BUSINESS
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015
Clemente’s moves ... but not far
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
After a special farewell New
Year’s Eve dinner, Clemente’s
Restaurant, which has been a
staple at the corner of 12th and
Commercial streets for the past
seven years, closed its doors.
But Gordon Clement and
Lisa Tarabochia Clement hope
to reopen by Valentine’s Day
in their new space just blocks
away in the 14th Street Pilot
Station building on the Astoria
Riverwalk.
“We have about 1,500 square
feet wasted here,” said Lisa
of the current location, where
they’ve been since 2008. They
moved there after closing New
Year’s Eve 2007 in the space
currently occupied by Charlie’s
Chowder House and moving to
the Carruthers Building. “We
have too much space for the
type of food we make.”
The elegant facade and
white tablecloths of Clemente’s
Restaurant also intimidated
people, she said, belying the
fresh, locally sourced food she
and Gordon make and try to of-
fer at a reasonable price. And it
keep the restaurant area heated.
The new location will be
named Clemente’s Cafe and
Public House, an homage to
their effort to create a more ap-
proachable atmosphere and ex-
panded menu with more beers,
fresh meats and pub fare.
It will sit at the eastern
edge of the Columbia River
Pilots building, joining Reef’s
Barbershop, the River Pilots’
training and endurance cen-
ter, gourmet ice cream parlor
Frite & Scoop, Easom Property
Management Inc. and Winde-
bookend space similar to theirs
remains vacant on the western
side of the building, marketed
by Tonquin Resources on be-
half of the River Pilots.
Gordon, walking through
the empty, cavernous suite
Monday, envisioned a small,
roofed-in kitchen area on the
southwest corner, surround-
ed by seating to the east and
a bar facing Pier 14 and the
Columbia River.
Before signing on to the
location in September, Lisa
said, she and Gordon brought
in architects, kitchen design-
ers, historians, plumbers and
other contractors to make
sure the space would work
for the restaurant.
“We felt like the River
Pilots wanted us there,” said
Lisa, adding that she and
EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian
Gorden Clement, center, said the new Clemente’s Cafe & Public House location at the
foot of Pier 14, while half the size, will seat the same number of people and provide a
cozier, more approachable atmosphere.
Gordon had always wanted
their restaurant on the water-
front.
The building dates to the
early 20th century, said Gale
EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian
Marie Gager runs Modern Girl Friday, providing a
personal assistant to those in need of help in Clat-
sop County.
for the River Pilots, and was
restored in 2005. It’s on the
National Historic Register,
she added, limiting what can
be done with it. It’s been used
for festivals and markets, but
hasn’t had a permanent tenant
for at least a decade.
For much of the new Cle-
mente’s woodwork, Gordon
said, they’ll have a contrac-
tor beating and running over
it to produce an aged look
that matches the existing
timbers. The industrial-style
-
Making
the
Dollar
INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES
BY EDWARD STRATTON
touch will be a canvas pho-
to on the kitchen wall of Li-
sa’s father, John Tarabochia,
gillnetting. Lisa comes from
a fourth-generation Astoria
“It’s going to be more ca-
sual,” said Lisa, who hopes
opening by Valentine’s Day
will allow the restaurant time
to settle in and host Fisher-
Poets starting Feb. 27. “It’s
going to be more approach-
able.”
EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian
Lisa and Gordon Clement closed Clemente’s Restaurant, top,
New Year’s Eve and plan to open Clemente’s Cafe & Public
House at the 14th Street Pilot Station by Valentine’s Day.
Marie Gager is taking appointments for her services as
a girl Friday, a personal and business assistant. A native
Swede in the U.S. since the 1980s and Astoria since 2006,
Gager has worked for the Columbia Memorial Hospital
Foundation as an administrative assistant and the Clatsop
Community College bookstore as a merchandise buyer.
Her availability is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
Lisa Tarabochia-Clement
takes a brief respite from
the Election Night crowd
gathered at Clemente’s to
visit with husband Gordon
Clement behind the scenes
in their restaurant’s kitchen.
Tarabochia-Clement won
the District 3 seat.
ALEX PAJUNAS
The Daily Astorian
2015 changes affect
Oregon workplaces
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
The Daily Astorian’s new reporter Derrick DePledge.
Reporter DePledge covers
Astoria, Warrenton, Coast Guard
The Daily Astorian
DePledge was the top lead-
Derrick DePledge, a vet-
eran government and poli-
tics reporter, has joined The
Daily Astorian.
He will cover Astoria,
Warrenton and the Coast
Guard.
“We are exceedingly
pleased to add a journalist
of Derrick’s caliber and ex-
perience to our top-notch
newsroom crew,” Managing
Editor Laura Sellers said.
“We are starting 2015 at full
force with a goal of excep-
tional news coverage for the
coast.”
DePledge spent the past
decade as the state govern-
ment and politics reporter
for the Honolulu Star-Ad-
vertiser and the Honolulu
Advertiser in Hawaii. Based
at the state Capitol, he cov-
ered the governor, the state
Legislature and state and
congressional elections. He
was also the co-author of a
daily politics blog.
For the past four years,
Media Workers Guild, a
labor union that represents
journalists, union staff and
interpreters in Califor-
nia, Hawaii and Arizona.
He represented about 200
newspaper workers in Ho-
nolulu, Maui and Hilo.
DePledge also served
for a decade as a Washing-
ton, D.C., correspondent
for newspapers in Hawaii,
Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylva-
nia, Tennessee and Califor-
nia.
A Los Angeles native, he
began his reporting career
at newspapers in Napa and
Anaheim, Calif.
DePledge, 48, and his
wife, Linh, a marketing
executive, chose to relo-
cate to Astoria for lifestyle
reasons and to be closer to
family.
Reach DePledge at 503-
325-3211, ext. 213, cell
at 503-791-7885, at dde-
pledge@dailyastorian.com
or on Twitter @ddepledge.
Marie Gager
Modern Girl Friday
Astoria
503-791-2282 or
marie@moderngirlfriday.com
PORTLAND (AP) — A
handful of big changes are com-
ing to the Oregon workplace in
2015, though not all employers
will be equally affected or even
at the same time.
The short list of major is-
sues includes an increase in the
minimum wage, the Affordable
Care Act employer mandate,
legalization of recreational
marijuana, and the expansion
of paid sick leave.
The new laws and require-
ments come from all directions,
as a result of state and federal
laws, local ordinance and vot-
er-approved initiative.
Amy L. Angel, a partner
with Barran Liebman, a Port-
-
ployment and labor law, says
the coming changes are rela-
tively few in number, compared
to previous years.
“It’s somewhat typical,
maybe a little on the short
side,” she said. “It’s in line with
the Legislature having had a
short session this year.”
Here’s what to look for in
2015:
• Minimum wage: Ore-
gon’s minimum hourly wage
is second highest in the nation
at $9.10 and due to go up an-
other 15 cents to $9.25 on Jan.
1. Across the river, Washington
sets the pace at $9.32 an hour,
and a 15-cent increase will push
have laws requiring an annual
• ACA employer mandate:
After a one-year delay, small
businesses with more than 100
employees must offer their
workers health insurance start-
ing Jan. 1.
Small employers, those with
50 to 99 employees, have until
Jan. 1, 2016, to comply.
• Recreational marijua-
na: Oregon voters approved
Measure 91 in the November
general election, allowing the
personal use and possession of
cannabis, starting July 1, 2015,
and giving the Oregon Liquor
Control Commission power
to tax, license and regulate its
sale.
In theory, the new law
doesn’t affect employers be-
cause marijuana is still classi-
Controlled Substances Act, said
Angel, the employment lawyer.
Clatsop County
Property Transactions
Sellers: David Nygaard
and Judy Nygaard
Buyer: Warrenton Fiber
Company
Address: Vacant land off
of Lewis and Clark Road
Price: $900,000
Seller: Bruce E. Ritchie
Buyer: Stonegate Invest-
ment Trust, LLC
Address: Vacant land on
Avenue S and Wahanna Road,
Seaside
Price: $875,000
What do you do?
“I’m a personal and business assistant, really just
helping people getting through the day, doing the tasks
that they don’t have time to do. For instance, it could be
a single mom needing help picking up kids or grocery
shopping or organizing a closet or anything like that, to a
business. Especially what I’m gearing it toward are small
-
Whatever they don’t have time to do, because they can’t
really afford to hire someone full-time, just like the single
mom probably wouldn’t be able to. I offer to do tasks by
the hour, by the day or by the job, so to speak.”
How did you get into this?
“My own idea, having been a single mom in the past,
raising children and knowing how busy life gets. Often
you need another person to help you, and if you don’t
have family around, for instance, or again if you can’t
afford to hire somebody full-time. (I’m) kind of doing for
them what I needed help with, raising my children and
being by myself.”
Who are your clientele?
“Inquiries that I’ve had and the clients that I will be
starting in January are pretty a wide range. I have a busi-
ness owner. I’ve had inquiries from a single mom with
several children. I’ve had a retired couple who needed
help with some organization inquire about the business.
That’s exactly what I was looking for, is to help anyone
who needs help. I guess I will go from Astoria down to
Cannon Beach and Knappa, in the other direction.”
What are some of the quirks or challenges of run-
ning your business?
“One of the challenges would be somebody deciding
to hire me and then backing out the last minute without
(canceling) the appointment or the task or whatever it may
be. Then me, as a small business owner, is losing out on
much-needed work without having the notice and the time
to reschedule with somebody else. Another thing that could
possibly happen, because the feedback I’ve gotten back
so far … is in the future, possibly hiring another person.
Wanting to stay busy but not getting myself stressed out.”
Seller: David A. Nygaard
Buyer: Warrenton Fiber
Company
Address: Vacant land off
of Oregon Highway 202
Price: $600,000
Sellers: Christine L. Ham-
mond and Sylvia A Zelnys
Buyer: Donn C. Bauske
Address: 810 Broadway
St., Seaside
Price: $400,000
Seller: Mary A. Furrow
Buyers: Steven P. Sanders
and Nancy K. Sanders
Address: 80441 Carnahan
Road
Price: $575,000
Seller: Olstedt Construc-
tion, Inc.
Buyer: Gayle E. Robinette
Address: 1440 S.E. Wil-
low Drive, Warrenton
Price: $385,000