THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 // 13
READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
BEST AUTO SHOP
BEST BARBERSHOP
Eleventh
Street
Barber
ASTORIA
By RYAN HUME
Runner-up: Astoria Barber
Honorable mention: Hygge Hair Company, Astoria
Dwight Caswell
Jim Varner, whose namesake automotive shop won fi rst place in Readers’ Choice, again.
Jim Varner’s
Automotive
ASTORIA
By DWIGHT CASWELL
Runner-up: Lum’s Auto
Center, Warrenton
Honorable mention: Box
K Auto Repair, Long Beach,
Wash.
J
im Varner is
known as a diag-
nostician of
automotive infi rmi-
ties, and his garage at
Miles Crossing is a
Mayo Clinic for vehi-
cles. Indeed, one of his
customers goes so far
as to label him “the car
whisperer.”
It seems that Varner
thrives because his cus-
tomers do not feel the
need to look for second
and third opinions.
One’s fi rst impression
upon entering the garage,
unlikely as it sounds,
is cleanliness. Rows of
parts stand neatly on
shelves above immacu-
late, shining fl oors. On
the lifts you’ll fi nd every-
thing from commercial
trucks to hot rods (Varner
and his son and daugh-
ter drag race) and classics
under restoration.
Varner says the secret
to his success is that “I
hire people who are bet-
ter mechanics than I am.”
That may be, but
another reason may be
that the guy is just so
darn cheerful. He tells
you it’s an engine rebuild
in such an affable way
that you think, “Wow, I
thought it was something
serious.” No wonder Var-
ner wins the Readers’
Choice award year after
year after year. CW
E
leventh Street Barber in Astoria has
single-handedly locked down the
Best Barbershop category in the Read-
ers’ Choice awards since it was fi rst introduced
in the 2015 contest. Needing a much-needed
cut, this Coast Weekend writer decided to take
a seat, throw on the cape and ask the barber-
shop’s owner, Sarah Jane Bardy, how she does
it.
Coast Weekend: When I fi rst met you it
was almost six years ago …
Sarah Jane Bardy: Wow! It’s like time fl ies
… Yeah, because we have been open six years
on (January) 1st.
CW: When we fi rst met, you were strug-
gling to fi nd talent. Now you are at a point,
where you have another chair — you’re fi ve
deep. The waiting time is much less. So what
do you think changed?
SJB: Well, more people moved to Astoria.
Every eligible barber and hair stylist in the area
was employed elsewhere. So I was advertising
on Craigslist, everywhere from San Diego to
Vancouver, Canada, all the way to Idaho, look-
ing for people. And I did get people, like Jack
(Powell), who saw it on the Eugene Craigslist.
But everyone else has just moved here, and
Colin Murphey
Sarah Jane Bardy, owner of Eleventh Street
Barber, jokes with Coast Weekend writer Ryan
Hume in her shop.
been a barber, looking for work. Barbering isn’t
something that you can just decide to give it a
try. You have to go to school for a year, so it’s a
limited pool to hire from.
But, yeah, we were wildly understaffed for
years and now we are not, and it is awesome.
It’s so much better!
Well, there are still times when we are just
looking around at each other and then the fl ood-
gates open. The best time to get your haircut is
during the Civil War — Oregon State versus
the University of Oregon football game — for
years, we are dead on that day.
CW: So a barbershop is kind of more than a
haircut?
SJB: We have a lot of people who come
here and don’t get a haircut. Which I felt like,
we made it when that happened. The barber-
shop is a social gathering place. So that makes
me very happy, and I don’t mind that they are
not getting a haircut. I don’t know — it’s like,
some people go to church and some people go
to the barbershop. CW
THANK
YOU
for voting us one of your
Favorite Grocery Stores!
and recognizing us for our
Great Customer Service
503-861-2271
191 S. Main Ave.
Warrenton
www.mainstselect.com
THANK YOU
FOR VOTING US
YOUR FAVORITE!
CARRUTHERS
Open Everyday
1198 Commercial Street
Astoria, Oregon 97103
503.741.3443
Brunch 9am to 3pm
Dinner Starts at 4pm
Sunday Open 9am to 3pm
Happy Hour 9am to close
at the bar
T HANK YOU FOR
VOTING US
B EST F ARMERS
M ARKET !
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