4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Books, gardening, hiking, hobbies,
recreation, personalities, travel & more
Restoring with care
An Astoria craftsman works to repair historic furnishings
By DWIGHT CASWELL
“
“I’m not a fixit shop,”
Jay Rosen says, “I’m a
restoration shop. Think of
it this way: I’m a car me-
chanic, not a dealer. There
are an untold number of
antique stores in the area,
but I’m not one. I don’t
sell retail.”
What Rosen does is
clean things, repair them,
add to them, or build
something new. Rosen has
repaired everything from
old chairs to antique toys
to a purser’s cabinet that
graced a 19th century ship.
“We live in a world of
broken things,” he says.
“You can throw away a
modern mixer, but family
heirlooms have emotional
attachments.”
People and businesses
come to him with more
than heirlooms. Perhaps
they want their house to
feel more comfortable,
or they want to furnish a
business with items that
reflect the classic exte-
rior of the building. His
commercial clients include
Carruthers, 3 Cups Coffee
House and the Commodore
Hotel. Rosen can re-cane
your chairs or provide a
shaker tape woven seat.
He can refinish you grand-
father’s console radio and
build you just about any-
thing you want in wood or
metal.
“We see people fixing
up their old homes,” he
says, “but we don’t see
that they’re fixing up the
inside as well. They want
historic furnishings to go
with their restored hous-
es.”
PHOTO BY DWIGHT CASWELL
Jay Rosen works to replace the original worn-out cane seat of an antique chair.
‘WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF BROKEN THINGS. YOU
CAN THROW AWAY A MODERN MIXER, BUT FAMILY
HEIRLOOMS HAVE EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS.’
Rosen’s interest in
restoration goes back to
a childhood spent on the
shores of Chesapeake
Bay and a father who was
a talented woodworker.
“Southern New England
is a hotbed of arts and
crafts,” Rosen says. “My
passion comes from living
with these things, and even
as a kid I could see that
they needed repair.”
Rosen considers the
period from 1890 through
1920 to be the pinnacle
of American design. “We
had production furniture
shops in America then, and
mills that wove rugs and
textiles. We made our own
wallpaper.” That period,
he points out, was also the
heyday of the lower Co-
lumbia region. Fishing and
logging brought money to
a growing community, and
what wasn’t made here
could be brought in by
boat.
When styles changed
or money became scarce,
Rosen suggests, a lot of
these furnishings even-
tually made their way
into basements, attics
and garages. Now there
is a new appreciation of
older things, and people
want these objects back in
the house — but they’re
wondering, “Who can fix
this?”
Enter Jay Rosen and his
North Coast FIX shop.
“I’ve had people break
into tears when they see
something of their grand-
mother’s restored,” he
says.
The expertise Rosen
PHOTO BY DWIGHT CASWELL
With his North Coast FIX business in Astoria, Jay Rosen restores
and repairs historic furnishings.
North Coast FIX is
located in the Pier
11 Mall. For more
information, call Jay
Rosen at 503-709-
3989, or follow him
at facebook.com/
NorthCoastFIX
learned from his father has
stood him in good stead.
“Who else has the skills
to repair these things?” he
asks. But there’s more to it
than that. “It’s a business,
yes, but I feel a responsi-
bility to the community.
The houses have outlived
their builders and most
of their owners, but the
tangible possessions are
still there. Whenever a
period piece comes in, I
look at what it needs. I tell
the owner yes, I can fix
it, or no, and how much.
But I also think about
the legacy, about all the
people who have used and
touched these things. It’s a
sense of preservation.”