Business | The Daily Chronicle

John and Jenni Bourdon, owners of Sandstone Distillery, are pictured in their new downtown tasting room.

‘Opportunity and Timing’ Help Bring Sandstone Distillery Tasting Room to Downtown Tenino

John and Jenni Bourdon had not really planned to open a second tasting room besides the one at their Tenino area Sandstone Distillery. They certainly did not plan to do it in the waning days of a … more

By Carrina Stanto / For The Chronicle | 9/12/22

Tasha Landram and family pause for a photo amid drink and conversation at Tumac Taproom in Napavine on Friday.

Tumac Taproom Seeks to Create Community Hangout Space in Napavine

The brick building at 108 E. Washington St. in Napavine has been a lot of things in the 100 or so years since it was built. “I heard post office, dog grooming, gourmet hot dog stand, DVD … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 9/12/22

A pair of Georgia Boot Romeos are seen on display in this Chronicle file photo.

Chehalis Outfitters Looks to Give Hunger the Boot

Chehalis Outfitters and Georgia Boot are teaming up for a two-week “Truckload Boot Sale” Sept. 15-18. The business is carrying on the tradition of the Sunbird Shopping Center, which … more

By The Chronicle staff | 9/9/22

Chehalis PCLI Optometrist Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award

Chehalis optometrist Dr. David Stanfield, from the Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute (PCLI), has received the 2022 “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Great Western Council of … more

By The Chronicle staff | 9/8/22

An announcement was made in the latest edition of The White Pass Highway Shopper.

White Pass Highway Shopper to Publish Final Issue After 47 Years

A weekly publication available from Naches to Centralia is publishing its final issue. The Packwood-based White Pass Highway Shopper has been publishing since 1976, focusing on outdoors … more

By The Chronicle staff | 9/6/22

The Pasta Bowl is located at 1780 North National Avenue in Chehalis.

The Pasta Bowl: New Italian Restaurant Finds Early Success in Chehalis

Amy Clark always wanted to own her own business, so when the 37-year-old Chehalis resident saw an empty building on North National Avenue, she decided to take a chance and open an Italian restaurant. … more

By Matthew Zylstra / matthew@chronline.com | 9/2/22

Pins are set for bowling at Mill Town Lanes in Morton.

In Focus: New Morton Business Milltown Smokehouse Features Barbecue, Bowling and Brews

After opening the weekend of the Morton Loggers’ Jubilee, a new Morton business in an old-yet-renovated building — Milltown Smokehouse — has seen great success. In what has been … more

By The Chronicle staff | 9/2/22

The newly remodeled facade of the Hotel Packwood is pictured.

After Year of Remodeling, Historic Hotel Packwood Built Around 1912 Now Operational

As if the surrounding forests and views of Mount Rainier didn’t already cement Packwood as a logging town-turned-tourist destination, now visitors can sleep in the very rooms occupied by … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 8/31/22

Pam and Steven Kaiser smile for a photo inside the Lucky 'N Lawless Bakery Friday afternoon in Centralia.

New ‘Lucky ‘N Lawless’ Bakery Owners Celebrate Opening With Ribbon-Cutting

Pam Kaiser was all smiles on Friday as friends and community members embraced her at the ribbon-cutting for her new bakery. Put on by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, the event was … more

By Matthew Zylstra / matthew@chronline.com | 8/29/22

Clockwise from top left, the entrance to Visiting Nurses Thrift Store on Chehalis Avenue, a sign on the facade of Visiting Nurses Thrift Store in Centralia, a sign advertising a 50% off sale outside Thrift Center next to Chehalis Outfitters and a sign outside the Reliable Enterprises New Life Thrift Store.

Reporter’s Notebook: My Ultimate Twin Cities Thrift Crawl

A haiku: Life is tough at times One thing helps me feel better Going thrift shopping Imagine a mom-and-pop shop with clothing, art, shoes, games, toys, books and all other sorts … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 8/26/22

Vehicles line up at the Pearl Street Grocery & Deli Shell station on Saturday afternoon during a Lewis County Cruisers car show. The business temporarily reduced the cost of unleaded gasoline to $2.89 per gallon. The promotion led to a long line of vehicles stretching along the shoulder on North Pearl Street in Centralia. Regular gas prices resumed at 3 p.m. as the cost went back to $4.69 a gallon at the Shell station.

In Focus: $2.89 Per Gallon Gas, Lewis County Cruisers Car Show Attracts Crowds in Centralia Saturday

8/22/22

Ken Dunbar’s Glacier Combat Arts: Sila Voli West is one of several new additions to Centralia’s Fairway Center.

Glacier Combat Arts: New School in Centralia’s Fairway Center Focuses on Function, Self-Defense

When Ken Dunbar was a kid, he dreamed of becoming a ninja. But while other kids were watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and dreaming about becoming Leonardo or Raphael, Dunbar wanted to be … more

By Carrina Stanton / For The Chronicle | 8/22/22

Joshua Hail shows a page from the "Illustrated History of Apples" a comprehensive guide to antique apple varieties, from which some of Hail's "lost" apple tree varieties have been identified.

At Silver Creek Orchard, 3 Dog Cider & Brewstillery Keeps It Local, Finds Lost Apple Varieties

By Carrina Stanton For The Chronicle Just a few miles off U.S. Highway 12 on Silver Creek Road, big things are happening at one very small orchard. Family legacies are being carried on. … more

8/19/22

A grain conveyor belt moves grain from a truck to a hopper car to be shipped out to regional and international markets via rail.

Southwest Washington Grain Project Update: Storage Project Will Inject Estimated $18M in Local Economy Over Nine Years

Note: This story was produced by the Economic Alliance of Lewis County as part of it's monthly special section published in The Chronicle. Lewis County has a long-time heritage of … more

By the Economic / Alliance of Lewis County | 8/14/22

Grocery Outlet co-owner Michael Morgan (far right) poses with some of his employees. About 20 percent of his workforce have some form of disability. He calls hiring those with disabilities “the right thing to do.”

Hiring Developmentally Disabled a ‘Win-Win’: Grocery Outlet an Example of the Benefits

Note: This story was produced by the Economic Alliance of Lewis County as part of it's monthly special section published in The Chronicle. Michael Morgan is co-owner of the Grocery Outlet in … more

By the Economic Alliance of Lewis County | 8/14/22

Tonya Hagan, left, stands in front of Bill & Bea’s Drive-in with Jill and Denny Greene Tuesday afternoon.

Longtime Employee to Become the New Owner of Centralia's Bill & Bea’s Drive-In

For 24 years, Tonya Hagan has worked at and managed Centralia’s iconic Bill & Bea’s Drive-in. Now, she is going to own it. Come Sept. 1, current owners Jill and Denny Greene … more

By Owen Sexton / owen@chronline.com | 8/10/22

Centralia Bakery Lucky N Lawless to Hold Ribbon Cutting Aug. 26

The Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Lucky ‘N Lawless on Friday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m. Lucky ‘N Lawless is a new bakery that opened on April … more

By The Chronicle staff | 8/10/22

FILE PHOTO — Master stonecutter Keith Phillips demonstrates how he carves intricate designs into sandstone in 2016.

City of Tenino Enters Lease Agreement With Tenino Stone Carvers for Workshop, Commercial Operations

The Stone City is building on its rocky foundation. The City of Tenino announced Thursday it has entered into a lease agreement with the Tenino Stone Carvers to occupy a portion of a city-owned … more

By The Chronicle staff | 7/29/22

Visitors from the Boys and Girls Club smile and hold up painted rocks at the Pace Family Lavender Farm in Adna on Thursday.

Pace Family Lavender Farm West of Chehalis Hosts Local Boys and Girls Club for Field Trip

Students from the Boys and Girls Club in Chehalis got to go on a very literal field trip on Thursday morning, to a lavender field run by the Pace Family Lavender Farm west of Chehalis. From 10 … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 7/29/22

Shiplap Quilt Shop and Coffee House, Tenino

Shiplap Quilt Shop and Coffee House in Tenino Wins 'Economic Courage' Award

Five Olympia area businesses have won "economic courage" awards, the Thurston Economic Development Council announced this month. What is economic courage? The EDC defines it in the … more

Rolf Boone / The Olympian | 7/28/22