A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Downtown business stretches west
Woman works to
expand downtown
to SW Third Street
By JADE McDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
When Hermiston resi-
dents talk about the need to
revitalize downtown, Cyndie
Traner is working to expand
their defi nition of “down-
town.”
The word tends to bring
to mind a few blocks of Main
Street that are home to such
longtime staples as Hermis-
ton Drug. But Traner owns
C and R Mercantile, one of
a growing number of busi-
nesses fi nding a home on the
other side of the tracks.
“You don’t necessarily
have to be on 395 and Main
Street,” she said.
The Quonset hut where
Traner sells vintage cloth-
ing, kitchenware and other
items sits along a two-block
portion of Southwest Third
Street that recently became
home to gourmet salad shop
Veg Out and boutique Cre-
ations with Santana. The
neighborhood — located be-
hind Bi-Mart — is also home
to a salon, accountant, attor-
ney, translation service and
a taco truck, with a Mexican
bakery around the corner.
Where the street inter-
sects with Hermiston Avenue
sits Julissa’s Meat Market,
which is just down the street
from Feelingstone Gifts,
a block from the Maxwell
Siding Event Center — all
of which opened their doors
within the last six months.
Traner recently purchased
the re-purposed house that
holds Veg Out and Creations
with Santana, and said there
is still a room available in the
building to lease for offi ce
space. Traner said she envi-
sions the whole building as
a place where entrepreneurs
can get their start and build
up a clientele before risking
a lease on a larger, more vis-
ible space.
“I feel really sad when I
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Julissa’s Meat Market is a recent addition to the West Third
Street business boom in Hermiston.
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Veg Out co-owner Jaclyn Crowder cuts lettuce during the
lunch rush Wednesday at her restaurant in Hermiston.
see other small businesses
close their doors,” she said.
“I just think, what does that
say to our young people who
want to be entrepreneurs?
Dream your dream, but not
in Hermiston?”
Santana Layton, who
opened Creations with San-
tana on Third Street just
weeks ago, said she has
wanted to open her own
store for years but startup
money was always an issue.
After she decided to start
going after her goal in ear-
nest she saw a post on Face-
book by Traner advertising
the space next to Veg Out
and responded.
“It’s hard to fi nd some-
thing affordable when you’re
starting out and don’t really
have money,” she said.
Her boutique sells make-
up, skincare products and
clothing for women. Al-
though her offi cial hours are
Tuesday through Saturday,
10 a.m. to 7 p.m., she’s a
single mother of three work-
ing two jobs, so she said it’s
always a good idea to check
the Creations with Santana
Facebook page before com-
ing in for unscheduled clo-
sures.
Layton said she hopes
that people will start realiz-
ing that the neighborhood
around Bi-Mart is a good
place to get out and do some
shopping.
“I like the location,” she
said. “I wish there was more
traffi c, obviously, and I’m
hoping people will fi nd out
about the area, because it is
growing.”
Traner is doing her part to
help the area grow. She has
taken it upon herself to help
market the commercially
zoned house next to the mer-
cantile and an old bank build-
ing on Third Street, both of
which are up for sale. She
said she hopes both spaces
are used for something like a
bistro, wedding supply store
or bakery.
“Growth is good, but you
still want to hold onto those
small-town, mom-and-pop
businesses with that small-
town customer service,” she
said.
Traner plans to start a side
business called History Re-
claimed using another space
on Third Street to store an-
tique doors, light fi xtures and
other items that local con-
tractors have removed from
homes during remodels but
would be of interest to others
going for a more vintage feel.
Revitalizing downtown
has been a top goal of the
city for years. now. The city
did include parts of Hermis-
ton Avenue and Third Street
west of the tracks when it
drew the boundaries for the
urban renewal district four
years ago.
Some of the district’s
planned projects, like a fes-
tival street next to City Hall,
focus on the east side of
Highway 395, but assistant
city manager Mark Morgan
pointed out that several of
the district’s facade grants
have gone west of the tracks,
including grants for the Hol-
iday Inn Express, Julissa’s
Meat Market and attorney
John Ballard’s offi ce on Third
Street. The city also provid-
ed developer Mitch Meyers
with a $10,000 grant out of
its community enhancement
fund for the landscaping and
parking improvements next
to the Maxwell Siding Event
Center, and Morgan said the
city would like to continue
collaborating with develop-
ers on projects in that area.
Brother, sister open gourmet salad shop
By JADE McDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
A Hermiston woman has
turned a healthy habit into a
much-anticipated business
venture with the opening of
a gourmet salad shop.
Jaclyn Crowder opened
Veg Out with her brother
Ben Millard this week, and
the small salad shop at 319
W. Locust Avenue already
has 75 reviews on its Face-
book page, all but one of
them for fi ve stars.
“It’s been awesome,”
Crowder said. “We’ve been
kind of overwhelmed.”
Positive
comments
on Facebook were what
spurred the business ven-
ture in the fi rst place.
Crowder said after the birth
of her kids she struggled
with her weight, especially
since being a stay-at-home
mom meant she had ac-
cess to food all day long.
To combat the problem she
started experimenting with
creating different types of
salads, and found she en-
joyed them more if she
made them “pretty” too. It
was only natural, in this day
and age, that she then share
her handiwork on social
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
BUSINESS
STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL
Ben Millard, left, and Jaclyn
Crowder opened Veg Out
this week at at 319 W.
Locust Avenue, Hermiston.
media before eating it.
“I started posting on
Facebook for friends to see
and they started asking me
to make them for them,”
she said.
Originally Crowder just
wanted to sell the color-
ful salads from home, but
soon realized the law re-
quired her to make them in
a commercial kitchen. She
posted on a public Face-
book forum asking if any-
one would be interested in
a salad shop and hundreds
of enthusiastic comments
poured in.
She asked her brother if
he wanted to join in on the
venture and he agreed.
“We felt we owed it to
Hermiston,” he said. “That
response (on Facebook) is
what’s kept us going.”
The small shop, locat-
ed just behind Bi-Mart, is
takeout and delivery only,
although the business’s
Facebook page points out
it is only half a block from
McKenzie Park’s picnic
shelter.
Millard said from 2 p.m.
to 4 p.m. business slows
down, but if the fi rst few
days are an indication,
when someone wants to
pick up a salad during the
lunch or dinner rush they
should call ahead by at least
an hour if they don’t want
a long wait to pick up their
order. Delivery of orders of
at least three salads is avail-
able for a $3 charge.
Veg Out’s menu cur-
rently features fi ve salads,
ranging from the $7 classic
chicken caesar salad to the
$13 steak taco salad with
cilantro lime dressing. Bra-
zilian cheese bread, a fruit
bowl and bottled beverages
are also available.
Millard said since the
kitchen is so small, the
menu will likely always be
limited to fi ve or six sal-
ads, but the selection will
change depending on what
fruits and vegetables are in
season. He said to start out
the business is getting its
ingredients from one ven-
dor, but that will probably
change.
“We’ve checked out
some local lettuce places,
and we might start getting
some of our berries local,”
he said. “We might try to
source some more local
produce, as much as we
can.”
Christina Martinez, who
ordered the berry nutty sal-
ad recently, said they had
just moved into town a few
weeks ago and found Veg
Out on Yelp.
“We’re excited to try it,”
she said. “Our salads look
amazing.”
Veg Out is open 11 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Tuesday through
Thursday and 11 a.m. to 7
p.m. Friday and Saturday.
———
Contact Jade McDow-
ell at jmcdowell@eastore-
gonian.com or 541-564-
4536.
“Our Roots Run Deep
in Morrow County”
August 16-19, 2017
FAIR: www.co.morrow.or.us/fair
Thank you Morrow County for a
Great 2017 Fair!
A special thank you to all of our sponsors & volunteers who put
in countless hours to help put on a great fair for all!
www.facebook.com/oregontrailprorodeo • www.facebook.com/morrowcountyfairheppneroregon
BRIEFCASE
Library district hires
new director
Erin McCusker was re-
cently hired as the new direc-
tor of the Umatilla County
Special Library District.
McCusker has extensive
experience in a variety of li-
brary service fi elds. Starting
her library career in 1992,
she spent 11 years in the Boi-
se Basin Library District, the
last six as director. She then
became the library consul-
tant for the Idaho Commis-
sion for Libraries in Boise.
After moving to Flagstaff,
Arizona, when her husband
was transferred with the U.S.
Forest Service, she worked
at the Flagstaff City–Coconi-
no County Public Library as
an adult and youth services
librarian for a year before be-
coming a branch supervisor.
The library district board
views McCusker’s back-
ground as an asset in work-
ing collaboratively with the
independent libraries in the
district. Working in Pend-
leton for a private fi rm in
records management for the
past three years, McCusker
is excited to return working
with the public in library ser-
vices.
Formed in 1986, the li-
brary district supports public
libraries in Umatilla County
in providing services, pro-
grams and educational op-
portunities. For more infor-
mation, visit www.ucsld.org.
Conference highlights
workplace safety
A two-day conference
focuses on safe and healthy
workplaces, including a key-
note address by an electrician
who survived being electro-
cuted by a 12,500-volt, 200-
amp overhead power line.
Gary Norland’s opening
keynote speech, “The Im-
pact of an Injury: What are
You Risking?,” is Tuesday,
Sept. 19, at 11:30 a.m. The
conference is Sept. 19-20 at
Riverhouse on the Deschutes
in Bend.
Registration is $145 or
one day for $100. For more
information or to register,
visit
https://safetyseries.
cvent.com/central17.
For
questions, call 503-947-
7411.
WORSHIP
COMMUNITY
1255 Hwy. 395 S. • 567-5834
oasisvineyard.us
Worship 10:00 AM
“come as you are”
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
567-8241
855 W. Highland • Hermiston
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
t. PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
The Full Gospel
Home Church
235 SW 3rd
Phone 567-7678
Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker
Sunday:
Sunday School........10:00 am
Worship...................11:00 am
Evening Service........7:00 pm
Wednesday Service..7:00 pm
“Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.”
1 Pet. 5:7
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
Echo
Grace Baptist Church
21 N. Bonanza Street, Echo OR
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
Community Church
Phone: (541) 376-8108
Sunday School • 9:30am
Worship • 10:45am
Children’s Church • 11:15am
Potluck & Communion ~
First Sunday of the Month
Nursery provided for all services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 PM
Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
First Christian
Church
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday
...............................English 7:00 am
Thursday...............Spanish 6:00 pm
SATURDAY:.........English 5:00 pm
...............................Spanish 7:00 pm
SUNDAY:..............English 9:00 am
..........................Bilingual 11:00 am
..............................Spanish 1:00 pm
Office..............................567-5812
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church &
Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
541-567-8441
1520 W ORCHARD AVE
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am
SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE,
SERVING PEOPLE
www.hermistonnazarene.org
“Proclaiming the Message of
Hope, Living the Gospel of Love”
Coffee and Mingle Time 9:15 am
Worship Gathering 10:00 am
Children’s Church 10:00 am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
First United
Methodist
Church
Hermiston
191 E. Gladys Ave , Hermiston OR
Sunday Worship 11am • 541-567-3002
Nursery available Check us out on Face Book
Worship Livestream at herfumc.com
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
To share your
worship times
call
541-278-2678