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Whether you’re looking for vintage clothing at great prices, a new tattoo or perhaps some delicious Mexican food, the August Summer Bash — scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 8 through Aug. 10 in downtown Centralia — is the place to be.
The event is being organized by The Cluttered Closet co-owner Madison Horn, who is collaborating with her neighbors, JJ’s Sports Bar co-owners Lizeth Torrecillas Martinez and Juan Martinez Sr., to host the event.
Horn is also working with her other soon-to-be business neighbor, Cosmic Tattoo owner Candi Beaver, who is currently working to finish renovating the space at 531 N. Tower Ave. in Centralia into her new tattoo and piercing studio.
The Cluttered Closet is located at 529 N. Tower Ave., and JJ’s Sports Bar at 537 N. Tower Ave. at the former location of Bub’s Pub Sports Bar & Grill, Joe’s Tavern and other downtown Centralia drinking establishments dating back decades.
Additionally, JJ’s Sports Bar’s name comes from a combination of Juan Sr.’s name along with his son, Juan Martinez Jr. It is not affiliated with JJ’s ToGo, which, though located several blocks south of JJ’s Sports Bar on Tower Avenue, is closing at the end of July, according to the business’ Facebook.
The Chronicle visited Cluttered Closet, Cosmic Tattoo and JJ’s Sports Bar on Thursday, July 24, to learn more about the upcoming August Summer Bash.
While North Tower Avenue is considered the more rundown part of downtown Centralia and neglected when it comes to things like downtown’s annual Christmas lights and wreaths, Horn said it wasn’t hard collaborating with Beaver and the Martinez family to get them to join in on the summer bash.
“We all very much share a similar dream for this area. They also see the potential in North Tower and what can become of this area,” Horn said.
While Cosmic Tattoo has been located in multiple suites inside the Tower Avenue Mall, Beaver explained with her staff now consisting of four tattoo artists and one piercer and the tattoo parlor hosting monthly events, Cosmic Tattoo needed more space.
“Every month we do an event called Club Cosmic, where we have a live band and local art vendors that come through too for it,” Beaver said.
Currently, she is working on completing Cosmic Tattoo’s new location.
“We’ll be in here officially tattooing by next Thursday. A lot of work to do between now and then,” Beaver added.
For the August Summer Bash, Cosmic Tattoo will also be offering flash tattoos with hundreds of designs available.
JJ’s Sports Bar will also have an outside patio set up for attendees to purchase food, and like previous August Summer Bash events, local mobile vendors will also be in attendance — including fresh squeezed lemonade from Liquid Sunshine Lemonade and the Lewis County Axe Throwing mobile axe-throwing trailer on Saturday and Sunday.
Those looking to enjoy a beer will have to stay inside JJ’s Sports Bar as alcohol is not allowed outside, though JJ’s does have a patio area in the back where customers are welcome to drink.
“We’re gonna have mini empanadas, taquitos, chips and salsa with guac,” Lizeth Torrecillas Martinez said.
With their first year in business almost completed after opening last October as previously reported by The Chronicle, JJ’s Sports Bar is happy to be participating in the event.
“This area has so much potential. We want people to see everything that’s going on here too, and we want people to see everything that’s going on here so they can drive a little further north and discover all the new things happening here,” JJ’s Sports Bar bartender Gabby Sibaja added.
Cluttered Closet will also be offering discounts up to 40% off on merchandise in the boutique. Additionally, those who make purchases at any of the three North Tower Avenue businesses hosting the August Summer Bash will automatically be entered into a raffle.
“Us and JJ’s, every $5 you spend is an additional raffle ticket,” Horn added.
Raffle prizes include baskets with items and gift certificates from other downtown Centralia businesses including Urban Farmgirl, Insert Coin, The Hub and the Centralia Downtown Association.
During the event, Horn will also be looking to gather signatures for a local petition she hopes to take to the Centralia City Council to urge city officials to invest more in rejuvenating the North Tower Avenue area.
“The more we take care of this area with the sidewalks and the lighting, the more people are going to want to take advantage of the buildings that need to be redone. Nobody wants to redo a business and spend all that money in a building when the area around it is also kind of crappy,” Horn said. “... We didn’t even get the free pressure washing the rest of downtown got. It really does suck. That’s the biggest thing is showing, if they’re not going to do it, that we have a community that wants it done.”
Though it’s not officially open as a dining restaurant on North Tower Avenue, Ox Centralia Catering recently announced it is working on remodeling a business space as previously reported by The Chronicle, in the area just steps away from Cluttered Closet.
“That’s another reason for our event, to show there is life here,” Horn added.
For more information on the August Summer Bash, visit the event’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/2tcmyhmj.
