FEBRUARY 15, 2018 // 9
Readers’ Choice Awards
BEST GIFT SHOP
BEST RESTAURANT FOR KIDS
FINN WARE
BUOY BEER CO.
ASTORIA
ASTORIA
Runner-up: A Gypsy’s Whimsy
Herbal Apothecary, Astoria
Honorable mention: Cargo, Astoria
By RYAN HUME
U
ff da! Coast Weekend readers continue to
channel their inner Viking, voting Finn
Ware in downtown Astoria as their favorite
gift shop to raid in 2017.
With an eclectic stock that ranges from haute
Scandinavian design to pins that announce the pain
of marrying a Dane or a Swede and onto edibles
unavailable west of the Ikea near the Portland
Airport or beyond, owner Saara Matthews’ shop
has been filling a niche that speaks to an indivisible
root of the North Coast’s heritage since it opened
in 1987.
Walking through the front door of Finn Ware on
1116 Commercial St. is a bit like going through a
portal. All of a sudden the air whiffs of holiday no
matter what month it happens to be, as Finn Ware
keeps up the Christmas spirit year-round, which
is a Finnish tradition. For example, in the city of
Rovaniemi, Santa has an office open to the public
during regular business hours.
Matthews keeps most of her mannequins well-
dressed and accessorized in Marimekko. Marimek-
ko is the bold, chic Finnish clothing label, origi-
nally established in 1951 by couple Armi and Viljo
Ratia, which in English means “Mary-dress,” and
has been a closet solid for aspiring style icons ever
since Jackie O. took a liking to their bold patterns
and bags. Finn Ware is the only establishment in
Oregon that sells their products.
Finn Ware has also developed a delightful
collection of all things Moomin, including the
charming, classic illustrated books by Tove Jansson
as well as calendars, plush toys and other ephemera
based on these beloved characters.
Having struck a perfect balance between high
and low Scandinavian culture, Finn Ware offers
something for all. While Ikea tries to take over the
world, Coast Weekend readers appreciate that Finn
Ware is just trying to share the best of a region. CW
EDWARD STRATTON PHOTO
Kids and adults alike can often be seen peering at sea lions
through the plate glass platform at Buoy Beer Co.
Runner-up:
Frite & Scoop, Astoria
Honorable mention: Lost
Roo, Long Beach
By EDWARD STRATTON
B
RYAN HUME PHOTO
Finn Ware in Astoria won best gift shop in the 2017 Readers’ Choice
Awards.
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uoy Beer Co.
opened in a former
Bornstein Seafoods
processing plant on the
Astoria waterfront in 2014
and has been rapidly grow-
ing ever since.
The buildout mostly
cannibalized parts of the
former seafood plant. No-
ticing a portion of the floor
just inside the entrance was
rotting, general contractor
Jared Rickenbach jokingly
suggested creating a glass
window through which
to watch sea lions on the
pilings below.
The suggestion turned
into a double-layered, half-
inch-thick tempered glass
plate where children and
adults alike can be seen
peering down at sea lions
lounging on a board below.
The brewery provides a
full kids menu, crayons,
drawings to color and mer-
chandise such as t-shirts
identifying the wearer as a
“sea lion supervisor.”
Jessyka Dart-McLean,
a marketing specialist
with the brewery, said
she enjoys the trend of
family friendly brewpubs,
especially as a mother who
likes craft beer.
“The people who are
really into the craft brew
scene are late 20s to mid-
40s,” she said. “Those
people have kids.” CW
Thank You
Fo r Y o u r
Co n tin u ed Su ppo rt!
240 11th Street Astoria
503-468-0620
imogengallery.com