4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Books, gardening, hiking, hobbies, recreation, personalities, travel & more Sweet Shop serves up new tradition A gathering place in Gearhart By REBECCA HERREN The Sweet Shop in Gearhart COAST WEEKEND W ith the building’s history spanning decades of different establishments, Pop’s Sweet Shop owner Cindy Anderson decided to sell her Gearhart business of nearly 15 years. In 2016, during a visit to Gearhart, Traci Williams passed the shop with its “for sale” sign posted in the window. A friend suggested she buy the place, and so she did. Earlier this year, Wil- liams opened the new Sweet Shop to welcoming acclaim. The building, interior and menu may look the same as before, but look again: Williams has renovated, remodeled and refurbished both sides of the building. She removed the false wall and shutters, opening up the closed area to extend the shop’s new list of wares. As with many historical buildings, the Sweet Shop has gone through several transitions. In the 1920s, the business was known as Pop- pino’s Sweet Shop, which operated as a soda fountain, then one side became a high-end beauty salon in the 1950s, later an antique shop and fi nally a boarded-up of- fi ce space across from Pop’s. The closed space still had remnants of the beauty salon — tall mirrors, worksta- tions and ornate columns. Williams left the mirrors for the ambiance and was able to use the stations to display PHOTOS BY REBECCA HERREN Continued on Page 15 LEFT: Traci Williams carries a selection of wines from local to organic. MIDDLE: Love Heals from Thistle Farms is one of several product lines Williams supports at the Sweet Shop in Gearhart. RIGHT: Original columns are revealed during the remodel and separates the lounge area for a gathering place.