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.