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Small Business Saturday is coming, and it’s going to be HUGE

By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and so many members of our community will be gathering with friends and family far and wide to break bread and celebrate the holiday and tradition of coming together with grateful hearts.

For many, Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday shopping season, which is why Small Business Saturday was created as a way to remind people to shop local and support their local economy when looking for holiday gifts, decorations, Christmas cards, and more.

We celebrate Small Business Saturday every year in Tillamook, and every year we encourage our downtown core to get involved and make it a fun-filled day for shoppers. This year,  they’ve truly outdone themselves with events, contests, sales, and more. Here are just a few of the things going on:

Turkey Trot: This event is on Friday, Nov. 24. And while it’s not on Small Business Saturday, it is sure to get your heart rate up after the big Thanksgiving meal the day before and prepare you for the full day of eating and shopping on Saturday. The fun run/walk starts at Tillamook Ford, 501 Main Avenue at 9am. Bring a can of food for the Tillamook County Food Bank for entry.

Bloody Mary Bar at Rendezvous: Start the day off with a tasty Bloody Mary at the Rendezvous Cabaret, 214 Pacific Avenue. Donna will be serving up this traditional breakfast drink starting at 8 a.m. as well as her tempting breakfast items.

Brunch at Pacific Restaurant: Join chefs Neila and Phil for a world-class brunch experience from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults. And nothing goes better with brunch than mimosas, so come thirsty too.

Cupcake Decorating at Sarasotas: A little hands-on fun for the whole family. Learn the art of decorating cupcakes with our experienced baker and decorator extraordinaire. The fun will begin at 1 p.m. and you can join them until 3 p.m.

Gift Tag Workshop with Art Accelerated: Even if you’re not the type to do homemade gifts, you can still consider homemade gift tags. This mini workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is open to all ages and skill levels and is free to participate. So come visit with the artists, play with the art supplies on hand, and maybe even find some inspiration.

Gingerbread House Building Competition: From 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., YoTime will be hosting a contest for best gingerbread house. Teams of four are asked to register with Sierra before Saturday, and basic gingerbread house building supplies will be provided. The actual contest will kick off at 1:30 p.m. and a winner will be determined by audience applause.

Visit with Santa at Homelife Furniture: Santa will be kicking back in a cozy chair at Homelife Furniture from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and he’s ready to visit with your children and review their Christmas lists. This event is free and parents are welcome to take photos.

As if that isn’t enough to entice to you to spend your day downtown, we are also having a #Contstuctdowntown Sweepstakes promotion! We are lifting the one receipt per day rule for Small Business Saturday. This Saturday only the Chamber office will be open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and will be validating EVERY receipt you have from the day for an entry into both the weekly #Contstructdowntown Sweepstakes and the $1,000 grand prize drawings. The more places you shop on Saturday, the more chances you have of winning Tillamook swag that we will draw for that evening and the $1,000 grand prize drawing around the New Year!

To find out more specifics about each shop’s sales and specials, pick up a pamphlet at any of our local downtown businesses. Sierra started distributing them yesterday and they are a comprehensive guide to help shoppers get the most out of their time downtown.

 

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Admiring our ‘neighborhood’ retail community

Sierra Lauder

by Sierra Lauder
Director of Events and Downtown Development

So much of the work as a Main Street Coordinator is behind the scenes, carrying information, attending meetings and sharing what I’ve learned with business owners around town, and bringing their stories forward at other meetings. Sometimes the work is good old-fashioned networking; introducing one person to another because they share an overlapping interest or idea.

The most important aspect of my work with the Chamber is the relationship and partnership-building role, and there is nothing quite as rewarding as watching those connections blossom in to events, products, or collaborations. I got to witness a lot of that this last week.

If you follow Lucky Bear Soap Co. or Sunflower Flats on facebook, you may have seen a video last week of the soap making process for the Lucky Sunflower Soap, a special blend of soap that is a great example of local collaboration. Lucky Bear Soap Co. makes several collaborative soaps with local businesses, including a series of beer soaps that feature seasonal ales from Pelican Brewing Company. If you happen to find yourself at the Pelican Tap Room, you may also notice they now feature desserts from Sarasota’s – the downtown bakery that is hosting this week’s #constructdowntown Sweepstakes drawing. Last week’s hosts, Art Accelerated (the nonprofit art organization that has the gallery on Third St.) is also in cahoots with the Pelican Tap Room; they are co-hosting a Paint Night on December 1st that is already sold out! This first of many future paint nights is a fundraiser, and the proceeds will be divided between Art Accelerated’s after school children’s program and the local food bank.

Art Accelerated also partners with Yo Time each month for an Open Mic Night. Every third Saturday, Yo Time is packed with artists, musicians and writers, who take turns on the mic to tell stories, share poetry and song. Any time you pop in to Yo Time, you’re likely to notice the gorgeous flower arrangements they have on display near the fireplace. I noticed it very closely last night as I rescued it from near catastrophe as one of my boys displayed his best sugar-induced ninja move, and realized that those lovely flowers are from Anderson’s Florists, who will be hosting the sweepstakes in a couple of weeks.

I could go on like this for pages; the “neighborhood” retail community in Tillamook is truly amazing, supportive, and growing increasingly cohesive. Coordinating this #constructdowntown Sweepstakes has really been an exercise in embracing this partnership culture. There are some fascinating studies floating around about small town downtown revitalization and theories for creating vibrant and healthy clusters. Those conversations can quickly get technical and heavy with phrases like “mixed-use” and “creative place-making,” which are valuable pieces, but they don’t give justice to the people and the personalities that truly create the experiences. It’s all of us – business and property owners, local regular customers, local occasional customers, and visitors – who contribute to the culture we have downtown, and as we brave another wet winter and watch the transformation on our physical space that the highway project brings us, it is uplifting to see the continuing investment in our community.

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#Constructdowntown Sweepstakes hits downtown Tillamook Oct.4 – Dec. 29

SaraSota's

By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director

We all know that construction has had a significant impact on our community, specifically our downtown businesses. Yet we can all constructively support these businesses through the trials they are facing. “Construction” is not shutting businesses down, nor can it. What can potentially shut a business down is us, the people of the community, not supporting them through their temporary hardship because we lose sight of them or because we avoid downtown due to a little inconvenience.

As an incentive this fall, the Chamber has organized a $1,000 downtown shopping spree. It’s kind of like a contest, it definitely supports our downtown businesses during construction, and it’s sure to be fun. We are calling it our #Constructdowntown Sweepstakes.

Here is how it works: anytime that you shop at one of our downtown businesses between Oct. 1, 2017 – and Dec. 29, 2017 you can bring in your receipt to the Chamber office (208 Main Ave.) and have it validated. Once validated, you will receive an entry form that will enter you in both a weekly giveaway and a grand prize drawing. Your receipts don’t have to be validated on the same day that you shop; you can bring them in whenever, but you can only enter once a day until the end of the promotion.

As an additional incentive to come shop downtown, we will have weekly giveaways. Each week a downtown business is sponsoring the giveaway, and at the end of the week a winner will be chosen by a random drawing from that week’s entries. The winner will receive a prize donated by the sponsoring business. You don’t have to be present to win.

All tickets from each week’s drawing will be put into the grand prize drawing for a $1,000 downtown shopping spree. The grand prize winner will be drawn around New Years.

You may be thinking to yourself, why don’t you draw before Christmas so people have Christmas money? We considered that option, but the reality is that whether we like it or not, we all spend more money around the holidays already. By waiting until the New Year we hope that two things happen: First, that you spend money downtown during the holidays to earn more and more entries. Second, that the spending of the $1,000 grand prize will have a greater impact downtown during the slower winter months. Remember, as much as this is about the customer, it is also about helping ensure our local entrepreneurs have a successful season.

You probably recall in the past we have organized cash mobs at specific businesses as a way to boost their sales. These cash mobs have been widely successful and often help raise awareness when a business or service may be on the verge of a closure. So why aren’t we just having a variety of cash mobs this winter? This #constructdowntown promotion covers a much longer period of time and has the ability to positively impact a significant amount of businesses, instead of just one or two. We are hoping that by engaging the community with these weekly giveaways and a grand prize drawing, we will see a boost in the downtown economy for the rest of the year, and not just on a single day.

Remember that anywhere you spend money between First and Fifth and Stillwell and Laurel is eligible for an entry into both the weekly drawing and the grand prize shopping spree. The things you do every day and the special shopping trips you make can all qualify you – just bring your receipts to the Chamber at 208 Main Avenue for validation during regular business hours (Monday-Friday; 9-5pm). You can enter once a day, every day. And be sure to use the hashtag #constructdowntown in your social media posts to raise awareness about this fun, new downtown promotion and customer appreciation recognition.

And for legal purposes: No entry necessary. Official Rules available at tillamookchamber.org/sweepstakes.

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Head downtown, where summer is still in full swing

by Sierra Lauder

Despite the passing of another spectacular fair and the school registration deadlines last week, summer is still in full swing on Main Street. Our Visitor’s Center is officially open at 208 Main Ave., and the last month has been a flurry of activity as visitors and locals alike have come to see us to talk about eclipse glasses, camping opportunities and upcoming events. We have been blessed with the weather this summer, and I am personally crossing my fingers that luck and sun continue to shine down on us as we look to September.

Construction downtown will begin on Main Street this week, and as a person who is working and living right in the middle of it – I get it. It’s not that fun. I want to share my top-secret insider tip: park off of 101. The lots along Ivy – just one very thin block west of Main – have spaces available all day, every day. Businesses are open and there is so much to do and see all around downtown in the coming weeks.

Saturday, August 26th, at 6:30 in the evening, Art Accelerated is hosting their monthly Open Mic night at Yo Time. If you haven’t made it to one of these I would totally suggest it. Each month new and different performers come and share music, poetry and stories that remind us of all the best things about being human. That night is also movie night! Join your neighbors and friends to see the “Princess Bride” on August 26th at 8:15 p.m. in front of City Hall. This is the last movie of the summer, and it’s a good one. Did you know it’s the 30th anniversary of the Princess Bride this year?

It’s also time to get your tickets for Oktoberfest! The Monday Musical Club of Tillamook presents this celebration of food, drink, music and dancing on the Second Street Plaza in downtown Tillamook, raising money for their annual cultural events series and high school scholarships. Don’t let the name “Oktoberfest” fool you – this event is actually set for Saturday, September 9th, from noon to 6 p.m., and tickets are only $10.

Pelican Brewing Company is also hosting a huge event in September, the “Salmon Run.” Set for Saturday, September 23rd, the 5k/10k run/walk will begin and end at the Tap Room on the corner of 1st and Stillwell, and they have been planning this block party for months! Even if you are not a runner, this event promises to be a blast. We are expecting more than one thousand people to turn out for the fundraiser event. Registration is open all the way up to the day of the big event.

Amid all of these bigger events, individual businesses continue to host their own events and sales. So Chic Boutique is hosting their summer clearance sale, Pacific Restaurant is on the verge of opening any day, and Lucky Bear Soap Co. has some great summer deals. If you need cupcakes for a party, Sarasota’s continues to amaze with both beautiful and delicious treats. Anderson’s Florists and Sunflower Flats are cranking out gorgeous arrangements in the height of wedding season. I regularly pass families taking advantage of the milkshake happy hour at The Dutch Mill, and Fat Dog Pizza and The Local Dog House keep the pups around here well fed. Thank you for supporting these downtown businesses, and I hope you take a moment to pop in to Chamber Headquarters when you’re in the neighborhood.

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April 26th Hwy Project Update

Second Street Plaza
The Second Street Plaza is blooming in the rain.  The revelation of the new stamped and colored concrete corners on Pacific Avenue have already brightened up the dreary weather.
Now the forms are being set for the pouring of the striking dark gray “tactile paver strip” that will serve as the visual “curbing” on the street to differentiate the pedestrian from the vehicular areas when cars are using the westbound one-way.    When the plaza is blocked off from traffic for special events, the flat strip will not trip dancers or audience members.
Between the patterns established by those two colors, the variously-scored pebble-color concrete sections which form the base lines of the plaza will be poured over the next three weeks.  Then during the week of the May 21st, the benches, bollards, and light poles will be placed in order for the entire plaza to be ready to open by the weekend of Memorial Day.  And then be used as part of the June Dairy Parade festivities.
Multiple local companies have been helping in the plaza construction including Bros and Hoes Landscaping, Westwind Concrete, and CoastWide Ready Mix.  The landscapers will also be laying the unit pavers between the curb and sidewalk all the way down Pacific from My 12 through the 21st, adding another strip of color down the road.
The other project piece that is tracking well with being completed on schedule is the Hoquarton Bridge itself.   The excavator crews and lightweight concrete crews will be flipping back forth between the North and South bridge approaches over the next month, grading, tying in water & sewer lines, and installing the curb, gutter, driveways, & bio-retention ponds to make way for the sidewalk crews to move in on the approaching sidewalk pours.
Atop the bridge, the electrical is now going in along the east side with the forming of the overlook getting finished up next Wednesday and sidewalks/overlook being poured during the next week.  And then the magic happens as the bridge rail base and pylons take shape and the bright orange handrail is installed in the week before Memorial Day.
All this despite our record-setting rainfall which has turned a series of contractors’ schedules into unreadable wet rags.  While it has been trying, the patience of the Tillamook community during this difficult process has been phenomenal.

Our Highway Project E-news bulletin is created by Jeannell Wyntergreen, Highway 101/6 Project Liaison for the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.   If you have any questions or would like to share a comment with the Chamber, contact her at hwyproject@tillamookchamber.org
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Mornings on Mainstreet

By Sierra Lauder
Director of Events and Downtown Promotion

Last month at the Chamber Headquarters at 208 Main Ave. we had the pleasure of hosting “Mornings on Main Street.” Around 20 people gathered to share coffee, treats and great discussion about all the activity in the downtown area. Lots of the conversation stemmed from the construction along the sidewalks of Pacific and the “Second Street Plaza.” I use quotations around “Second Street Plaza,” because the City of Tillamook’s Beautification Committee is entertaining possible names for the project. They will be narrowing the results at the next Beautification Meeting on April 10th, so if you have an idea to toss in the hat, contact City Hall or let us know at the Chamber and we’ll pass it along. There is some discussion of taking the top four choices and having a public vote. Look forward to that!

Construction projects within buildings were also a big topic of discussion. How could they not be, when the gathering was held within the freshly framed walls of the future offices for the Chamber? The Chamber project is zipping along, with electric and heating work wrapping up this week and sheet rocking kicking off next week. The Visitor’s Center will be fully operational in plenty of time for summer. Art Accelerated Board Chair Neal Lemery shared about the grants that they have been working on for improvements to the Beal’s Building, where they are hoping to start classes and workshops in the near future, as well as open for regular hours for the gallery. After banter about the facelift that is taking place in the old Murphy’s Furniture Building on First St. to accommodate a new T-Mobile store, and a report on the remodeling of the Blue Moon, Phil and Nelia from the Pacific Restaurant invited the entire group across the street and took us through the new restaurant space. Let me just give you this sneak peek: It. Is. Gorgeous.

We very much enjoyed this Mornings on Main Street event. Starting in May, the Chamber will be hosting these gatherings each month, on the third Tuesday of the month. While we invite you to contact us anytime with questions, thoughts or ideas, these member open house opportunities are a really easy way to connect with the projects the Chamber has going on, and a low pressure way to engage with others in the business community.

A quick update on upcoming events: it is Dairy Madness at the Chamber! The June Dairy Parade and Festival is set for June 24th. Entry forms for the June Dairy Parade will be going out early next week, and the coloring contest is OPEN. The parade route will be changing this year, and we will be working hard in the next few months to make sure that the information about the new route is available to everyone. The parade will now be STARTING at the high school, marching north up Main Ave., turning right and heading east on Third St. and disbanding at Goodspeed Park. We will be taking advantage of the open Second Street to host a large family friendly Dairy Festival.

Cork & Brew tickets will go on sale online April 10th! The Cork & Brew Tour takes place on June 16th, the Friday before Father’s Day.

If you have questions about these events or just want to talk Tillamook, feel free to call me at the Chamber (503) 842-7525, or email me at sierra@tillamookchamber.org.

 

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Cork & Brew Tour this June

 

By Sierra Lauder
Director of Events and Downtown Promotion

This June 16th marks the fourth annual Cork & Brew Tour coordinated by the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce. When we started this downtown wine and beer tasting tour in 2014, I think everyone was a bit skeptical on whether such an event would work in Tillamook. Sure, they did marvelous in larger cities that have more of a “downtown,” but Tillamook had never attempted anything like this before.

And yet here we are four years later, and each year the tour has grown both in attendance and enthusiasm. It has quickly become a summer kick-off event that so many look forward to.

Cork & Brew “Tourists” start the evening at a Launch Party at the Pelican Brewery, which will have some new surprises this year, before being set loose with passports that guide them through destinations throughout the downtown district. Businesses host tour stops, featuring craft beverage tastes and delicious food parings. Tourists receive a stamp in their passport at each stop, and after filling their passport are eligible for a grand prize drawing. Even if you don’t enjoy beer or wine, the deliciously fresh, locally made hors d’oeuvres, live music, and opportunity to visit and catch up with people you know makes it a fun summer evening.

Plus, it gives our community members a chance to congregate in different businesses that they might not normally patronize on a regular basis. The Cork & Brew Tour is really about exploring downtown, enjoying good company, and of course tasting craft brewed beers and Oregon-based wines. You might make new friends, or just discover your new favorite bottle of wine.

I have been eagerly meeting with businesses owners and managers to see who would like to host this year, and we will announce that list a little later. If we haven’t contacted you yet but you know you want to participate, go ahead and give us a call and we will be happy to set something up.

We are also seeking sponsorships for the event. As you all know, events take time and money to do well, and if you are an individual or organization that loves to see the bustle in downtown and wants to help make it another success for our community, there are two great options to sponsor the Cork & Brew Tour:

Tour Sponsor – $200: A Tour Sponsor will receive two tickets for the event; two glassware of your choice (beer or wine), a poster at the event, and an ad in the passport.

Presenting Sponsor – $500: Presenting Sponsors will receive four tickets to the event; glassware for four of your choice; a poster at the event; an ad in the passport; and promotional stage time at the launch party.

Both sponsorships will help secure supplies and entertainment, ensure proper advertising for the event and help cover the crazy amount of necessary permits required to make this event happen.

If you would like to help sponsor the 2017 Cork & Brew Tour, volunteer for the event, or would like to learn more about the event, please contact the Chamber of Commerce at 503-842-7525 or email sierra@tillamookchamber.org.

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February Mainstream Happenings

by Sierra Lauder
Director of Events and Downtown Promotion

February Frenzy! It’s been wild around the Mainstreet District these past few weeks. Enthusiastic teenagers with fully functioning vocal chords have been sharing street corners with sandwich boards full of activities, and yet there has still been plenty of room for shoppers who have zig zagged around town supporting Charity Drive events and Cash Mobs. There are two more Cash Mobs events on the roster- so keep those calendars out! This Saturday, February 25th, we’ll be at The Rendezvous from 4:30-6. Why so early? So we have plenty of time to walk over to Yo Time for the 6:30 Open Mic night hosted by Art Accelerated. Live music acts have signed up, as well as a handful of writers and poets; if you would like to be included in the roster, give the Chamber a call and we can help connect you to the sign-up sheet. March 5th (make a note- this date has changed) is a brunch Cash Mob at The Blue Moon Café. They are currently closed for some unanticipated remodeling, and are hoping to reopen for regular hours soon. It’s hard not to be in awe of our community this time of year, and the Chamber is both proud and honored to be a partner.

Planning has kicked off hot and heavy for the June Dairy Parade and Festival. The Festivals Committee, which meets year-round, is really starting to dig in to ideas, organization, and delegation. The coloring contest, which debuted last year, is about to go live. Check your local library branch for entry forms. You may recall the Pirate Fest and Penny Scramble that took place after the parade last year- this year we are hoping to grow that festival atmosphere and expand the children’s activities. Clubs, businesses or organizations who are interested in hosting or sponsoring an activity in the festival are invited to attend the Festivals Committee or stop by or call the Chamber.

I also recently had the opportunity to attend the Mainstreet Quarterly Workshop in Cottage Grove. It is so fun to visit another community and see how they tackle some of the same challenges we look at here, and compare ideas and strategies. Mainstreet programs from all over the state were present. We discussed strategies for consolidating sponsorships, working with partners, and grant funding opportunities available through the state for development projects in Mainstreet communities. There are a few different grants available for rehabilitation efforts, and we have visited with a few property owners who might be a match for these funds. If you have property that you are thinking of investing in and want to learn more about Mainstreet and the parameters of the grants that are available, please call or email me at the Chamber: (503) 842-7525, sierra@tillamookchamber.org.