Fitzgerald’s Home & Garden gets a new life
Published 5:00 pm Friday, July 31, 2009
A breath of fresh air has recently blown into Fitzgerald’s Home & Garden in Gearhart as the business has gone through an extensive renovation and reinterpretation.
Tracy Hooper, who owns a summer house in Gearhart and has owned the business for over three years, wanted to see Fitzgerald’s transformed into the Gearhart institution it once was under the ownership of Mary Covington.
“I remember coming to wine tasting events when Mary owned this place,” said Hooper. “Everyone in town would come and they were always really fun. I wanted to capture that sense of community.”
With Fitzgerald’s current specialty as an interior home décor store, Hooper and longtime store manager Lynnet Anderson decided to seek out other home and garden specialists to help make the place truly special.
“We thought it would be a good idea to bring in experts for the different facets of this business,” she said. “People with homes in Gearhart want a local place to take care of their interior and exterior décor needs, and we are trying to provide that.”
Hooper contacted Dennis’ Seven Dees, a landscaping and garden center with five locations in Oregon, and Manor Fine Wares, an interior design and home decorating store located on NW 23rd in Portland, Ore. She asked both companies if they would be interested in setting up shop permanently at Fitzgerald’s. Fortunately, her two ideal candidates both gave her a “thumbs- up.”
“We were really surprised and excited when they both said yes because they were the first two businesses we contacted,” she said. “Plus, both companies are phenomenal at what they do and have ties to the area.”
Seven Dees, which also has a location at the south end of Seaside, leased an outside space at Fitzgerald’s and is offering a supply of their favorite plants that survive and flourish along the Oregon coast. They specialize in beautiful hanging baskets.
“Gearhart is a great community,” said Dennis’ Seven Dees president, David Snodgrass. “A lot of our customers in the valley have their second homes in Gearhart. So, we look forward to maintaining those customers while continuing to progress as garden experts on the coast.”
Manor Fine Wares has filled the fireplace room and the middle room within Fitzgerald’s with its decorations. Hooper has really appreciated the addition of Manor because the women who own it have helped tremendously with merchandising and outfitting the store.
In addition to Manor Fine Wares inventory, Fitzgerald’s offers chocolates from Missionary Chocolates, soap from Grace Body Works of Seaside, paintings from Gearhart resident Carol Riley and a large supply of higher-end home décor items.
Fitzgerald’s newcomers held a grand opening over Memorial Day weekend. The event featured live music from local musician Kelsey Moseley, local wine tasting and appetizers provided by Jill Graham of Gearhart Grocers.
“I was really trying to make this a community event and capture what Mary Covington used to do,” said Hooper. “I even met with her before and invited her to the event.”
Produce Plus, a Portland-based produce distributor, has also leased weekend space at Fitzgerald’s. The business offers fresh fruits and vegetables out of a stand behind the storefront.
Hooper, with the help of Quality Home Contracting in Warrenton, also renovated two cottages located behind Fitzgerald’s that overlook the garden. The cottages are an addition to Hooper’s other business, Distinctive Beach Lodging. The business owns and operates three other lodging facilities: the Gearhart Ocean Inn, the Gearhart Cottages and the Inn at Arch Cape.
“The units can be rented through the Gearhart Ocean Inn,” she said. “There is one studio cottage and another two bedroom unit.. There is a common wall that can be removed for more guests.”
Hooper has future plans to get into the event-hosting business in Gearhart. Between the lodging facilities and Fitzgerald’s, the business can host between 50 and 55 people. “We can do small weddings, book clubs, women church retreats, knitting clubs or any other similar event,” she said.
For more information about Fitzgerald’s Home & Garden, call (503) 717-9748. Or, stop by the store located at 738 Pacific Way in Gearhart, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
