Peg Miller's Oregon Coast Shopping, Antiques News
Covering 180 miles of Oregon coast travel & shopping: Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway, Garibaldi, Tillamook, Oceanside, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Wadport, Yachats & Florence.

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Antiquing on the North Oregon Coast

by Peg Miller

Oddity found at Wheeler Station in 2002

For this inaugural "Shopping 101" column it seems obvious to me that I should begin with the North Coast cities grouped around Nehalem Bay. Pay no attention to the fact that it's my own neighborhood. Future columns will take me the length of the coast covered by Beachconnection.net from Seaside to Florence.

The tri-city area of Wheeler-Nehalem-Manzanita is home to dozens of legends of treasure buried on Neahkahnie Mountain and contains enough treasure-filled antiques shops to warrant an entire weekend.

Wheeler, on Nehalem Bay, has the greatest square footage of antiques and collectibles, beginning with the "mother-of-them-all" - Wheeler Station on Highway 101 in the city's diminutive downtown. There is a tremendous variety here, including more glass floats than I've ever seen in one place. Owner Sandy Sandhagen specializes in automotive memorabilia. This huge shop is the only place in Wheeler where it's possible to get lost, since everything else in Wheeler is just around the corner. (503-368-5677)

Across the street on 101 is newcomer Richfield Antiques, (503-368-3398) looking jam-packed as if it's been there for many years. Variety includes furniture, glassware, tools and - once - a creepy bear trap.

Wheeler Antiques sits underneath the Old Wheeler Hotel, featuring hundreds of items crammed into a small space. Owned by local historian Garry Gitzen, it also features a treasure trove of historical documents from the Nehalem area. (503) 368-7959.

Staying on Highway 101, heading north, you'll be in the little river town of Nehalem and you'll see a very conspicuous giant bear. This has become a favorite photo op and serves as the welcoming icon for the Nehalem Antique Mall.

Kitty corner from here you'll find Pete's Antiques. Pete has a little bit of everything in his 1000-square-foot shop and has been there for over 14 years. Hours are "when you catch me." The phone number will improve your chances of catching Pete, and that is 503-368-6018.

The lone antique shop in Manzanita is Maxine's Antiques at 387 Laneda (503-368-7388) Owner Joy Olson (you thought I was going to say Maxine, didn't you?) specializes in bling-bling costume jewelry, enchanting vintage toys and has a great offering of antique clocks. At this location for over 13 years, Joy is extremely knowledgeable on the topic of antiques and collectibles and will be the subject of a future Antiques 101 column. Winter hours are 11 - 5 on weekends

Wheeler

Not exactly a shop but known to have produced a great many treasures is CART'M (503-368-7764). Technically, it's the dump, but thinking way out of the box has turned this volunteer project into social center and the resale shop changes by the moment. If you spot something with potential, grab it. Nothing of significance stays for more than an hour. You'll have to get off 101 for this one. As you leave Nehalem, take 101 North to Necarney City Road. Turn left and then follow signs to the Nehalem State Park. Before you get there, you'll see a roadside sign. Turn left and watch for elk near the long driveway. Hours for the winter are Thursday through Sunday from 11 - 4.

'Til next time, remember this wisdom from Wayne Mattox: "In the antique business there are no experts, just students."

Information on planning a weekend antiquing expedition can be had at: www.WheelerOregon.com, www.oregon-coast-nehalem.net, or the Nehalem Bay Virtual Tour at this website.