The Tillamook County Creamery Association recently released their plans to build a brand new visitors center, which will be begin next Spring. This is a very exciting development for our community that will enhance the current experience for our visitors and add more capacity for destination spending.
It also means that we have to move. When you look at the plans for their new Visitor’s Center, which will be nearly 50 percent bigger than the current building, it is quite apparent that they will also need to redesign the flow of their parking lot and can no longer accommodate our building. We’ve been blessed with this location for several years now and it has served us well, but we’re excited about the new opportunities both for the Creamery and the Chamber.
Now for the really exciting part! We are moving back to downtown Tillamook!
Thanks to a considerable financial contribution from the Creamery, we were able to obtain financing to purchase the building at 208 Main Avenue, where Bells Office Supply currently resides. The generosity of the Creamery’s leadership and its Board of Directors has been phenomenal, and we wouldn’t have been able to relocate without their help. Even though they had no obligation to help us, they stepped forward in a very generous way and we are so grateful for their support.
We were able to buy the building from its owners, who have operated Bells Office Supply since 2004. Many of you may know Scott and Mary, who were excited to sell the building to the Chamber and are still contemplating where they will relocate. Scott and Mary have a valuable service to the community and we are going to make sure we do what we can to minimize impact on their business.
So what does all this mean for you? Why is it so exciting to have the Chamber back downtown? It means being able to better assist downtown customers; it means better business relations; and it means bringing the positive energy of having a Chamber in the core of downtown.
We have some exciting additions beyond visitor information for the new location, including a small retail space upfront to highlight locally-made products, a large meeting space and a business lounge.
Wait, what’s a business lounge? It’s a comfortable, open area with tall tables and comfortable seating that allows people to come in and meet with colleagues or clients. It’s perfect for those people who find themselves in town for business or in-between meetings and would love to have a landing place to do some work for a bit or get online. It will be especially beneficial for those businesses that don’t have a brick and mortar location, such as photographers, independent contractors, and so forth.
And while we will miss the opportunity to further assist visitors at the Cheese Factory, the Creamery has announced it plans to include a space for mini “visitors’ information center” inside the new facility.
Overall, I believe this is a positive change for our community and we are eagerly awaiting our move-in date this Winter. There will be a remodel phase, but I hope you’ll stop in and say hi.
The Chamber Board and myself value your input and insight. Feel free to contact us anytime at info@tillamookchamber.org.