SEASIDE Ter Hars is a clothing store in Seaside and Cannon Beach. But more than that, Ter Hars is a family affair, and it has been for 60 years.

As the Ter Har family mother, Jean, and sons Peter and Jeff, and their wives and children celebrate their 60th anniversary in business this year, they recall when Seaside was a town of vacant lots and business was seasonal.

There were more quaint businesses, small motels and hotels and quite a few families operating them, Peter said.

It was very American apple pie in those days, said Jean. I loved the ferris wheel when it was in the parking lot next door. People used to call it honky tonk, but I loved it.

Then, the season then lasted four months a year, and many stores were shuttered for several months, Jeff recalled.

 We used to say you could shoot a cannon down Broadway and not hit anybody, Jean said.

But then, the Seaside Civic and Convention Center opened and the Trendwest resort was built. They brought more visitors to the small coastal town, and more businesses opened.

 Those businesses that were already here, Ter Hars included, became year-round stores.

Now, people from all over the United States remember the store.

The grandchildren are out somewhere, and they run into people who say, Oh are you with the Ter Har store in Seaside? Peter said.

People tell us they have seen our Ter Hars sack in New York, Jeff added.

The Ter Har name became known in the area in 1951, when the young Bud and Jean Ter Har, fresh from Seattle, bought the former Merriman Hotel in Seaside. In addition to the three-story hotel, the Ter Hars operated a small gift store. Bud knew the gift business: He had worked as a traveling salesman for a gift company when the couple lived in Seattle.

For Jean, the thought of being in Seaside was sounded like fun.

I thought Id be on the beach every day, but I never saw the beach, said Jean.

 They lived in the back of the store for seven years. While Jean rented rooms in the hotel and operated the gift shop, Bud worked two jobs: selling cars at a local Ford dealership and selling furnaces for an oil distributor.

 Times were tough then, Jean said.

A few years after they opened the gift shop, the Ter Hars added clothing to their inventory, and soon they became a clothing store.

 Peter still remembers the old apartment. He used to ride his trike up and down Broadway, Jean said. Jeff also lived there the first two years of his life.

Because the apartment was, according to Bud too valuable a space to be living in, the Ter Hars moved in 1958 to a house in Gearhart, where Jean continues to live. Bud died in 2009.

The clothing store with the black-and-white awning was torn when Trendwest Inc. bought it and other property along Broadway and the Prom in 2001 to build its condominium resorts. But the Ter Hars became owners of the first floor of the building and not only continue to operate their store in a Broadway storefront, but rent out other storefronts to businesses all the way to the Prom.

 In addition to the Seaside store, they have operated stores in Astoria and Long Beach, Wash. In 1991, the Ter Hars opened the Cannon beach store, which continues to operate.

In total, the Ter Hars own six commercial buildings that have 34 different businesses operating in them. All of the properties are in Clatsop County.

Mom and Dad always believed in reinvesting in Seaside, Peter said. By opening other storefronts, this gives people opportunities. They instilled in Jeff and I that it was the thing to do.

As the Ter Har business grew, so did the family. Peters wife, DLorah, and Jeffs wife, Paivi, work in the business, and the couples seven children have also had jobs in the stores.

Besides their financial investment in Clatsop County, however, the Ter Hars also invest their time in the community. They often can be seen supporting athletic teams and other student organizations in the Seaside schools.

 Investing in Seaside and Clatsop County goes beyond business for the Ter Hars, though. The brothers helped to organize the Seaside Downtown Development Association, a group of business operators who own stores in the core area. The association focuses on issues affecting the downtown area and sponsors local events.

 Bud, Peter and Jeff took their turns as presidents of the Seaside and Astoria chambers of commerce, and they have supported athletic teams and other student organizations in the local schools.

Paivi and DLorah are involved in Seasides chapter of the Assistance League, which distributes clothing to low-income children in the county. Paivi estimated that 700 children from Knappa to Cannon Beach have been served. Many have received clothing from Ter Hars, with the League being charged only the wholesale cost of the clothing.

For many teenagers both from the area and from elsewhere whose parents have a beach house nearby, Ter Hars was the first place they found a job. The store has been here so long that the children of former employees are working there now.

The working experience can be good for them, Peter said. Our customers come from all over the world, and the employees are from all over Oregon. Its something they can put on their resume.

Peter, who does the hiring, says he looks for people who have good personalities, are outgoing and want to learn and work hard.

Its important not only for us to let our customers have a good shopping experience, but were also like a mini chamber of commerce, he said. People need to know we have an aquarium, a two-mile Prom and where to get seafood.

Our sales staff are ambassadors, not just for Ter Hars, but for Seaside, too.