Newsletter Summer 2012

DOWNTOWN CONNECTION

SUMMER 2012

Television Crew Focuses on Downtown Oceansideat the Breakfast Club Diner, Pier View and Coast Highway; the Rev. Michael Diaz (“Father Mike”) at the church, Pier View and Ditmar Street; and with David Schulz and Sandra Kopitzke, managing artistic director and resident music director respectively, at the Star Theatre, Civic Center Drive and Coast Highway.

Meanwhile, Shepherd said, the Chamber of Commerce was holding a ribbon-breaking activity at the nearby Brooks Theatre, so that is included in the show as well.

While at the Brooks, the cameras captured a couple of lines of the once viral, to use a new term, song “Downtown,” a worldwide hit in late 1964-1965 after it had been recorded by British chanteuse Petula Clark.

Shepherd said she is trying to clear permission to use the snippet of the song with its British composer, Tony Hatch.

Wright said he isn’t sure when the editing will be done and the show will be broadcast.

However, he said he’s really looking forward to its success, and he would like to produce

up to six shows throughout the year.

But he admitted that “putting these things together can be extremely complicated.”

The Star Theatre’s Kids troupe was filmed during rehearsals on Tuesday.

Shepherd already can think of “a whole lot of other places” such as the Oceanside Museum of Art and the California Surf Museum where visitors can come to spend another day in downtown Oceanside.

And, she said, the aim is not just to entice out-of-area tourists but to interest residents of North County, who may not have ventured to downtown Oceanside in years.

Story by Lola Sherman. Photo by Rick Wright.

– all in one day of visiting downtown Oceanside.

“It’s eclectic,” Shepherd said, “but then downtown Oceanside is eclectic.”

Matt Bayer at Pier View Coffee said after his session before the new cameras of KOCT’s Jake Rush that “it was a good experience.”

Could anyone really spend an entire day enjoying downtown Oceanside?

A lot of people, who haven’t been in the area for a while, wouldn’t think so, says Janene Possell Shepherd, producer of a new half-hour television show, “Discover Downtown.”

The show sets out to show just how it could be done.

Shepherd shot most of the show, to air on public-broadcasting station KOCT, last week, taking cameras from restaurants to theaters to a clothing store to an old church.

In the evening, there were night shots to get of the neon at the movie theaters.

And, of course, she wanted to photograph MainStreet Oceanside’s iconic Sunset Market on Thursday night.

The program is the brainchild of Rick Wright, chief executive officer of MainStreet Oceanside. He approached Tom Reeser, KOCT’s chief exec, who liked the idea – but didn’t have a budget to produce it.

So, MainStreet is providing about $5,000 for the production costs.

The program, Wright said, helps meet the nonprofit MainStreet’s goal for 2012 to promote downtown Oceanside businesses.

“It’s a significant investment on our part,” he said.

Wright chose the first locations: Pier View Coffee Co., Breakfast Club Diner, Star Theatre, Ensemble boutique and St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church and arranged with their owners for televised interviews.

The idea, Shepherd said, is that a visitor can have a meal at the diner, stop by the coffee shop for a drink or dessert, shop at the boutique, visit an historic church with a beautiful rose window and go to the theater

Perry Roumbos of the Breakfast Club Diner California

At first, Bayer said, he was “freaking out a little bit” at the sight of the television crews and equipment, but he got through the 10-minute interview where he was asked why he had decided to open in downtown Oceanside and what kinds of products he provided.

The cameras also shot scenes of drinks being prepared and sandwiches being made, Bayer said, and were on site at Pier View Way and Cleveland Street about 45 minutes.

Sharon Olloqui at Ensemble, 301 Mission Avenue said being on camera isn’t her thing.

But, she said, she’s willing to do ”anything to promote my business. I like to sell my (women’s and men’s) clothes”. The store has been downtown almost four years.Other interviews were with Perry Roumbos

Preserving and PromotingDowntown Oceanside

Since 2000

STAFFRick Wright

Executive DirectorKim Heim

Director, Special ProjectsKathy HammanOffice ManagerCathy Nykiel

Sunset Market ManagerMarni RiggerVendor LiaisonDale SniderCrew Chief

BOARD OF DIRECTORSGeorge Corbett, ChairLittle Louie’s Gift Shop

Sylvia SpivaPier View Market Kirk HarrisonHarney Sushi

Roseanne KissNorth County Printers

Tom LeBusSeaside Financial Services

Max DispostiNorth County LGBTQ Resource Center

Mark CarboneAmerican Labor Pool, Inc.

ADVISORSHoward LaGrange

Visit OceansideKathy Brann

City of Oceanside

MainStreet Oceanside701 Mission Avenue

Oceanside, California 92054(760) 754-4512

[email protected]

MainStreet OceansideSunset Market Oceanside

SpotlightMERCHANTEnsemble Boutique: Upscale in the downtown

Sharon Olloqui tends to be optimistic.

When she had bought all the inventory for her new shop, Ensemble, in downtown Oceanside, and the building wasn’t ready yet, she held sales in private homes.

Ensemble, a boutique, is located in the Oceanside Terraces building.

Although its address is 301 Mission Avenue, the store faces Cleveland Street and the city parking lot just east of the railroad tracks.

When she opened her business in May, 2008, Olloqui believed promises that there would be a luxury resort hotel a couple of blocks away to bring lots of upscale customers to her store.

But those plans bogged down when the economy crashed and now are affected by the state Legislature’s decision to do away with city redevelopment agencies.

The land on which the hotel was to be built is owned by just such a city agency.

Olloqui has hung in there anyway, after waiting a full year beyond the original move-in date for the new building (thus the need to sell inventory in advance of having a store).

Even without the long-hoped-for hotel, she’s found that Ensemble is well-situated to attract customers coming downtown from the train station and returning customers - both locally and from all over the world - Canada, Germany and Chile, for instance.

She has a loyal military clientele as well. “I would not leave the men out,” Olloqui said.

Ensemble doesn’t carry business or formal attire, but Olloqui said “we have beautiful dresses you can wear to a party or bridal shower.”

The “hip” colors this year, Olloqui said, are turquoise and coral “I keep up with all that.”

Her shop, Olloqui says, gives the personal attention missing in bigger stores. “Try finding someone (to help) in the mall,” she said.

“You just get good customer service here,” she said. “We really shine on that.”

And while the customers are browsing, they can enjoy Olloqui’s collection of jazz music from her father playing on the old-time 78-record player.

Or they can add to her collection of bottle caps or post cards.

Ensemble hours are 10-6. In June, summer hours of 11-7 will start. Much of her merchandise can be seen on Ensemble’s Facebook page.

Story and photos by Lola Sherman.

“There are so many guys in town.”

And she’s found that young Marines love her Ames Bros. brand T-shirts. They come with bold designs - a squirrel holding a hand grenade, for instance, and are like those featured on actors in the popular television series “The Big Bang Theory.”

Ensemble carries both men and women’s clothes and accessories.

It has some men’s and women’s shoes, hats, purses and jewelry and sells “hard-to-find” Trapp candles from Kansas City, Mo.

Olloqui specializes in products designed and made locally – mainly in California, but at least in the U. S. She says she has fresh merchandise every week and there’s always a rack of clothes on sale.

She’s gained experience working in retail with the Jay Jacobs company.

“I love it,” she said. “I love retail. I love selling clothes” even in a demanding shop like hers which primarily is a one-person operation although she has some sales help.

“You’ve got to do a lot yourself to save on costs,” she said. “You have to love it.”

And she also believes that she is helping to change the perception of downtown Oceanside. “This is what I can do to make a difference,” Olloqui said.

She calls her shop, less than 1,000 square feet, a “moderately priced boutique” and puts the quality of her merchandise in a Macy’s or Nordstrom’s category. But then she says “I have unique things that do not go into Macy’s.”

But, at that, she says, “nothing in the store is over $200. She terms her style “contemporary casual.”

The Mixie design from Santa Ana is one of the most expensive lines she carries.

She doesn’t target kids or teens, settling instead on customers “from 20 to 85” up to size 12. She doesn’t stock bathing suits or sunglasses, noting that there are nearby stores in this “beach town” which provide just those things.

SpotlightRESTAURANTBreakfast Club Diner California: Family Restaurant with an 80’s Twist

Perry Roumbos believes his Breakfast Club Diner California (BC/DC) is the only restaurant in Oceanside serving pancakes with nutella and strawberries.

The dish isn’t on the printed menu but often listed on the “specials” blackboard.

BC/DC, open for breakfast and lunch at 228 N. Coast Highway (corner of Pier View Way) provides a varied menu from the aforementioned pancakes with nutella (a spread made from hazelnuts) to “Grecian” and “Oriental Chicken” salads.

The décor is pure 1980s, complete with vinyl records and surfboards.

BC/DC celebrated its first anniversary Jan. 15 in the location once occupied by the

BC/DC stayed there eight months before the opportunity to pick up the downtown location presented itself.

“I love Oceanside,” he said. “I love what it has become.”

“The thing about Main Street,” he added, “is that it is an eclectic quilt. It doesn’t matter what business – we are all working for the same good, to bring people here, to make them happy, to make them want to come back.”

With its beautiful civic center, the beaches ”and the food,” Ruombos said. “It’s becoming a great destination. I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

And he said he doesn’t look at the other restaurants downtown as competitors, but as neighbors, patronizing them himself by having lunch at the Burger House or dinner at The Flying Pig, even eating breakfast at Mary’s across the street.

“That’s the kind of feeling” Roumbos said he wants to promote.

And he wants to give to the community, donating to schools, local theaters and art galleries such as the nearby Oceanside Museum of Art.

He hopes his restaurant “will become another landmark” in downtown Oceanside.

And, in the meantime, he said, “we’re having a lot of fun.”

Story and photos by Lola Sherman. Additional photo provided by Breakfast Club Diner California.

Longboarder restaurant, since moved a couple of blocks away.

Roumbos says about half of new restaurants don’t survive that first year.

He came to the restaurant business both directly and roundabout: Directly because his dad owned fast-food establishment and roundabout because Roumbos’ college degree is in architecture, and he worked professionally as an architect.

But he’d begun helping in his father’s restaurant at the age of 12.

His paycheck was “whatever I found on the ground in the parking lot – it taught us the value of money,” he said.

Roumbos’ parents were Greek immigrants. His father, called Bill, operated two Golden Ox restaurants in the Los Angeles area, one in Montebello and one in El Monte and followed his motto of “your customers should be treated better than your family.”

“To this day, I still use the same philosophy,” Roumbos said.

Even though the economy is bad, he said, he tries to serve the best quality at an affordable price. “We’re not just food providers; we’re experience-makers,” Roumbos said. “You come in as a customer

and leave as a friend.”

Roumbos started his own restaurant career with a Flappy Jacks restaurant, still operated by his sister in Glendora.

He liked coming to Oceanside to surf on the weekends, so he jumped at the chance to open a place here when the operators of the venerable Flying Bridge at the north end of the highway asked him to operate a diner in the coffee-shop portion of their restaurant.

SpotlightMERCHANTS&S Complete Auto Care: Downtown’s one-stop auto repair shop

Ken Cashmore wasn’t a mechanic and had no experience fixing cars when he set out to buy a business and found S&S Complete Auto Care to his liking.

So he bought it a year ago.

Cashmore had owned a restaurant in his native Illinois and had worked with a medical-devices firm upon his arrival in California more than 20 years ago after giving up his home and business in a divorce.

“I’m glad I’m not there anymore,” Cashmore said of the Midwest as he went about his business in shorts in sunny Oceanside in the middle of winter.

whole bunch of stuff” about car maintenance, Cashmore said. And he enjoys the contact with his clients.

“They love to chat, and that’s the one thing I can do,” Cashmore said.

As for how business is faring, he said “It’s going OK. I can not say it’s the best in the world. The economy is tough, but we’re plugging right along.” And, he said, his booth at MainStreet Oceanside’s Thursday night Sunset Market has helped bring new business.

S & S Automotive is located at 620 S. Tremont Street in downtown Oceanside. Call them at (760) 722-0188 or visit their WEBSITE: www.sandscompleteautocare.com

Story and photos by Lola Sherman

The important thing about S&S, Cashmore said, is that the same three technicians are still on the job. They’re the mechanics with lots of experience fixing everything from radiators to air conditioners to electrical systems.

Radiators had been a specialty of the previous owner, but, Cashmore said, “we do absolutely every kind of car repair.”

He especially gets a lot of very old cars that have been sitting around for years.

And Cashmore’s found they often come with rats’ nests and evidence the critters have chewed up the wires and made themselves at home in the air conditioning.

Other shops often refer electrical problems to S&S, he said.

The S&S name came with the business, which has a four-decade history at 620 S. Tremont St. Nearby businessman John Daley, also a local historian, said the name came from previous owners, Jim Smith and his father-in-law, Victor Joseph Sciba.

“Why change it?,” Cashmore asked rhetorically.

After he retired from the medical firm and his second wife, Linnea Wells, retired after 35 years with the Oceanside Public Library, Cashmore said, she decided one of them had to get out of the house.

He contacted 18 businesses he found for sale online, but only three responded: a hair salon, a yogurt shop “and this one.”

Cashmore said he and the owner went next door to Daley’s 101 Cafe and “struck a deal.”

He already knew how to keep the books and handle a payroll and now he’s “learning a

SpotlightRESTAURANTPier View Coffee offers a new downtown vibe in a very old building

What’s old and new at the same time in downtown Oceanside?

One answer could be Pier View Coffee Co. on the northeast corner of Pier View Way and Cleveland Street.

It’s located in a building constructed in 1908 as a dry-goods store by Oceanside pioneer George P. McKay, according to local historian Kristi Hawthorne. A photograph of thebuilding in Hawthorne’s history of Oceanside shows lots of awnings on a business advertising everything from fishing tackle to post cards.

There’s a similar picture on the wall of the coffee place, which also maintains an old-fashioned look in much of its period furnishings – from footed wooden tables and chairs to antique chests.

Surfing banners add a modern touch to the décor as well.

The building had been vacant since the departure of a hair salon when Tom Bayer and his son, Matt, decided to establish a business there six years ago.

“We’ve been going good ever since we opened,” Matt Bayer said.

His father, who already had owned one local business (the One More Thats It pub on Airport Road) for the past 18 years, wanted the family totally relocated to Oceanside so he could spend more time with his

There are different soups for different days of the week and salads come in chicken, chef or garden varieties.

Sandwiches range from a club at $7.95 to a peanut-butter-and-jelly for the kids for $1.

“We’re pet friendly,” Bayer said, and indeed there are often quite a few dogs enjoying the patio seating. There’s free Wi Fi, too.

Pier View Coffee Co. hours for the upcoming summer season are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is open during the Sunset Market on Thursday nights.

Story by Lola Sherman. Photos by Lola Sherman and Rick Wright

grandchildren.

“We had to figure out what to put here” once they got the place, Matt Bayer said.

“Both of us love coffee,” he said of himself and his dad, so they asked each other “why not a coffee house?”

They hoped for business from new hotels planned for the area although only one, the Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort, has come to fruition. However, Matt Bayer said, they’ve found a ready clientele in folks staying at the nearby Wyndham time shares and other tourists as well as “a great group of locals” with sophisticated tastes, not only for the coffee, food items and pastries they sell but also for the Italian gelato.

Matt Bayer with daughters Lindsay (left) and Emily

Matt Bayer said they probably own the only restaurant in town selling gelato, a richer, denser form of ice cream (without the infusion of air to make it lighter).“We’re trying to keep it upscale,” Bayer said of the choice for gelato over ice cream.

He tries to buy everything locally – within San Diego County – Matt Bayer said, and the pastries are delivered fresh daily. The gelato comes from Little Italy in San Diego.

Espressos come in flavors like raspberry mocha and crème brulee.

Also on the beverage menu are teas, steamed and flavored milk and Italian sodas. Smoothies come in combinations like “forbidden fruit” made of pink and white guava and passion fruit or “pineapple paradise” made of pineapple, coconut and banana.

Matt being wired for audio by KOCT station manager Jake Rush during a recent television interview

Downtown mourns the loss of beloved mail carrier Marty Miller

We received word a few weeks ago that Marty Miller, known throughout downtown as Marty the Mailman, has passed away on Easter Sunday. We saw Marty a few months ago at the Sunset Market and he told us that he was facing some major medical challenges. Even in the face of that adversity, he kept his great attitude and winning smile.

In his memory, we are running this article from the May 2007 MainStreet Oceanside newsletter.

it means that he needs to keep a calendar to see what days off he has in 6 weeks. Marty looks forward to each day, he says that the people on his route are really nice, have a ready joke or something to say. Marty says that “all we have to offer is service and a smile”, so the next time you see him, smile and say Hi!

Story by Kathy Hamman, Photos by Dave Thomas

Who is this guy?

You see him almost every day downtown. He is Martell “Marty” Miller, downtown letter carrier. Marty grew up in New York City, and is very proud of his two grown children: daughter Kim Renee, and son Marty. He became a letter carrier almost directly out of high school at age 18 and in 1984 he transferred from New York City to Oceanside. He has been the Letter Carrier for Route 3 in the downtown since September 1985.

Marty has seen lots of changes in his 22 years. He remembers the old rail yard and when there were businesses on the east side of the 300 block of North Coast Highway (instead of the Civic Center and Library). He loves his job that lets him be outside and meeting people. He said it is a great way to get to know people and their interests. Marty’s route covers the Civic Center and library, most of Downtown between Pier View Way and Seagaze Drive and Coast Highway from Seagaze to Oceanside Blvd. He also loves the exercise. He walks 8 miles every day pushing the mail cart. The only thing he doesn’t like about his job is inclement weather, but we all know that it “never rains in Southern California”. He thinks his positive attitude works well in the downtown, he says that everyone is really nice and quite a few call him by name.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has changed quite a bit since he started. They have made mail handling more efficient to be more cost effective and to compete with other delivery services. Marty works a longer day than he did when he was 18. Letter carriers work 5 days a week with rotating days off (e.g. Sunday and Monday, then Sunday and Tuesday, then Sunday and Wednesday, etc.). He likes the rotation, but

The downtown information kiosk that has been missing from the corner of Pacific Street and Pier View Way has been reinstalled. After being exposed to several years of salty sea air, the kiosk had to be disassembled and reconditioned. Most of the work was done Dale Snider, MainStreet Oceanside Crew Chief, who painstakingly sanded all of the individual components down to bare metal. The parts were then transported to San Diego where they received a new weather-resistant powder coating. The kiosk was also totally rewired and then reassembled by Dale in the MainStreet warehouse. Dave Kiss from North County Printers/Bryant and Dwyer Signs helped Dale and Kim Heim lower the kiosk back into its home overlooking the

Oceanside Pier.

The pier kiosk is one of four kiosks in the downtown area managed by MainStreet Oceanside. The other kiosks are located at the NCTD Transit Center; at the east entrance to the Pier View Way pedestrian undercrossing; and in front of the parking structure at Seagaze Avenue and Cleveland Street.

Advertising space on the map side of the kiosk is now being sold by MainStreet Oceanside. Contact Rick at (760) 754-4512 for pricing and availability.

Story and photo by Rick Wright

Reconditioned kiosk installed near Wyndham Resort

MAY 12

Preview ReceptionCRUISIN’ CALIFAS: The Art of LowridingOceanside Museum of Art5:00 pm to 7:00 pm704 Pier View Way(760) 435-3720

Mixed Martial Arts CompetitionPier Amphitheater3:00 pm to 9:00 pmwww.griggsentertainment.net

MAY 19

Operation AppreciationThanking the military and their families for their service. Entertainment, military displays, sponsor booths, children’s area. Oceanside Chamber of Commerce.Pier Amphitheater11:00 am to 4:00 pm(760) 722-1534

We Are Family GalaFundraiser for The North County LGBTQ Resource Center Delicious Food, Beer and Wine, Silent Auction, Entertainment.Oceanside Museum of Art704 Pier View Way6:30 pm(760) 672-1848

May 26, 27, June 2, 3

Christian Youth Theatre production ofBye Bye BirdieHistoric Star Theatre402 N. Coast Highway(760) 721-9983www.startheatre.biz

JUNE 2

US Open Elite Taekwondo ChampionshipsUSA Taekwondo Group TournamentPier Amphitheater9:00 am to 6:30 pm(760) 724-5659

Paws to Help Mobile Adoption EventMobile adoption event, crafts for kids, author table, and library table.Oceanside Civic Center10:00 am to 2:00 pm(760) 435-5600

JUNE 3

Independence JamKBZT FM 94.9 concert event.Time TBAPier Amphitheater(619) 291-9797

Free Admision DayOceanside Museum of Art1:00 pm to 4:00 pm704 Pier View Way(760) 435-3720

JULY 9

Course of the ForceIn the days leading up to the San Diego Comic-Con International, the lightsaber relay will journey to different piers and cities from Santa Monica to San Diego. Proceeds from Course of the Force will benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. This event will feature a “Conival,” a carnival-type event with expo booths, activities and entertainment.Pier Amphitheater4:00 pm to 10:00 pmwww.courseoftheforce.com

JULY 14

KIFM 98.1 ConcertEvent sponsored by Lincoln Financial Media.Time TBAPier Amphitheater(619) 291-9797

July 20, 21, 22, 28, 29Star Theatre Company production ofThe Pajama GameHistoric Star Theatre402 N. Coast Highway(760) 721-9983www.startheatre.biz

JULY 21

Breakwater 4th Anniversary Beer FestEvent sponsored by Breakwater Brewing Co.Pier Amphitheater11:00 am to 7:00 pm(760) 433-6064www.breakwaterbrewing.com

July 28

Museum of Art SUMMER SOIRÉEA spectacular evening of dining and dancing al fresco paired with a silent and live auction. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, seated dinner and dancing to live musical entertainment under the stars.Oceanside Museum of Art6:00 pm to 11:00 pm704 Pier View Way(760) 435-3720

AUGUST 4

3rd Annual Kid’s Fishing DerbyFree to kids 6-16. Event is sponsored by the Oceanside Pier Bait Store.8:00 am to 2:00 pmOceanside Pier(760) 722-3936

AUGUST 9

North County Healthy and Wellness FairOceanside Chamber of Commerce brings health and wellness related professionals and businesses for a day of free screenings, demos, and samples of products.Oceanside Civic Center Plaza9:00 am to 1:00 pm(760) 722-1534

JUNE 9

11th Annual Filipino Cultural CelebrationSponsored by Oceanside Library & Filipino American Cultural Association of North San Diego County.Oceanside Civic Center Plaza10:00 am to 4:30 pm(760) 435-5600

5th Annual GalaCalifornia Surf MuseumDinner, drinks, live music, live and silent auctions, surf stars and fun! Fundraiser for the California Surf Museum.5:00 pm to 10:00 pm312 Pier View Way(760) 721-6876

JUNE 10 through 16

Race Across AmericaAnnual cross country bicycle race from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD. Start times:Solo Women and 60+ Men: June 14 at NoonSolo Men: June 15 at NoonTeams: June 16 at 2:00 pmPier Amphitheaterwww.raceacrossamerica.org

June 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30, July 1

Oceanside Theatre Co. production ofYou’re A Good Man Charlie BrownSunshine Brooks Theatre217 N. Coast Highway(760) 433-8900www.oceansidetheatre.org

JUNE 23

Title IX 40th Anniversary CelebrationMusic and non-profit booths. Event sponsored by Move Your Feet Before You Eat! Foundation.Pier Amphitheater4:00 pm to 7:00 pm(760) 434-5255

JUNE 30

Independence Day ParadeTraditional Independence Day Parade with approximately 100 entries. First unit steps off at corner of Coast Hwy and Wisconsin at 10:00 am and proceeds north to Civic Center Dr. Running time approximately 90 minutes.(760) 754-4512www.oceansideparade.com

Movie at the PierCity of Oceanside Parks and Recreaton Dept. and Friends of Oceanside Parks present The Sandlot.Pier Amphitheater6:00 pm(760) 435-5041

SpotlightVENDORQuiet pursuit turns into profitable business

Marilee Chancy began to knit because sewing was too noisy.

Chancy, who sells her knitwear at the Farmers Market in downtown Oceanside, explained that she needed something to do while her baby was napping.

She didn’t want to do anything that would wake the infant.

And she found that her sewing machine simply made too much noise, so she switched to the quiet pursuit of knitting and “took a lot of classes.”

Mostly, she made ”a lot of gifts” for family and friends.

She made sweaters for her husband, her daughter and herself and knit socks for her husband. Her entries at the San Diego County Fair won blue ribbons.

Chancy sold a few things from a table in her driveway and then sought an empty space at the nearby Leucadia Farmers Market. When her wares sold well there, she brought them to Oceanside.

Her business, Knitting by Marilee, is about a year old now.

Chancy brings bright-colored knitted headbands, caps, scarves and show-stopper “texting gloves” to Oceanside’s Thursday morning market once a month.

Chancy said. She couldn’t estimate the amount of yarn she uses. “Just skeins and skeins - several skeins in a month” she said.

She also can’t approximate how much time she spends knitting but, she said, “I’ve never knit for one hour without interruption.” She finds herself knitting while waiting in doctors’ offices, riding in a car pool or attending her daughter’s activities.

That baby girl, Natalie, is 15 now.

Chancy holds a degree in English from University of California Irvine, with graduate work at San Diego State University. She taught part-time in local community colleges before deciding to stay home when her daughter started kindergarten.

For the holiday season this year, she’s thinking about knitting sock puppets of animals like zebras and elephants that her daughter liked when she was little. Meanwhile, she’s encouraging people to knit for Wounded Warriors and other worthy projects on the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base.

Chancy takes orders on her Facebook site, and she will mail items to customers.

She posts on the site when she next plans to be at the Oceanside market, and she will respond to anyone e-mailing [email protected].

“It’s a labor of love for me,” Chancy said.

Story and photos by Lola Sherman

Most people stop to marvel at the gloves, which stop short of the fingertips.

Chancy said teenage patrons gave them the name texting gloves, but they also are good for office work and even getting a manicure. One woman said they are good for fishing.

She first knitted them as favors for her daughter’s ice-skating party.

“They were so popular that I decided to offer them (for sale),” Chancy said, and she found that last winter in Oceanside she sold “enough to keep me coming back.”

“Feel free to try them on,” she tells curious passersby. “They’re flattering on the hands and fun besides,” Chancy says, also telling people that her wares are self-designed and hand-made and that the curly-cue scarves are something they can not find mass-produced anywhere.

The scarves and hats sell for $25. The gloves are $12, $15 or $18, depending upon the amount of yarn used. Headbands sells for $5, $7 or $10.

She found wide headbands popular at Mammoth Lake ski resorts when people wanted something just to cover their ears when it really wasn’t cold enough for bulkier hats. “Sure enough, they’ve been a good seller,” Chancy said.

More-expensive items sport knitted bows, crocheted flowers or fancy cuffs.

“They take extra work and extra yarn,”

Make your tax deductibledonation payable to

Main Street Foundation, Inc.and mail to:

701 Mission AvenueOceanside, CA 92054

More info?MainStreet Oceanside

(760) 754-4512www.OceansideParade.com

Enclosed is my donation for the Independence Day Parade:

$25 $50 $100 Other

Name

Business Name

Address

City, State, Zip

Phone

Email

Due to financial constraints, the City of Oceanside is no longer able to donate the services necessary to produce Oceanside’s Independence Day Parade. The City has agreed to provide these services at a cost of $7,800. Additional expenses such as televising the parade on KOCT, audio equipment, portable toilets and printing andmailing expenses will make it necessary to raise over $11,000 this year.

A group of concerned citizens has committed itself to raise these funds so that this

longstanding Oceanside tradition may go on this year.

Oceanside’s Independence Day Parade will be produced under the auspices of the MainStreet Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 corporation. Donations of $50.00 or more will be acknowledged in writing.

Won’t you please consider a generous donation to this worthy cause?

Thank you for your consideration.

Funds sought for Independence Day Parade

MainStreet Oceanside’s Beach Services Program serves beach visitors all year roundSince 2006, MainStreet Oceanside has contracted with the City of Oceanside to bring much needed services to the one million+ visitors to the beach area surrounding the Oceanside Pier.

As the master concessionaire, MainStreet Oceanside contracts with carefully selected vendors to provide services at the beach such as food and beverages, watersports equipment rentals, bicycle rentals and surf

instruction. These services and activities are provided in a manner that is sensitive to existing land uses, promotes public safety and accessibility for all beach visitors, minimizes adverse effects on water quality and preserves natural resources.

Although many of the offerings at the beach are seasonal, some Beach Services providers serve beach visitors year round. The Wheel Fun bike rental kiosk is open 365 days per

year. For the first time this year, Wheel Fun is renting multi-speed bikes and offering a self-guided tour map for a fun afternoon bike ride. The Cafecito coffee cart offers organic coffee drinks and healthy menu options including fruit smoothies, Nika water and more on most days throughout the year. Surfin Fire offers surf lessons provided by a professionally trained staff including firefighters. Forget your wallet? No problem. MobileMoney operates an ATM under the pier!

MainStreet Morning Meeting Notes: Should Oceanside approve another downtown pawn shop?Oceanside Jewelers wants other downtown businesses to help it get a pawnbroker’s license.

Chad Elliott, who said he has owned the jewelry store for just over 4 years, made his pitch Tuesday at the May monthly meeting of MainStreet Oceanside.

Elliott told about two dozen residents, merchants and civic officials at the morning meeting that his store, which has been in the same location for over 20 years, may be forced out of business by a new store, Coast Jewelry and More, due to open across the street (the 200 block of Coast Highway).

That store, he said, does have a “collateral lender” license. That’s the new politically correct word for pawnbroker, he explained after the hour-long meeting.

“We’re only looking to level the playing field,” Elliott said.

He asked other merchants to let it be known that they “would like to see this business (his) survive in this area.” Elliott urged them to write letters to the City Council in support of a fellow business.

“I have put a lot of time, money and love,” he said, into making his small (736 square feet) jewelry shop lighter and brighter.

Answering questions from the audience, Elliott said he would not handle electronics and would lend money only on the things he buys and sells now - primarily jewelry.

Studies have shown, he said, that crime goes up when people have no opportunity to pawn items because it’s one of the few legal ways to get money right away in a pinch And, he said, he’s cooperated with police to return stolen items when he’s suspicious of a seller.

Morning MtgMainStreetthe Pier View Way undercrossing, at Cleveland Street and Seagaze Drive and in the transit center.

He said he is working on the second issue of a print newsletter, and this one will have 12 pages and go to one more downtown postal carrier route so it will be received by 2,000 residents and businesses within a half-mile of MainStreet headquarters.

Cathy Nykiel from the MainStreet staff said more money is needed to stage the annual Independence Day parade, this year on June 30. Nykiel said it needs $10,000-$15,000. Office manager Kathy Hamman said $9,000 has been collected so far.

Cathy also mentioned that The Veterans Association of North County will be holding the Memorial Day Service at 10 am on May 28th followed by refreshments. The Oceanside Elks Lodge 1561 will be holding their annual Memorial Day Lunch from noon to 5 serving steak and fixings.

Kim Heim, director of special projects, said “the beach services program is beginning to ramp up” with everything from desserts to hot foods to water-sports equipment rentals.

City Councilman Jerry Kern said a nice restaurant, the Tin Fish, will be going into the old McDonald’s site under the pier entry and the Petite Madeline bakery will consolidate its restaurant in the San Luis Rey Valley with its downtown location.

The next monthly morning meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. June 5 at the MainStreet office, 701 Mission Ave.

The meeting started with a 10-minute promotional film from 2002.

Rick Wright, MainStreet executive director, said he made the DVD at that time to impress a visiting group from the San Diego Concierge Association.

It showed Oceanside attractions from the Museum of Art to children on the beach, from St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church to Roberts Cottages on The Strand. It included stores and restaurants from the ever-popular Johnny Mañana’s to the defunct Coronet Newsand from the Dairy Queen to the Farmers’ Market.

“So many of the people are still here,” Wright said, but it made him sad to note that some had passed away.

“We’ve come a long way in 10 years,” he said. “We really have.”

Later in the meeting, Wright noted that the film had included a segment from a promotion called Taste of Oceanside, and he recalled how happy everyone had been when that event brought 2,000 people downtown.

Now, he said, the Sunset Market attracts 5,000-6,000 every Thursday night.

Leslee Gaul, chief executive officer of Visit Oceanside, said beach soccer tournaments, with international contestants, would be under way this weekend.

And she told of plans for a beach cleanup starting at 8:30 a.m. May 9 at Harbor Beach and for a Tourism Summit at 8:30 a.m. May 15 at the Courtyard by Marriott. 3501 Seagate Way.

Gaul distributed two-week event calendars good for posting in store windows and said discount cards, which can be scanned, have

replaced “goody bags” for visitors.

Scott Ashton from the Chamber of Commerce distributed a brochure listing advertising opportunities for a magazine to be distributed in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of the City of Oceanside in 2013. It showed a proposed front page, and Wright said MainStreet already has bought the back page.

Wright showed, posted on the wall, sample ads like the ones being sold for MainStreet’s four downtown information kiosks: in front of the Wyndham time share, at

The MainStreet Morning Meeting is held on the first Tuesday of each month. We welcome all parties interested in the progress of Downtown Oceanside, including business people, residents, and City staff. The Redevelopment Manager, Code Enforcement, Special Events and Parks and Rec attend our meeting and present an update concerning our downtown and the adjoining harbor. The OPD is usually present to report on downtown issues and accept input from meeting attendees.

This informative one hour meeting is held in an informal discussion format. The general public is always welcome! Come meet your city officials, MainStreet Oceanside staff and members and find out about upcoming events and changes to YOUR downtown and city.

The MainStreet Morning Meeting is held at 8:30 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the MainStreet Oceanside meeting room at 701 Mission Avenue. Call our office for directions at (760) 754-4512.

Coast Highway from Wisconsin north to Civic Center Drive.First unit steps off at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, June 30thDowntown Oceanside

10:00 a.m.

INDEPENDENCE DAYPARADE

Oceanside’s

Military UnitsFamily Fun

Cla�ic Cars

DancersFloats

Equestian Units

Marching BandsScouts

Twirlers

AMERICANHEROES

OceansideParade.com