton. His family moved to Seaside in 2001, when Kaim was in first grade. He grew up in the area and went on to work in the hos- pitality industry at different points along the Oregon Coast and the Long Beach Penin- sula in Washington. Kaim started booking travel itineraries for friends and family members as a hobby in 2018. He realized he liked it so much that he could see himself turning that hobby into a business. The following year, he started taking on more clients, building up his contacts through word-of-mouth. “It was going really well and I was ready to go full time, and then COVID hit and that turned everything upside down,” Kaim said. “All their vacations got canceled.” He still had his day job of managing resorts for major hospitality companies in the area, so he continued to do that for the time being. Though Kaim had to put his travel agency on the back burner during that part of the Nicholas Kaim, his wife, Breanne, and daughter Abby on a trip to Oahu in 2019. Breanne was preg- nant with their youngest, Kira, on that vacation. pandemic, destinations began opening back up this summer as vaccines became widely available in the U.S. So he decided to offi- cially open N.M.Kaim Travel, working out of his Warrenton home. “Everything has opened back up and peo- ple are getting more comfortable wanting to travel,” Kaim said. “It’s busier now than before COVID happened because everyone has travel plans and vouchers and they need to work through entry requirements to dif- ferent countries.” On top of the usual travel planning he would do for clients before the pandemic, he has those additional tasks, as well as the pent-up demand from customers who’ve been waiting to travel and feel this is the time to do so. “It’s difficult to navigate through right now so I’m here to help with that and get them on vacation,” Kaim said. N.M.Kaim specializes in all types of Dis- ney vacations and cruises, as well as all-in- clusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico. Kaim said the resorts have a flavor for every type of traveler, especially for families. “Some families have a dynamic age range, maybe with three kids ages 5 to 17, so they’ve got to be able to get to a place where everybody enjoys themselves on a vacation,” Kaim said. “Some resorts have babysitting services so parents can have a relaxing time at the spa and don’t have to worry about the kids.” The majority of his clients are local and refer him to their friends and family members. “A travel agent in 2021 sounds outdated but it’s the value we bring to the table when offering advice or helping people plan or get on vacation,” Kaim said. “There is nothing we want more than to make sure they have a great vacation.” Q: How can I reduce my watering bill and still have a good-looking flower bed? BRIM’S Farm & Garden 34963 Hwy. 101 Business Astoria • 503-325-1562 For beautiful gardens & healthy animals www.brimsfarmngarden.com drought tolerant plants that also don’t mind A: Choose our wet winters. Lavenders, sages, salvias are a few. Adding a 1” topping of rich compost will help feed the plants as well as hold onto summer water. Feather around the plants and put it on thickly where you want to improve the soil. Ideally, compost is added before you plant or as the plants go in. However, a top dressing of compost, or fine bark will work its way into the soil and save you a lot of watering. It looks good too. Consider drip irrigation that puts the water only where the plants need it. This eliminates runoff, evaporation, and water loss due to wind. Watering in the morning is most efficient.
