Owners of Beach Daisy Wine in Yachats purchase part of complex, will switch places with Touchstone Gallery

By CHERYL ROMANO/Lincoln Chronicle

YACHATS — Five years after opening what was intended as a retirement venture, the owners of Beach Daisy Wine are expanding to a larger space just steps away.

Sometime in early 2026, Todd and Karen Moyer of Yachats plan to re-open their popular bistro a few yards from their current spot in the Greenhouse Market Place along U.S. Highway 101 just north of the Yachats fire station. Greenhouse is a complex that houses Beach Daisy, the Earthworks, Wave and Touchstone galleries, and other small enterprises.

Beach Daisy and Touchstone Gallery will soon start switching storefronts — the wine shop will upsize to the gallery’s 1,770 square feet and Touchstone will downsize to the 880 square feet used by Beach Daisy. The Wave, operated by longtime Yachats photographer Bob Keller, and Earthworks galleries are staying put.

“We never expected we’d be such a hit,” says Karen Moyer. “This was supposed to be a retirement project.”

But wine and food lovers had other ideas, enjoying free tastings, elevated appetizers, live music and an ever-expanding wine list. Although Beach Daisy opened at the tail end of 2020 during the pandemic, the shop flourished, initially offering some 125 wines from Europe, California and the Pacific Northwest. That inventory has blossomed to 600 different labels from around the world.

Karen Moyer, who has a strong background as a chef and baker, bolstered the wine offerings with cheese and charcuterie plates, expanding to more food items, plus pizza on Friday nights. Live music on the weekends has helped the customer base grow, and now the shop draws customers from Newport and Florence, as well as Yachats and Waldport.

Todd Moyer said they’ve been looking for a second location or bigger space for three years.

Changing hands

The move isn’t just a matter of changing building leases — the Moyers purchased most of the Greenhouse complex from Steve Dennis, who owns the Earthworks Gallery. Todd Moyer said Dennis approached them in April about buying everything but the building housing the Wave Gallery. “He wanted to retire and move to Canada …” Moyer said.

The sale closed in December, making the Moyers owners of the structures housing Beach Daisy, the Touchstone and Wave galleries and a building used by acupuncturist Bruce Ladd. Dennis retained ownership of the Earthworks building and a short-term rental behind it.

The last day of business for Beach Daisy in its original location will be Wednesday, Dec. 31; it’s closed Monday and Tuesday.

After that, the wine racks, glasses, supplies and any remaining inventory will be moved into two shipping containers on the property. Remodeling of the Touchstone interior will begin right away to accommodate the expanded business — a full kitchen, tables and chairs for 30 people, space for wine, of course, and expanded parking space behind the complex.

The Beach Daisy name will remain — it reflects the native flowering plants — but the business’ logo will be refreshed.

The Moyers, both Pennsylvania natives and full-time Yachats residents, described their plans for the expanded shop in an email to customers: “The new shop is modeled after a hybrid concept melding the bottle shop with an Italian-themed wine bar and retail store. We will keep what customers love about Beach Daisy — a great wine selection in the bottle shop, wine flights and wines by the glass, Friday night music, pizza, etc. New offerings will include more small plates, fresh pasta, and house-made sauces for dine-in or take-out.”

The couple hopes to re-open Beach Daisy in time for Yachats’ Sip ‘n Stroll event in April.

“We’re both working full-time,” says the supposed-to-be-retired Todd Moyer, formerly an electrical engineer working remotely for Apple. “But it’s more satisfying than corporate work.”

• Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to Lincoln Chronicle. She can be reached at [email protected]