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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2015)
B USINESS Hermiston A4 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015 Comfort Inn & Suites expanding By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer An expansion underway at Comfort Inn & Suites will increase Hermiston’s hotel capacity by 35 rooms. The hotel, located by the Space Age fuel station near Interstate 84 exit 182, is also planning to update its existing 65 rooms by add- ing new carpet, furniture and wall coverings. “We basically want it to match up to the new sec- tion,” co-owner Jim Pliska said. The 35 new rooms will include six suites and three or four handicap-acces- sible rooms. Pliska said construction is expected to wrap up in November. A few of the hotel’s current rooms will be closed while they are re-carpeted, but the hotel will remain open throughout the construction phase. Pliska said the hotel will hire between ¿ ve and 1 new employees when the project is complete. Pliska owns the Hermis- ton Comfort Inn & Suites, franchised by lodging com- pany Choice Hotels, with his father Harold Pliska. He described the hotel as an affordable “mid-level” lodging option. “It should be nicer once we get done,” he said. He said the hotel should not have trouble utilizing the new rooms, since it is often “running up against capacity” now. The anecdotal evidence is backed up by hard num- bers In 214 the 434 hotel rooms in Hermiston aver- aged 69.6 percent occupan- cy, with some hotels ¿ lling up completely during large sporting tournaments in town. According to infor- mation presented by the city in 213, Hermiston’s occupancy rate tends to be about 8 percent higher than the state average and 19 percent higher than the rest of Eastern Oregon. Hermiston will get an- other boost in hotel ca- pacity in July 216, when a recently announced four-story Holiday Inn Ex- press is expected to open on the corner of Hermiston Avenue and Highway 395. STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL A 35-room expansion is underway at the Hermiston Comfort Inn & Suites near Interstate 84. Hermiston CKamEer pOans events Aug. 25 The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce will host two events Aug. 25. A supply chain opportuni- ties conference will take place from 93 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hermiston Conference Cen- ter, 415 S. Highway 395. The event is designed to help man- ufacturers generate new op- portunities, partnerships and awareness about suppliers and customers in the Northwest. The conference will feature presentations from large man- ufacturers and round-table discussions. Kerry Bass, from Paci¿ c NW National Labo- ratory, and Josh Burns, from Wal-Mart Distribution Center, will speak at the event. The conference is a collab- oration between the chamber, Business Oregon, the Pendle- ton Chamber of Commerce and the Paci¿ c Northwest Defense Coalition. PNDC and chamber members can register for 2 by Aug. 12 or $35 after. Non-members can register for $4 by Aug. 12 or $55 after. The cost in- cludes breakfast and lunch at the Business to Business lun- cheon that follows. For more information or to register, vis- it www.pndc.us or call 888- 1-PNDC. People who do not wish to attend the entire conference can attend only the Busi- ness to Business luncheon, which begins at 11:45 a.m. The luncheon costs $1 for chamber members or $$13 for non-members. For more information or to register, call 541-567-6151. HERMISTONHERALD.COM STAFF PHOTO BY SEAN HART 7his handFrafted Fhess set is one of a Yariety of items at 2Od StanÀ eOd -unN Store whiFh opened Oast weeN in downtown StanÀ eOd. Stan¿ eOd open for Eusiness Two new businesses in operation, another planned this month Bazaar Happenings What: A variety of gifts, handcrafted and repurposed items and, coming soon, ice cream Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays Where: 165 W. Coe Ave., Stanfi eld Phone: 541-571-3812 By SEAN HART Staff Writer Residents hope new busi- ness activity in Stan¿ eld will attract more customers and even more businesses. Two new stores — Bazaar Happenings and Old Stan- ¿ eld Junk Store — opened last week, and the Lucky Jam Barn, a new restaurant, plans to open later this month. After Elephants Trunk An- tiques closed and Echo Bike & Board moved to Pendleton earlier this year, vacant store- fronts dominated the down- town area. Now, the former antique store owner, Dave Meyers, has opened a new business in the building next door that once housed the bike shop. It offers an eclectic mix of old and new items. Although Meyers said he is still trying to sell or lease the old Elephants Trunk building on the corner of Highway 395 and West Coe Avenue, Bazaar Happenings opened on the same block a day after Meyers’ new store. He said he hoped more stores in town would lead to more customers. “It should have been done long ago,” he said. “People draw people. That’s always been my experience. Stan- ¿ eld, as far as I’m concerned, is a prime location.” Stan¿ eld librarian Cecili Longhorn, who opened Ba- zaar Happenings, said the new stores will provide cus- tomers a better shopping ex- perience. “We have a bunch of great things in Stan¿ eld,” she said. “We’re just lacking with a few businesses, so it’s nice to see people get involved and try to get some more activity Old Stanfi eld Junk Store STAFF PHOTO BY SEAN HART ApriO %autista manaJer of the new 2Od StanÀ eOd -unN Store poses inside the store at 135 W. Coe Ave. What: An eclectic mix of old and new items Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays Where: 135 W. Coe Ave., Stanfi eld Phone: 541-571-6715 The Lucky Jam Barn What: Breakfast, lunch, pizza to go, baked goods, ice cream, smoothies and coff ee Opens: Initial plans were to open Friday Where: 270 S. Main St., Stanfi eld Phone: 541-561-6240 STAFF PHOTO BY SEAN HART /isa 0avis poses Ey some of the items she is seOOinJ in the new StanÀ eOd Eusiness %a]aar HappeninJs 15 W. Coe Ave. /ast weeN StanÀ eOd OiErarian CeFiOi /onJhorn opened the Eusiness whiFh features a wide variety of items from different seOOers. going where people can go from shop to shop to shop.” Longhorn said she hoped her new consignment store offering a variety of gifts and handcrafted and repurposed items would encourage foot traf¿ c. She said the business also plans to offer ice cream soon. Bazaar Happenings is connected by an interior door to Fun Fashions Boutique, which opened in October last year, so customers can easily move from one store to the next. Boutique owner Kathy Baker said she is excited to have more businesses down- town. “I think it’s going to be a great new asset for Stan¿ eld,” she said. “We’re slowly build- ing up the town again. I think it’s going to be a new opening for this town.” Baker said, although it took time to establish a cus- tomer base, her business is doing well. She said Stan¿ eld is great location for business- es because of the amount of traf¿ c that passes through each day on Highway 395. With a location directly on the highway, the Lucky Jam Barn eatery hopes to draw some of that traf¿ c. The busi- ness tentatively scheduled to open Friday plans to of- fer breakfast, lunch, pizza to go, baked goods, ice cream, smoothies and coffee. City Manager Blair Lars- en said he hopes the new businesses will thrive in Stan¿ eld. “I love to see people make the effort to create some- thing,” he said. “It certainly takes a lot more work than just living your life and shop- ping elsewhere, so it’s nice to see.” AUGUST 12-15, 2015 Wed. Aug. 12th 9pm JOHN MICHAEL MONTGOMERY VOLUME 109 ɿ NUMBER 47 GARY L. WEST EDITOR gwest@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4532 JADE McDOWELL REPORTER jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com 541-564-4536 STAFF PHOTO BY SEAN HART SAM BARBEE SEAN HART KIM La PLANT JEANNE JEWETT SPORTS REPORTER sbarbee@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4542 MULTI-MEDIA CONSULTANT klaplant@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4530 REPORTER smhart@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4534 MULTI-MEDIA CONSULTANT jjewett@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4531 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop b\ our of¿ ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: www.hermistonherald.com %a]aar HappeninJs a new Eusiness in downtown StanÀ eOd offers a Yariety of items from different seOOers. Eagle Cap Excursion Train Train Ride & Lookingglass Hatchery Tour Saturday, August 29 Departs from Elgin at 10 a.m. Fri. Aug. 14th • 9pm Sat. Aug. 15th • 9pm HINDER WARRANT Reserved Tickets (does not include On Sale Now! $12 admission) In the Watering Hole: LIVE MUSIC: Tues & Wed - Brady Goss; Fri & Sat - Blue Tattoo ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays Inside Umatilla/Morrow counties ......................................................................................... $42.65 Outside Umatilla/Morrow counties ...................................................................................... $53.90 The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457, FAX (541) 567-1764. Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 Printed on E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. recycled A member of the EO Media Group Copyright ©2015 newsprint 7pm • Thurs. Aug. 12th • 9pm MAR-K DE TIERRA ANTIFAZ CALIENTE Call or stop by the Fair Office, 515 W. Orchard, Hermiston 800-700-FAIR (3247) www.umatillacounty.net/fair ~Visa & Mastercard Gladly Accepted~ 800.323.7330 eaglecaptrainrides.com See the fall season schedule online.
