An open
question
By RACHEL BAIRD
& KRISTA MELONE
For the TODAY
To open or not to open, that is the
question. As the state of Oregon reduces
restrictions on businesses and many
sectors of industry are being allowed
to re-open within certain parameters,
business owners are now faced with some
big questions.
How do we re-open? Can we re-open?
Should we re-open? Locally, these
questions are being answered differently
on a case-by-case basis. Owners of retail,
restaurant and service industry businesses
in Lincoln County have been left unsure
of the next steps while restrictions
limit the functionality of many local
establishments.
Some small restaurant spaces are
not capable of re-opening within the
constraints of the state’s requirements.
Dan See, owner of Grill 1646 in Lincoln
City, tells us that it is, “cost restrictive to
reopen at this time due to the adjusted
restrictions they [the state of Oregon]
just added.” See is facing strict guidelines
that are too costly to implement in a
space that wouldn’t be able to seat more
than a couple of tables. Grill 1646 was
mid-expansion and remodel when the
March 23 order came into place. Even
with the expansion, his space is too small
to accommodate the new restaurant
re-opening rules. Despite implementing
online ordering, curbside pickup and even
nearby deliveries, See’s diner has seen a
near-75-percent reduction of income.
See has worked closely with city
government to stay abreast of all the
changes as each day brings new updates.
As a vocal community advocate for
businesses re-opening, it has been a
particularly hard-hitting blow to have his
own doors stay shuttered.
Throughout Oregon’s “Stay at Home”
period, Grill 1646 has consistently been
one of the leading businesses making sure
that community needs are being met —
feeding food-insecure school children,
working with the Eagles to feed our
community and fighting to support his
fellow local businesses. Now, despite his
community activism and hard work to
keep up with the many abrupt changes
facing small businesses, See could not
Left Coast Coffee Co. owner JB Haslett grinds coffee for an order.
definitively tell us if his business would
remain viable until it could fully re-open.
He added that for him, the business he
has today determines if he can be open
tomorrow.
Another local company actively
working to help the community (and
bringing smiles to the faces of frontline
workers) is Left Coast Coffee Co. in
Depoe Bay. Left Coast’s retail storefront
will be staying closed at this time, as well.
Owner JB Haslett tells us that while he
could technically open his doors to sell
to-go coffee, the retail space is a place to
meet with people and is heavily tourist-
based. He has felt since the beginning
that it is not worth the risk to the
community to be open. For those who
would like to pop in and grab a freshly
brewed coffee or handmade latte from
one of the employees, the wait continues.
Luckily, Left Coast Coffee Co. distributes
locally and ships their beans nationwide
to thousands of customers. The Hasletts’
decision to keep the retail shop closed
was based on the overwhelming feelings
of the community that now is not the
time for tourists to return to the coast
en-masse. Their focus has shifted, instead,
to bringing on new cafés, supplying new
grocery stores and continuing to supply
12 • oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • May 22, 2020
Bryan Nichols, owner of ZuhGLife Surf Shop stays safe behind a plexiglass screen.
their online orders rather than serving hot
beverages to guests off the street.
On the other side of the spectrum, we
revisited two small retail shops that had
to close and take their entire operation
online during Oregon’s Stay-Home-
Stay-Safe order. ZuhGLife Surf Shop
and Lark & Meadow are two small
retail businesses that are re-opening
this week, alongside many others who
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