7A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Ron Schumacher checks out a car stereo at The Pawnshop and More.
Downtown: ‘Old moving out, and new moving in is usually a positive’
Continued from Page 1A
“I just think there’s room for
a lot of what people are inter-
ested in now,” she said, adding
she sees a lot of growth in the
local food scene.
The Pawnshop and More,
opened in the former A Gypsy’s
Whimsy Herbal Apothecary,
faced somewhat of a backlash
over the store’s gun sales. But
owner Gary Hunter and Man-
ager Jon Shivers said the com-
munity reaction to the store
has so far been positive, and
even was helped by the public-
ity. The pawn shop’s opening
in Astoria was partially driven
by the number of coastal resi-
dents traveling to his location in
Longview, Washington, Hunter
said.
A Gypsy’s Whimsy moved
across Commercial Street, and
a similar store, Kit’s Apothe-
cary, opened to the east on the
same block, next to cosmetics
store Muse Beauty Bar.
After the antique store
Posey-Reed moved from Com-
mercial to 10th Street, Fruffels
co-owners David Kiedrowski
and Thomas Lawler saw an
opportunity to escape the esca-
lating rents of Cannon Beach,
moving their boutique depart-
ment store to Astoria last
summer.
New businesses hoping to
make it downtown need to find
a niche to avoid recreating what
other stores do, Kiedrowski
said, adding that downtown
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
David Kiedrowski moved his boutique department store
Fruffels to Astoria after seven years in Cannon Beach. He
and partner Thomas Lawler have another location in Cen-
tralia, Washington.
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
A message in a downtown Astoria storefront signals a
new business is on the way.
needs to look at an illustrated
street map of businesses for
visitors.
Since the closing of Ada-
gio last week, Hobson Build-
ing co-owner Miriam Rose said
she’s had a lot of interest in the
space, and already has a new
type of retail business close to
signing a lease.
“Old moving out and new
moving in is usually a posi-
tive,” Rose said.
After Abeco downsized
from its expansive storefront on
Commercial Street to the for-
mer Link’s Outdoor store just
west, Portland vintage dealer
Bill Hicks acquired the build-
ing. He hopes to reopen the for-
mer Abeco as soon as April as
Astor Court, a miniature mall
he is building for all types of
businesses too small for their
own full-scale storefronts.
“I can see how in the win-
tertime, without the tourists, it’s
hard to keep the Main Street
alive,” Hicks said, adding he
hopes the smaller spaces can
help smaller businesses remain
viable.
Representatives from the
Astoria Downtown Historic
District Association have cau-
tioned patience when look-
ing at the closing and open-
ing of businesses. Sarah Lu
Heath, the association’s execu-
tive director, has pointed to new
projects such as the two build-
ings at Ninth and Commer-
cial streets formerly owned by
Mary Louise Flavel being pur-
chased and refurbished by new
owners as signs that downtown
is progressing. Wild Roots
Movement & Massage recently
opened in the M&N Building
being refurbished by Michelle
and Marcus Liotta, with jew-
elry store Terra Stones follow-
ing soon.
The success of development
on Commercial Street has also
spurred more activity off the
main drag in places like the
Astoria Riverwalk and Duane
Street, Heath said.
“The core of downtown is
important, and its success has
led to the expansion of those
boundaries off of Commer-
cial,” she said. “We’re hav-
ing some turnover, but that’s
natural.”
Wev: ‘I don’t have any prejudices or Gladwin: ‘I want to run so that the
preconceived notions about Astoria’ Jewell area again is represented’
Continued from Page 1A
District 3 covers parts of
Astoria as well as Miles Cross-
ing, Jeffers Garden, Lewis and
Clark, Youngs River, Olney,
Green Mountain and parts of
Walluski
In her 30 years of land use
planning experience, Wev has
consulted clients in govern-
ment and private sectors on
development, zoning and fea-
sibility studies. Government
organizations have worked
with her to help chart and
manage growth.
She also spent five years
in former Portland Mayor
Vera Katz’ administration as
a member of a newly formed
board that evaluated the
results of policy decisions on
public life.
“You deserve leadership
who understands how county
decisions affect people,” Wev
said in a press release. “Clat-
sop County is poised for
growth, but it must also be
prepared for growing pains.”
Wev listed economic
development, housing, men-
tal health services, drug
addiction, jail overcrowd-
ing, emergency preparedness,
infrastructure and environ-
mental protections as issues
she would like to tackle as a
commissioner.
“The planner in me knows
that a decision made today
has lasting effect,” Wev said.
“We are no longer the Clat-
sop County of yesterday and
we must have leadership who
can prepare us for the Clat-
sop County of tomorrow,
while facing the challenges of
today.”
Wev also pledged civil-
ity in her relationships with
county colleagues and constit-
uents. Over the past year, the
commission has been marred
by resignation threats, behav-
ioral investigations and differ-
ences of opinion about how
much authority commission-
ers should have relative to
county staff.
“Civil people may dis-
agree on individual issues, but
uncivil behavior is disrespect-
ful to the people we repre-
sent,” Wev said.
Wev has lived in Seaview,
Washington, and Astoria for
the past four years.
“I’m not a native Asto-
rian, but I think that’s actu-
ally a plus. I think that gives
me a wide perspective. I don’t
have any prejudices or precon-
ceived notions about Astoria,”
Wev said. “I’m not beholden
to anyone. I’m independent.”
Three county commission
seats will be up for election
on the May 15 primary bal-
lot. Susana Gladwin, a Jew-
ell farmer, has announced
she will run against Commis-
sioner Lianne Thompson in
District 5. Andrew Davis, an
Astoria medical data analyst,
will run for board chairman
Scott Lee’s District 1 seat.
Lee announced in 2016 that he
would not seek re-election.
Continued from Page 1A
background in a lot of
things, and I want to give
voters a choice.”
Gladwin, who has lived
in Jewell since 1971 and
owns 9 acres of forestland,
would like to focus on for-
estry issues should she
be elected, she said. She
also would prioritize the
housing strife, which she
attributed to soaring rent
prices in a booming econ-
omy. “Always the people
on the edge have no hope
and are getting depressed
and taking drugs,” Gladwin
said.
Issues that affect the
Jewell area have not
been properly discussed
at the county level, Glad-
win said. She added,
though, that Thompson’s
term hasn’t necessar-
ily been a detriment to the
community.
“I want to run so that
the Jewell area again is repre-
sented,” she said.
For example, Gladwin was
“shocked” that she was the
only person to offer public
comment at a hearing before
commissioners passed a vaca-
tion rental ordinance in Janu-
ary. If elected, she would use
her connections in the Jew-
ell community to inform peo-
ple that a vote — and the last
opportunity for public com-
ment — was coming, she said.
The
five-commissioner
board will have three seats up
for election in May.
Medical data analyst
Andrew Davis announced he
will run for the seat occupied
by board chairman Scott Lee,
who has said he will not seek
re-election. Pamela Wev — an
Astoria land use planning con-
sultant — and Peter Roscoe —
a former Astoria city councilor
and owner of Fulio’s Pastaria
— intend to run for Commis-
sioner Lisa Clement’s position.
Clement said she is not sure
whether she will run for a sec-
ond term.
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