By Sarah Schrock
You have heard of those ghost towns in the middle of nowhere, where you can buy the entire town, right? Well, I am a little concerned. Wauconda, just east of here on Highway 20, sold for $360,000 just a year ago on eBay. It seems as though every week there’s another “for sale” sign up on a building in town here, so I hope that’s not where we are headed in Twisp.
Perhaps it’s the changing of the guard, as one neighbor recently remarked, time to usher out the old and bring in the new. Well, newbies, we are ready for your investment in our town. Empty storefronts and “for sale” signs certainly don’t attract visitors. Heck, they probably shy away a few valley folk too. Well, don’t be shy. In fact, the only way this tide is going to turn is to spend locally.
There are still a number of open businesses to support. Ladies, have you dropped into Poppie Jo’s lately? Joanne always has affordable, fashionable, unique clothing to spice up your wardrobe, plus her antique collection is always worth a walk through. Around the corner, the Trick Pony is a great place for unique gifts and fun accessories for that special someone. If you bought a Methow Values Coupon Book last year, you have one month to start using up those coupons before they expire on Oct. 31. It’s just what you need to make you spend and save. Granted, with the Twisp River Pub and Antlers still unopened and the recent closing of Logan’s, the eatery options have taken a hit. Still, there are plenty of options to grab a bite or sit down for dinner. Check with Twisp River Suites for their local dinner night with music by the river.
Like most of us though, eating out isn’t an everyday affair, so when it comes to daily necessities we still thankfully have Hank’s Harvest Foods. Walking into Hank’s is akin to walking onto the set of the 1980 sitcom “Cheers,” where everyone knows your name. Only instead of everyone cheering “Norm” upon entering and Woody Harrelson behind a bar to giggle at, I get to talk to Hank about his recent leopard hunt in Zimbabwe and find locally grown produce alongside dragon fruit from some equally exotic place. Glover Street Market’s wine cellar and juice bar is a special treat, and of course there’s always something good at Cinnamon Twisp.
There are other businesses that do a great job too: Twisp Feed, where Katrina is always super helpful, Methow Valley Lumber where Bob can help you fix, build, or renovate anything, and the Do it Center and Cascade Pipe and Feed have a lot of what you need for your home and garden. I appreciate the bulk bins at Cascade Pipe where each item isn’t wrapped in plastic — you can actually see it and touch it before you buy it.
Call me nostalgic, but hunting through the bins of irrigation fixtures at Cascade Pipe reminds me of Sunday trips to the hardware store with my dad as a kid, where I’d gaze at all the gadgets and gizmos, unsure of what they were for. I still don’t know what most of that stuff is for, but’s it fun to look.
If it’s stuff you are looking for, there’s one sale you might not want to miss. Sally Gracie, my predecessor, wrote frequently of Sheely/Shrager family. Brandon Sheely was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease a year ago after suffering strange neurological symptoms, fatigue and chronic pain that followed a foot injury, leaving him unable to work. The road to recovery has been a difficult journey for this family of four that suffered partial loss of their house and farm in the Carlton Complex Fire. In the midst of rebuilding their home and farm after the fire, Brandon’s treatment ramped up and includes trips to see a specialist in Seattle — it’s been pricey. While the family awaits disability payments and final repairs to their home, they are raising funds through an auction of farm and home equipment. The auction will be held Saturday, Oct. 8, on lower Beaver Creek Road just south of the Finley Canyon junction. Look for flyers around town with details. Brandon is a bit of a collector, so the items for sale will surely be unique and rare.
