Get Ready For August

A ugust promises to be a busy and exciting month for Waitsburg. Harvest, if it even starts for some farmers before the end of July, will go well into August. The slow maturation from cooler spring and summer temperatures promise bigger yields. Some observers estimate this year's harvest could set a record in the region.

That means that a month that's usually marked by high heat and slowing farm activity could see the fields around town and elsewhere in the Touchet Valley buzzing.

But the rolling hills that surround us won't be the only scene of excitement.

At the beginning of the month, three new food establishments will open - two on Main Street and one on Preston Avenue, where a fourth, a new consignment shop, will also invite customers in for the first time.

In a town the size of Waitsburg, the opening of one store is a fairly momentous occasion. We recall how great it was to be able to start ordering Mexican take-out food from Don Miguel and now Old El Paso.

Before it, the opening of the Whoopemup Hollow Cafe, the jimgermanbar and the Laht Neppur brewery, were all reasons to celebrate a new culinary direction, a unique flavor that would be a great discovery even in a city as big as Spokane or Seattle.

Now, not one, but three one-of-a-kind establishments are opening all at once on the weekend of Aug. 5 - Betty's Diner, Anchor tavern and Coppei Coffee. Since they were all headed towards a similar completion date, their owners decided to coordinate their openings and make a Triple Grand to coincide with the Classic Auto Show.

It didn't come without its challenges. The Anchor's opening goal was delayed in part because inspectors called for an unforeseen fire suppression system. Betty's Diner was told it needed to replace the floor in the old pizza kitchen. Coppei Coffee had to add a main electrical shutoff connecting the two breaker panels in each of the two new spaces: the espresso bar and the "living room" behind the Times.

Each project reportedly went over budget on something - the renovation, the equipment or both. But in the end, the birth of a new business came together for each of the owners and now Waitsburg's growing reputation as a food destination is about to take another leap, as is its food service work force.

If the existing businesses had about 15 full-time jobs, the three new ones are expected to add another 10, not to mention the many part-time or shift positions that will offer employment opportunities closer to home for local residents.

Local residents and visitors alike now have more choices and more reasons to stop in town, bringing new tax revenues for the city.

It is true that other businesses have come and gone in the past. That's not unusual in a small town with a limited market for products or services sold on Main Street. The Mock building that will be the espresso bar's new home, for instance, has gone through many incarnations, from pool hall to print shop. The fortunes of food and drink establishments in particular are unpredictable.

What's different about the town now is its growing attraction as a fun, tasty and historically charming place to visit. With its sophistication among local consumers and businesses, Waitsburg is quickly expanding its following among travelers from as far away as Seattle and Portland. Much of that has to do with the one-of-a-kind businesses already here.

Just last week, Waitsburg and Dayton were named among the state's five best places for cycling and driving.

We want to wish the owners and managers of the new businesses the best of luck with their enterprises.

We hope the type of collaboration it took to arrange the Triple Grand during the auto show can grow among the entire merchant community in Waitsburg and the Touchet Valley - through the tourism alliance, the Commercial Club, the Dayton Chamber Of Commerce and the cities.

Waitsburg is on the map as one of the best and friendliest little stops along the way in this corner of the country.