Business | The Daily Chronicle

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

Brady and Boyd Calder smile for a photo outside Bartel's in Chehalis Tuesday afternoon.

‘Everybody Has a Bartel’s Story’: Chehalis Store Celebrates 100 Years

Before murals went up on the city walls, before the farmers market was held across the street and even before the smells of mint began to drift out of Callisons, Chehalis became home to family-owned … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 7/27/22

Jenni Bourdon smiles as she cuts a ribbon during a ceremony for the opening of the Sandstone Distillery Tasting Room in downtown Tenino on Thursday. The new tasting room is located at 297 Sussex Ave. W. in Tenino. The room will be open Saturday and Sunday for Oregon Trail Days. Learn more by following the Sandstone Distillery on Facebook.

In Focus: Sandstone Distillery Opens Tasting Room in Tenino

7/22/22

A Dollar General location located at 416 Reynolds Ave. in Centralia.

Dollar General Backs Out of Silver Creek Location Proposal

A few weeks ago, a spokesperson from Dollar General said the company was in the due diligence phase of evaluating a proposed location in the Silver Creek area at 170 Gershick Road. It would mark … more

By The Chronicle staff | 7/22/22

French Toast and Co. Mercantile owner Tammie Krist, left, celebrates her business's one-year anniversary on Saturday with her daughters Staci, middle, and Amberly.

French Toast & Co. Mercantile Brings a Vintage Touch to Centralia, Celebrates One Year Anniversary

When Tammie Krist was looking for a place to set up her French Toast & Co. Mercantile store one year ago, as an Olympia resident, she didn’t have any connections to the Centralia area. But … more

By Matthew Zylstra / matthew@chronline.com | 7/19/22

A cow eats hay pushed into reach by the Lely Juno automatic feed pusher, affectionately nicknamed after the Pixar character “WALL-E” by its owners, at Sun-Ton Farms in Adna on Friday.

Sun-Ton Farms Incorporates Robots in Adna Dairy Operation

Sun-Ton Farms has taken on several new employees to help with its organic dairy operation near Adna, though they’re not the typical farm hands the fourth-generation family farm has hired in the … more

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com | 7/18/22

U-Haul Partners With Onalaska Business to Provide Local Service

U-Haul Company of Washington announced Tuesday that Ony Hardware LLC signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer to serve the Onalaska community. Ony Hardware, located at 112 Brim Road, will offer … more

By The Chronicle staff | 7/13/22

Payton Pocklington, wearing the yellow hat at center right, is pictured posing with vendors outside The White Space in downtown Centralia for the grand opening on Saturday

‘The White Space’ Event Venue Opens in Downtown Centralia

Most event venues come with a theme pre-prepared, be it shabby-chic, modern, farmhouse or otherwise. But Payton Pocklington, 24, of Centralia, wanted to create a venue that would be as diverse as … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 7/11/22