Dianes' Gifts
No, my apostrophe in Dianes' is not misplaced.
The newest gift shop in Clatskanie is a collaboration of many
persons with variations on the name Diane. The mother is Marjorie
Diane Miles, her daughter is Dianna Perry: In addition, there
is another Diane or two in the family roster.
Marjorie is originally from southern California. Her husband,
Lee Miles, worked in dredging, on barges and in construction.
He has been working as a union member in construction for 36 years.
The couple's three children were all born in Portland, but if
Lee's work took him to another locale, Marjorie and children followed.
She spent 30 years being a stay-at-home mom....wherever that home
tended to be at the time. If the job for Lee was going to encompass
a long stint, she enrolled the children in school nearby. If the
schools near the jobsite didn't work out, Marjorie would bring
the kids back to Oregon to finish the term. "We lived in
Montana for three summers in a row,"said Marjorie, "and
also in California and Washington. After the children were grown
we started taking jobs further away." When her husband took
a job in Egypt, Marjorie went along. That trip, and meeting the
driver they hired while there, has changed her life.
Her daughter, Dianna, is married to Matthew Perry, who also works
in the construction industry. She worked for a while in a pharmacy,
but "I always thought one day I would open my own store,"
she said. As a mother of a new little one, having her own place
of employment with grandma close at hand is a great thing.
The two of them opened Dianes' Gifts in what was Flowers and Fluff
on October 12, 1999. They have a large selection of Egyptian perfume
bottles that are purchased specifically for them by the man that
was their driver in Egypt. "We became good friends with our
driver and I hadn't seen any perfume bottles like them around
the U.S. at the time, so I thought, I'll come home to the states
and sell them," said Marjorie. In addition to the colored
glass perfume bottles which range in price up to $85.00, the store
carries candles, bookends, trinkets, birdbaths and other garden
needs. The least expensive items are jewelry priced at $1.95 while
an acrylic lady statue is $149.00.
Dianes' Gifts
Owners: Dianna Perry &
Marjorie Diane Miles
Address: 220 East Columbia River Hwy
Clatskanie, Oregon 97106
Telephone: 503/728-1126
Hours: M - F 9:30a - 7p,
Saturday 9:30a - 6p, Sunday 10a - 3p
Sharon's
Gifts
Sharon Rauwolf was "raised in Portland, but took time off
from college to go to Alaska to "..make my millions,"
she said. She and a girlfriend headed up north and she worked
in a cannery, as well as in restaurants and as a cocktail waitress.
She opened a clay shop to teach ceramics, "a family tradition,"
and added some gifts items as an additional component to the shop.
She ended up staying in Alaska for 13 years. She returned to the
Portland area for family reasons and ended up in Seaside nine
years ago, since this is where her parents had retired. "We
had been coming to our beach house in Surf Pines since I was a
teenager," she said. Sharon spent eight years managing the
Seasider Motel and during her work there started managing vacation
rentals. On June 1, 1999 she moved her vacation rental business,
called Oceanside Vacation Rentals, to a gift shop of her own called
Sharon's Gifts. The shop serves as a check-in point for her 21
vacation rental properties and the guests get a chance to see
the gifts at that time. "What really brings people in,"said
Sharon, "is the big sign out in front that says Beanie Babies.
I'm just amazed at the traffic." The shop also carries stained
glass suncatchers, candles, ornaments, handmade crafts and other
items ranging from key chains for $2.50 on up to lamps for $69.95
Sharon's Gifts/Oceanside Vacation Rentals
Owner: Sharon Rauwolf
Address: 43 North Holladay Drive
Seaside, Oregon 97138
Telephone: 503/738-7767
Toll Free: 800/840-7764
e-mail: seasider@pacifier.com
Website: www.oceanside1.com
Hours: M,W,Th,Sat 10 - 5p
Friday, 10a - 6p, Sunday, 11a - 5p
Closed Tuesday
Tumbleweeds
Why did Shannon Meik open Tumble-weeds in downtown Astoria?
"I was making clothes for my own child and everyone kept
asking where I got them. In addition, I knew there wasn't anyplace
to find nice quality children's things in the area, and I had
been selling quilts through two other stores in California,"
answered Shannon. On May 27, 1999 she opened Tumbleweeds at 1139
Commercial Street in Astoria. "We started out with the name
Hollyhocks," said Shannon, "but felt that was too feminine."
There are no employees at this time but mom, Lynne Leland, helps
in the shop and does some of the sewing. Husband, Chris Meik and
dad, Rod Leland, are supportive.
The store carries items as low as $1.50 for wooden letters and
as high as $200.00 for a custom-sewn baby quilt with applique.
Standard quilts run approximately $75.00. In addition to the Tumbleweeds
home brand, Togs for Tumbleweeds, Shannon makes custom quilts
and bedding, and carries Sweet Potatoes, Baby Lulu, Wes &
Wiley, Baby Bjorn and Boppe children's' clothing.
Shannon's daughter, Gabrielle, now three years old, acts as "official
greeter," while Shannon enjoys most hearing about her customer's
families, making just the right quilt when the customer couldn't
find anything as special and making a "theme" out of
the front window display. The hardest part, she says, is knowing
what to order a season or two in advance. LCB
Tumbleweeds
Owner: Shannon Meik
Address: 1139 Commercial Street,
Astoria, Oregon 97103
Telephone: 503/325-2458
Hours: Tues - Sat, 10 - 5p
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