Letter to the Editor; Promoting Odessa's business future

To the Editor:

Art fest at Deutsches Fest? Art gallery? Where is the bar? Are you ever going to open again? Car wash?

Let me try to address some of these questions. For sure, information is best shared in person, so I do encourage anyone to talk to me in the Gallery in the Old Rolling Thunder building in downtown Odessa, Washington USA.

Odessa for sure is a unique town, with its own desirable attributes as well as its drawbacks, some unchangeable and some self-imposed. Seventeen miles off of Interstate 90, Odessa is almost too far, and just close enough.

Over the seven years I have been investing into Odessa, I have been reminded many times that once Odessa had five bars, etc. This was true when a farm took many hands, with large families attached. As we know this is no longer the case.

I do have faith that Odessa is turning around again, and I plan to continue to invest my money and my time into Odessa. I see the new meat plant with employees, I see the fitness center re-opening. I see other small investors trying to open shops. I see homes starting to sell again. I see art and beautiful sunsets; I have to see that way, of course.

Some time ago I had a conversation with a respected business owner in Odessa. She suggested that the answer is simply sweep the walks, dress nice and smile. That is the answer to downtown Odessa. I think she is correct. We also need the doors open.

We did give it a good run with the Rolling Thunder Saloon, however it simply could not make it secondary to the population level of under a thousand. There simply was no way that a town this size could support two bars. We chose in 2012 to close as a liquor establishment, as Odessa was and still is well served by Chiefs Bar and Grill.

So what to do. Another closed store front? I feel that it is critical that there are open shops, especially on main street downtown Odessa. Enter the Green Goat Gathering Gallery that is currently being hosted in the Old Rolling Thunder building.

Following the closing of the Saloon, and following my cardiac arrest (CPR-thank you), I attended art school at Spokane Falls Community College and have opened a part-time gallery to display my art, and for others to display and possibly sell their art in the Old Saloon while we try to increase the population base in Odessa.

Across from the Old Rolling Thunder is a vacant lot, again, downtown Odessa. We have visualized and strive and intend to open a simple two-stall car wash (self-serve) etc. with the goal of opening in 2015. We feel that, despite another 100k investment into Odessa over time, it would be profitable. We also feel this would also be a big boost to the downtown area, bringing more people back into town.

As we also note the numbers of attendees and even vendors for Deutsches Fest, we are offering free vending to artists across from the saloon in the future car wash lot. We have room for 10 to 15 artists to display and or sell their work in the old saloon, the new gallery.

We are planning to add an art fest to the quilt fest in April of 2015. We hope to sell all of our calendars, post cards and old Saloon shirts for donations to raise funds for an Odessa car wash.

Unconventional? Yes. Trying? Yes.

Nate Lathrop

Naches

nate.lathrop@gmail.com