Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The influence from outside.
As mentioned in my previous post, there is an attempt rolling in from the larger cities to drive some sense of community and culture towards Gray's Harbor. It is both an exciting and uncomfortable notion and to have it come from such powerful, outside forces makes me question their knowledge of the area the what they will be faced with. I took a day to look into some recent projects funded by outside entities and found some really interesting information:
Photo by: Tiggywinkle
The Morck Hotel: A restoration venture by Seattleite developer Chester Trabucco known for his success in restoring Astoria's 1924 Hotel Elliot to a four star boutique hotel. The Morck Hotel was the highlight of Aberdeen for some time being "the spot" for weddings, receptions, shopping and high school dances. There are local tales of a magnificent ballroom showcasing the grandeur of the lumber industry with exquisite wood inlays and decorations. For the past 40 years or so, it has been used for low income housing being one of the only places near the downtown area sizable enough for families.
With a little techy snooping, WhoIs.net points out that, as of March 19, 2008, the last update to the Morck Hotel website was December 4, 2006. Around June 2007, one of the primary backers, John Yonich, a Bellevue man and a graduate of Aberdeen High School, took legal action against Trabucco. With $750,000 already invested in the project, Yonich stated that Trabucco's plans did not make good financial sense and hoped that the legal action would either hand the project over to him or prove that Trabucco had the money to finish the project. This has left the hotel project in a mixed state. It is now painted a bright yellow color with purple trim and, for some time, a pickup truck painted with the same paints lingered along the side of the building.
(cont...)
Sources: The Daily World: June 13, 2007
Photo by: Tiggywinkle
The Morck Hotel: A restoration venture by Seattleite developer Chester Trabucco known for his success in restoring Astoria's 1924 Hotel Elliot to a four star boutique hotel. The Morck Hotel was the highlight of Aberdeen for some time being "the spot" for weddings, receptions, shopping and high school dances. There are local tales of a magnificent ballroom showcasing the grandeur of the lumber industry with exquisite wood inlays and decorations. For the past 40 years or so, it has been used for low income housing being one of the only places near the downtown area sizable enough for families.
With a little techy snooping, WhoIs.net points out that, as of March 19, 2008, the last update to the Morck Hotel website was December 4, 2006. Around June 2007, one of the primary backers, John Yonich, a Bellevue man and a graduate of Aberdeen High School, took legal action against Trabucco. With $750,000 already invested in the project, Yonich stated that Trabucco's plans did not make good financial sense and hoped that the legal action would either hand the project over to him or prove that Trabucco had the money to finish the project. This has left the hotel project in a mixed state. It is now painted a bright yellow color with purple trim and, for some time, a pickup truck painted with the same paints lingered along the side of the building.
(cont...)
Sources: The Daily World: June 13, 2007
Thursday, February 28, 2008
On the other end of town...
Returning back to the place where I became inspired to blog about SN&F, I find Sweet Nothings Popcorn Factory and Coffee House delightfully quiet and smelling like chocolate, coffee and popcorn. I head straight for the counter and end up speaking with Celia Barry, the owner of the quaint little shop on the corner.
The questions I asked were similar to the ones I asked at the Sweet Shop; "What are your feelings about distributing the zine? How well do you know Kelly? How do you feel about the content?" Surprisingly, Celia's responses were very similar and her outlook for the community made me excited for the things to come.
Things that were similar were the comments about Kelly being one of her best customers, and their ability to bring in business. "I'm open to anything that helps business out." It seems that everyone is overwhelmed with the creative aspect of Kelly's work and Celia want's to nurture anything that inspires the community and keep's spirits up.
On that note, Celia also mentioned the many efforts in the works to try and bring about a sense of community to Aberdeen and to get people together. One that I took note of was the Gray's Harbor Street Market, an effort funded and organized by outside entities, primarily from Seattle. It is intended to be an outdoor market for vendors which will take place during the spring and summer months starting on March 17th. At the time of the interview, Celia knew of 40 vendors signed up out of a potential capacity of 150. "Unfortunatly, I think most of them are from the Seattle and Olympia area; no one local yet."
I see this as a real problem...
The questions I asked were similar to the ones I asked at the Sweet Shop; "What are your feelings about distributing the zine? How well do you know Kelly? How do you feel about the content?" Surprisingly, Celia's responses were very similar and her outlook for the community made me excited for the things to come.
Things that were similar were the comments about Kelly being one of her best customers, and their ability to bring in business. "I'm open to anything that helps business out." It seems that everyone is overwhelmed with the creative aspect of Kelly's work and Celia want's to nurture anything that inspires the community and keep's spirits up.
On that note, Celia also mentioned the many efforts in the works to try and bring about a sense of community to Aberdeen and to get people together. One that I took note of was the Gray's Harbor Street Market, an effort funded and organized by outside entities, primarily from Seattle. It is intended to be an outdoor market for vendors which will take place during the spring and summer months starting on March 17th. At the time of the interview, Celia knew of 40 vendors signed up out of a potential capacity of 150. "Unfortunatly, I think most of them are from the Seattle and Olympia area; no one local yet."
I see this as a real problem...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Compiling a weekend...
Tonight will turn out to be one of the busiest nights of the year at the corner of 7th and J Street in Hoquiam and despite this, the midday atmosphere at the 7th Street Deli and Sweet Shop turns out to be fairly relaxed. What seems to be a few well known friends of owner Jennifer Sutherland relax and talk as she prepares for what will become a long night of serving ice cream and sandwiches as tonight is the opening of the high school musical at the adjacent 7th Street Theater.
Along with being one of the only places in town to pick up a decent grilled cheese sandwich, malt, or milkshake, (the ones where they bring you the mixing cup and you bring a friend) Jennifer's establishment also distributes copies of Kelly Hogaboom's zine, Sure Nail & Fire. Jennifer stated that both Kelly and her husband, Ralph, are two of her best customers and it only made sense to let her distribute at the Sweet Shoppe.
When asked how she felt about the contents and views of the zine, Jennifer frequently mentioned the word "family" to describe what she gathered from the first issue. She appreciated the DIY attitude and opinionated observations about the town and local happenings and although she admitted to not being too avid a reader, SF&N was accessible because of it's localized nature. The zine turns out to be something different, and kind of unexpected in our area where people might not take time out of their busy days to casually read.
SF&N has put a lot on the line for a chance at community and enlightenment, going where I have never seen anyone on the Harbor venture: it is an ideal for the Harbor that I still envision today.
Along with being one of the only places in town to pick up a decent grilled cheese sandwich, malt, or milkshake, (the ones where they bring you the mixing cup and you bring a friend) Jennifer's establishment also distributes copies of Kelly Hogaboom's zine, Sure Nail & Fire. Jennifer stated that both Kelly and her husband, Ralph, are two of her best customers and it only made sense to let her distribute at the Sweet Shoppe.
When asked how she felt about the contents and views of the zine, Jennifer frequently mentioned the word "family" to describe what she gathered from the first issue. She appreciated the DIY attitude and opinionated observations about the town and local happenings and although she admitted to not being too avid a reader, SF&N was accessible because of it's localized nature. The zine turns out to be something different, and kind of unexpected in our area where people might not take time out of their busy days to casually read.
SF&N has put a lot on the line for a chance at community and enlightenment, going where I have never seen anyone on the Harbor venture: it is an ideal for the Harbor that I still envision today.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
A little revision...
As you may have noticed, the title of this blog has changed which, undoubtedly means a change of content. Well, thankfully, this change is not a complete 180... it's more of like taking a magnifying glass to one portion of the previous topic; and I don't mean holding it at just that right distance to burn a hole in it.
With a little guidance from DTC 335 instructor Brett Oppegaard, I have taken a new approach to this blog; a little more focused, a little more personal. In reference to my previous post regarding Sure Nail and Fire, I will be taking a look into the beginnings of this particular zine, the current state and reception of the zine in it's current, early life and the future of the zine in the humble towns of Hoquiam and Aberdeen.
-ejj
With a little guidance from DTC 335 instructor Brett Oppegaard, I have taken a new approach to this blog; a little more focused, a little more personal. In reference to my previous post regarding Sure Nail and Fire, I will be taking a look into the beginnings of this particular zine, the current state and reception of the zine in it's current, early life and the future of the zine in the humble towns of Hoquiam and Aberdeen.
-ejj
Saturday, February 2, 2008
What are you thinking?
Photo by: ralphhogaboom
So, how did I come to this topic, anyways?
Well, here is a little bit of back story to let you know why I even want to do this:
I stayed inside on one of many rainy days in the small coastal city of Aberdeen, WA. I grew up in the area and know about most of the places where I can just hang out when I need to. My choice that day was Sweet Nothings Popcorn Factory and Coffee House where I did a large batch of graphic design work which needed a good deal of uninterrupted attention that just didn't come from being at home. I felt like this one coffee shop seemed like the only portion in town that was "caught up" with the rest of the world. Anyone could stay for indefinite amounts of time without the uncomfortable feelings that some places get when an unknown person sticks around. It also has free wi-fi.
During one of my "mental breaks" that I gave myself, I noticed a design that caught my eye on a piece of paper sitting on the table. Good design of this nature was typical of college towns and larger cities, not my hometown. My curiosity that day allowed me to stumble upon Kelly Hogaboom's creation: Sure Nail & Fire, a lifestyle/culture zine for an area that I always felt was lacking in the lifestyle/culture department.
My mind raced with the possibilities of this discovery (personal contribution and involvement, subscription, etc.) and now, because of this blog, I can become both a contributer and a proponent of small town culture.
I swear, my writing will get more interesting and personal.
-ejj
What is this all about?
So, if you're reading this, I probably told you to come here, there's some requirement behind you're coming here, or you honestly have some interest in what I am attempting to do which would surprise me. Well, this is the inaugural post and I really feel that I should state some goals to let both readers and myself know what to expect/do. Here it is:
· To inspire small town groups to extend their sense of community and culture to the online realm.
· To study and report on small-town groups which have implemented online communication/collaboration to discover successes and faults.
· To see how small town culture/lifestyle blogs contribute or compete with bloggers from larger areas.
· To explore the reasoning behind any resistance to adopt or hesitance to implement online tools, from small town communities.
This is my own personal idea of where I want to go at the moment. By no means is this set in concrete; this is the internet after all.
Here's to some level of success!
-ejj
· To inspire small town groups to extend their sense of community and culture to the online realm.
· To study and report on small-town groups which have implemented online communication/collaboration to discover successes and faults.
· To see how small town culture/lifestyle blogs contribute or compete with bloggers from larger areas.
· To explore the reasoning behind any resistance to adopt or hesitance to implement online tools, from small town communities.
This is my own personal idea of where I want to go at the moment. By no means is this set in concrete; this is the internet after all.
Here's to some level of success!
-ejj
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