By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
The Waldport Chamber of Commerce is taking advantage of the recent purchase of run-down properties on the busiest corner in downtown to open an office and visitor center.
Abe Silvonen, owner of Eager Beaver Furniture and Bainbridge Investments, recently purchased the property and buildings that once housed four small businesses at the corner of U.S. Highway 101 and Oregon Highway 34.
Silvonen is remodeling and cleaning up the corner building, once home to the Chocolate Frog. The chamber hopes to move there this week or next.
Once the chamber is in, Silvonen said he will renovate the exteriors and interiors of the remaining three storefronts along Highway 101. All have been rented, he said, “and there were five more people waiting behind them.”
“I love Waldport,” Silvonen told YachatsNews. “I’ll buy anything here. There’s a lot of people looking for space. There’s a synergy here.”
The chamber said it moved quickly to rent the corner building after being told by the city of Waldport that its recently-acquired interpretive center at the south end of the Alsea Bay Bridge might not be ready to open for months.
Chamber director Laura Furgurson said opening an office/visitor center was the top goal in a recent survey of the chamber’s 65 members.
“We are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to rent the old Chocolate Frog space …” Furgurson said. “It is great timing and the lease terms with the new owner are very favorable and fit well with the chamber’s current needs and budget.”
Furgurson said the chamber is working on plans how to best set up and use the 1,200-square feet of space, but wants it to become a gathering spot for the community. The chamber hopes the office can be used by people looking to get together or to use Wi-fi, by visitors in search of regional activities, and businesses needing a meeting space, she said.
“We’ll keep it really simple at first,” Furgurson told YachatsNews. “But it’s a huge win for this community that Abe Silvonen bought this space. It’s just such an important space.”
Furgurson said the chamber has the first right of refusal to rent the adjacent 500-square-foot office which is connected by a doorway. It is seeking grants to possibly create a business incubator/catalyst center, teen entrepreneur program along with shared work and meeting space for people working remotely, local businesses and chamber members. The chamber also wants to set up “pop-up” shop space for regional products, and is already drawing interest from artists who want to display and sell their creations. It is recruiting volunteers to help staff the center and shop.
Waldport City Manager Dann Cutter said the city was excited to see the chamber move quickly to lock down the new office and embark on “a more dynamic effort in supporting Waldport businesses and growth.”
“In turn, the city will be working diligently to remodel the newly acquired Alsea Bay Interpretive Center to be a complementary asset to the chamber in coming years,” said Cutter in a news release.
Furgurson said the chamber’s visitor center will be run exclusively by volunteers and encouraged people interested in helping to go to the group’s new website or email her at director@waldportchamber.org
Furgurson works part-time for the Waldport and Depoe Bay chambers under a three-year tourism development grant from Lincoln County. She said the chamber is focusing on three main elements: emphasizing outdoor recreation opportunities in the Waldport area, beautification of downtown, and economic development.
