By Sierra Lauder
Director of Events and Downtown Development
The benchmarks of February are behind us now, and the Tillamook Main Street District is ready for spring. Businesses are taking the love down out of their windows and weighing the options: lucky green shamrocks or skip ahead to pastels and bunnies? I’m hoping for plenty of luck in the next few weeks and fine with being surrounded by leprechauns – particularly if they are willing to wear orange vests and assist with the downtown construction.
Amidst all of the commotion, some great things are taking shape downtown. Food Roots, a nonprofit organization you all may be familiar with for their work in supporting small farms and local agriculture, has recently moved their office to the storefront at 113 Main Street. They continue to offer an incredible variety of services and programs to assist folks who are interested in knowing more about where their food is sourced, and additionally have begun to offer products from many of the farms that they work with. Stop by and check out their selection- they have great meat, local eggs, salt, tea, and all kinds of interesting treats. Their inventory will continue to grow (pun intended) as the seasons change. Worth noting- construction is underway on the Food Roots block, so if you are planning to stop by and visit there, Sunset Tans, or the Local Dog House, you may find it most convenient to park either on Pacific and cross the Plaza, or along Second and cross the street and approach from the south end of the block.
There are also new regular events going on downtown! Art Accelerated has coordinated a monthly Art Walk, which is held on the fourth Saturday of each month and pairs local artists with downtown merchants for the afternoon. For more information about which artists and shops are participating, visit Art Accelerated’s website:www.artaccelerated.org. This is a great family friendly way to spend an afternoon, and the next date is set for March 24th.
If you’re looking for more of an adult evening out, there is also a new option for that: Sip + Shop!!! On the second Friday of the month (mark your calendar for March 9th), several downtown merchants are offering wine tasting and snacks from 5pm to 7pm. This free event is not ticketed, and there is not check-in or check-out, all you need to do is come on down and wander around and enjoy yourself. While the participating businesses are a little different every time, on March 9th, Sip + Shop is hosted by Art Accelerated, Food Roots, Homelife Furniture, Lucky Bear Soap Co, Madeline’s Vintage Furniture, Pacific Restaurant, Phoenix Exchange, Sarasota’s, Sunflower Flats, So Chic Boutique, and Yo Time. Guests from the January event raved about the fun evening- many enjoyed visiting a few of their favorite shops before a movie or sitting down to a nice dinner out.
Construction continues to move along throughout the project, and businesses downtown have been very flexible and accommodating as crews have moved as quickly as possible to replace sidewalks and maintain access to businesses. While we are all looking forward to seeing the project wrap up in the fall, in the meantime we are growing and adapting and are excited to see new businesses and activities taking shape. If you have any questions about downtown, whether it’s parking, activities, future events or plain ole gossip, feel free to drop by the Chamber Headquarters or give me a call. I’m always happy to chat.