10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
BEST DANCE STUDIO
BEST AUTO SHOP
Astoria Arts &
Movement Center
Jim Varner’s Automotive
Astoria, Oregon
Runner-up: Lum’s Auto Center, Warrenton
Honorable Mention: Box K Auto Repair,
Seaview, Washington
Astoria, Oregon
Runner-up: Maddox Dance Studio, Warrenton
Honorable Mention: Encore Dance Studio,
Warrenton/Gearhart
By DWIGHT CASWELL
There are a many reasons
Coast Weekend readers
voted the Astoria Arts &
Movement Center as Best
Dance Studio. AAMC has
great instructors who know
there’s a need for individ-
uals to express creativity
in a healthy way, and it’s a
nonprofit that works to keep
fees low.
The biggest reasons,
though, may be the in-
credible number of classes
offered at one time or
another: ballet, Zumba,
jazz, tap, swing, ballroom,
salsa, belly dance, yoga,
pilates, meditation, hip-
hop, Argentine tango, Irish
dance, women’s gatherings,
ecstatic dance, qigong, tai-
chi, Bollywood, bhangra,
giddha and classes with
live music such as contra
dance and country swing.
To say that there is “some-
thing for everybody”
understates what this studio
has to offer.
AAMC was founded in
2010 by local belly dancer
and KMUN programmer
Jessamyn Grace. She saw
a need for a diverse dance,
performing arts, yoga and
movement studio that
offered a range of classes
for all ages and levels. From
humble beginnings, the
studio has grown into what
may be the most culturally,
economically and physical-
ly accessible studio on the
Oregon Coast.
Classes are taught in the
historic Odd Fellows Hall
ballroom where students
laugh, sweat, stretch, de-
stress, meet new friends and
express themselves in an
encouraging environment.
“We’re always trying to be
more inclusive, to broaden
our reach,” says Grace.
“Many that may benefit most
from a dance or meditation
class can sometimes be the
least likely to come forward
or the hardest to reach. It
takes a lot of courage to take
a class, especially a class
By DWIGHT CASWELL
PHOTO BY DWIGHT CASWELL
Jessamyn Grace, founder of the Astoria Arts & Movement Cen-
ter, leads a belly dancing class at the dance studio.
that seeks to get you more in
your body.”
Grace says, “Dancing
is where I find myself. It’s
when I feel strong, authentic
and in love with life.” It’s
a feeling she wants AAMC
students to have too.
“Our classes improve
self-esteem, motivation,
physical health, emotional
well-being, social skills,
cultural sensitivity and the
ability to learn, and they
benefit the local community
in many ways,” she says.
“I want people to find
their fire here, to find the
courage to do something
remarkable. I think of Anais
Nin, ‘And the day came,
when the risk to remain tight
in a bud was more painful
than the risk it took to blos-
som.’ Everyone blossoms
here. That is true.”
The AAMC is located 342
10th st in Astoria. To find out
more or view a schedule of
classes, visit astoriaartsand-
movement.com
Thank you
for voting the
Astoria
Aquatic Center
your
Favorite Gym.
CARRUTHERS
1198 Commercial Street
Astoria, Oregon 97103
503.975.5305
Happy Hour
Tuesday-Friday
4pm-6pm and
8:30-Close
www.AstoriaParks.com
Last year my Honda El-
ement needed an oil change
and was having suspension
problems. I’d had a couple
of other mechanics look
things over, but I had the
feeling that they didn’t
know what the problem
was. I was afraid I would
pay for work that didn’t
have to be done. Jim Var-
ner’s Automotive was voted
the Best Auto Shop choice
of Coast Weekend readers
for the seventh consecutive
year, so I decided to give
him a try.
Varner’s technicians
changed the oil, and then
he and I went for a five
minute spin up Lewis and
Clark Road. He diagnosed
the problem, accurately,
within a minute and fixed
it a week later. And I had
a new mechanic, one I’ve
learned to trust as my car
approaches the 200,000
mile mark.
Ask Varner what makes
his shop special, and he’ll
tell you that it’s his techni-
cians. “I hire people who
are better mechanics than
I am,” he’ll say. That may
be true, or not, but there’s
more to it than that. Var-
ner’s is a cheerful shop. It’s
clean and well organized.
PHOTO BY DWIGHT CASWELL
Jim Varner’s Automotive has
been serving Clatsop Coun-
ty customers for almost 23
years.
The whole place looks like
a business where people en-
joy working and doing the
best for their customers.
The only drawback at
Varner’s is that you may
have to wait due to the
number of people who dis-
covered him before you did.
But the wait is worth it. And
one more thing: Jim Varner
is a pretty cheerful guy him-
self. He has the ability to
make bad news sound like
the most fun you’ll have all
week.