WALDPORT – The Waldport Chamber of Commerce is on the move, sort of.
The chamber is moving out of its welcome center and gift shop at the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Highway 34 and consolidating resources at the Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Center.
The chamber will be out of the corner shop on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Itinerant Artists Co-op from Lincoln City will begin occupying the space in time for a grand opening Friday during Beachcomber Days.
Itinerant Artists plans to continue the practice started by the chamber to help showcase the work of local artists, painters, photographers and craftspeople, said Tom Fullmer, chamber executive director.
The chamber opened its own welcome center in December 2020, months after the city of Waldport acquired the interpretive center from the state but was not ready to reopen it because of pandemic restrictions and the desire to move the Waldport Museum into it.
In addition to paying rent and utilities at the welcome center, the chamber had to commit to staffing both it and the interpretive center with volunteers. Seven volunteers manned the welcome center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week, Fullmer said, while others staffed the interpretive center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday.
Fullmer said the chamber would like to expand the interpretive center hours, but will need more volunteers to do that.
At the interpretive center, Fullmer said the chamber will continue to be the one-stop source for area information, supporting local businesses, community organizations and partners throughout Lincoln County. It will also continue to offer Waldport-branded items like apparel, accessories and postcards, he said.
