A Glimmer of Hope for Beloved Astoria Local Business

If you care about good food, authentic experiences, and have ever spent real time in Astoria exploring all of the hidden local treasures it has to offer, there is no doubt that you’ve come across the Columbian Cafe.

Best known for its diner environment, locally sourced ingredients, veggie friendly options, house made jams, fresh fish, and one ticket at a time service, there really is nothing else like it.

My dad, a former resident of Astoria, who along with my mom were recently priced out of living in town due to rising home prices, shared the news that the owners of the Columbian Cafe and it’s two accompanying businesses, VooDoo Room and The Columbian Theater, had recently sold their business.

When I first read the headline, my heart sank and a tear came to my eye. Another incredible local business that had been serving the community for decades, bites the dust.

Big whoop, right? Who cares? Businesses are being sold left and right for all the reasons I need not get into, and there seems to be no stopping the commercial real estate tycoons anytime soon.

This transaction however, is special, and merits elevating into a broader public view.

Here’s the catch: The owners of the Columbian….wait for it….managed to sell the business to another local Astoria gem, the Astoria Brewing Company!!

As seen from sitting at the end of the counter at the Columbian Cafe

What an amazing outcome for both owners, and the entire town of Astoria, especially given that the new owners plan to keep all three of the existing businesses in their current form, while likely providing some needed improvements requested by staff.

For the Astoria community, and many other coastal communities in Oregon, it is an all too common experience to be facing the challenges of global warming, increasing home prices, and a difficult job market. As simple as it is to sell to local buyers, it is a rarity in a competitive real estate market, and a game-changer for those who want to hold close what makes Astoria special. The decision is a win-win for keeping the treasures of the community intact, and elevating local economic prosperity.

We (residents of Oregon, Portland, Astoria, and so many other coastal towns up and down hwy 101) need more of this: locals approaching locals before putting their business/buildings on the market where out of state real estate investors with deep cash pockets are almost always bound to swoop them up and turn them into big box shitty chain restaurants that the community does not want, or need.

View from my parents old house on the hill in Astoria

In fact, it makes me wonder if there is an opportunity to create a mechanism for helping locals facilitate such introductions and transactions between locals business owners and local prospective business owners first, before putting them on the open market.

This also feels like it could be something a current or future local elected official could lift up and utilize as an example on how small towns like Astoria can maintain their history, while simultaneously reinvesting back into the local community. Maybe a property tax break granted by the city council if the business manages to stay local (and they can prove it).

Long story short, I CAN NOT WAIT for The Columbian to open back up.

-Seriously Samuel