12 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
BEST ANTIQUE STORE
BEST THRIFT SHOP
ASTORIA VINTAGE
HARDWARE
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
Runner-up: Farmhouse Funk,
Astoria
Honorable mention: Phog
Bounders Antique Mall, Astoria
C
ascades of brass
instruments, ducks
in fl ight, herbi-
vores in suits having a drink
together, the perfect small
doorknob tucked away on
a shelf: At Astoria Vintage
Hardware, there’s always
something you missed the
fi rst time.
Becky Johnson and Paul
Tuter opened the eclec-
tic antique and hardware
store 11 years ago. In that
time, they have had to move
shop six times, crisscross-
ing the city before landing
at their current location on
Marine Drive between Sears
and the Chart Room bar.
The building, formerly the
home of Bargains Galore,
fell into their lap when the
owner and current tenant,
George Brugh, offered Tuter
and Johnson the street-level
space.
As always, Vintage Hard-
ware continues to offer vin-
Colin Murphey
Employees at the NW Community Alliance Thrift Store in Astoria.
Katie Frankowicz
There’s so much to catch the eye at Astoria Vintage Hardware.
ASTORIA
tage furniture and Tuter’s
own unique creations along
with vintage building mate-
rials, interior fl ourishes,
strange and beautiful items
that you didn’t know you
wanted until you saw them
in a display.
While the types of items
on offer at Vintage Hard-
ware have more or less
remained the same, the
feel of the store has defi -
nitely varied based on the
location. But the set up on
Marine Drive perhaps best
refl ect Johnson and Tuter’s
aesthetics.
“It was a blank canvas
here,” Johnson said.
They are focusing on
bringing in new products
for do-it-yourself inte-
rior design. They hope to
continue expanding these
offerings and become a
source for cool, hard-to-
fi nd materials, Tuter said. CW
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By BRENNA VISSER
Runner-up: Watch Me Grow, Gearhart
Honorable mention: GoodWill, Warrenton
fter coming in second place mul-
tiple times, Darin Hocking of
NW Community Alliance Thrift
Store said it feels good to get chosen
Best Thrift Store in this year’s Readers’
Choice Awards.
“We keep coming in second place, so
this is nice,” Hocking said. “We appre-
ciate the customers and the people who
voted.”
A
THE
ASTORIA
COLUMN
Open 7am
Daily!
THANK YOU FOR
VOTING US YOUR
FAVORITE!
NW COMUNITY
ALLIANCE THRIFT STORE
Thank you
for voting us
Astoria’s Best
Tourist
Attraction!
243 11th Street, Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-1787
www.AstoriaCoffeeHouse.com
WWW.ASTORIACOLUMN.ORG
1 Coxcomb Drive Astoria, OR 97103
P ark
is oPen
dawn til dusk
NW Community Alliance prides
itself on serving as a starting point for
people looking to gain job skills and
has focused on supporting people with
intellectual and developmental dis-
abilities through sales of donated, gen-
tly used items since 1973. The goal is
for workers to advance into jobs in the
community.
Hocking attributes the store’s success
to low prices and friendly staff.
“We’ve kept the pricing down low, so
it’s pretty economical for people to come
in and shop,” he said. “Thank the peo-
ple that voted for us. That’s what keeps
us open.” CW
El Catrin
Mexican Restaurant
Thank You
for voting us one
of your favorite
Mexican Restaurants!
19 North Hwy. 101
Warrenton, OR.
(In the Premarq Center)
503-861-0369