While a senior at Nestucca High School, Lori Whiteman asked herself some serious career questions.  “What will always be in demand?  What will always be needed?”  She figured cutting hair would be a good bet and enrolled in cosmetology school in Salem.

After graduation, she worked at a local Pacific City salon for six years.  She then moved to California for a short time.  While Lori was away, the salon’s owner, Bonnie Sliger, kept hinting to Lori’s mom that her daughter should come home and buy the business.  Which is exactly what she did, on April Fools’ Day in 1989.  That was the auspicious beginning of Lori’s Ocean Clippers.

By 1995 the popular salon had outgrown its space, so a new building was built on North Brooten Road to house the business.  These days, Lori’s Ocean Clippers employs five stylists and offers haircuts, coloring, beauty products, nail care, tanning, even facials.  Some of the stylists have worked with Lori for more than 20 years.

Over the years, Lori’s Ocean Clippers has built up quite a loyal clientele.  Some customers have their hair done as often as once a week.  Regulars come from as far as Portland, and it’s not unusual for clients who have moved away to travel back to Pacific City when they need hair care.  Lori and her stylists are also loyal, even making house calls for customers who can no longer visit the salon.

What makes a good hairdresser?  Lori is convinced that it’s a stylist’s ability to listen and truly understand what a client wants.  There is of course a social aspect of working in a salon.  “You’re kind of like a bartender,” laughs Lori.  “You get to know everything about everybody.”  She also admits that she had a learning curve when she first got in the business.  “I’m a country girl, so I’m naturally quiet.  I had to learn to be a talkative hairdresser.”

Of course when you ask her about her hobbies, it’s apparent that she still is a country girl at heart.  Lori and her husband Leonard both love to hunt and fish.  The couple built their own dory two years ago and often fish until as late as 10 pm.  In fact, they’re so content working on their 41 acre property in Beaver that they no longer have a TV.

Lori has had her business and personal accounts at Oregon Coast Bank for many years.  Even though she takes advantage of our online banking, she always seems to manage at least weekly visits to our Pacific City office to say hello.  We certainly enjoy seeing her, not only at the bank, but when we get haircuts ourselves in her salon.  Somebody has to tell her what’s on TV these days.

In 1890 Homer Sheldon, Sr. was born near Banks.  At some point during his teenage years, he crossed the Wilson River and made his way to the coast, settling in Garibaldi.  During the late 1920s, he began working at a local service station.  Eventually he was able to purchase it, but his timing couldn’t have been worse.  Unable to continue making payments during the Depression, Homer had to give back the business to its original owner, yet he continued to work there.  Years later he was able to buy it back.

In the early 1960s it was a second generation of Sheldons, Stan and Ruth, that took over the operation of the Garibaldi station.  Later, during 1983, they founded Sheldon Oil Co., a wholesale distributor of petroleum products.

A third generation took over the reins in 2001, when brothers Mike and Shell Sheldon purchased the company from their parents.  Both were familiar with the business, having grown up working at the Garibaldi station.

Despite increased competition from large corporations, locally owned Sheldon Oil Co. has grown significantly.  Mike and his wife Niki operate the retail division, which now includes nine Shell service stations – six in Tillamook County, two in Washington County and one in Yamhill County.  Seven of those stations include Shell Foodmarts.  Because of local demand, Sheldon Oil Co. now also provides non-ethanol gasoline, which is better for small engines and preferred by owners of boats and off road vehicles.

Shell and his wife Lisa are in charge of Sheldon Oil’s commercial sales.  That includes delivery of fuel and lubricants to farms and businesses.  The company also delivers oil for home heating, wood pellets (in Washington County), racing fuel and large bulk fuels.  In addition, Sheldon Oil operates four CFN Cardlock stations for commercial customers.

“It’s important to keep family companies moving forward,” says Shell.  “We figured we could take it to the next level,” adds Mike.  Because of government regulations, developing new service stations is a long process.  The first step is to establish the need.  “We listen to the customers,” explains Shell.  “If there’s enough need for it in the community, we’ll try and build a station.”  Because Mike and Shell are willing to do much of the construction themselves, Sheldon Oil Co. is able to build new service stations at a cost far below large corporate competitors.  That allows the company to operate in communities that competitors may consider to be too small.

Sheldon Oil Co. is meticulous about operating clean service stations.  As a result, the company consistently ranks at the top of Shell Oil’s rankings of service stations in the entire Northwest.
Lifelong residents of Garibaldi, the Sheldons believe in community involvement.  Mike and Shell each served as volunteer firemen for over 20 years.  Lisa was a volunteer firefighter for three years. The family helped establish the Tillamook County Emergency Communications District and Mike is a current board member.  For many years, Niki served as a volunteer dispatcher, once even having to call in a chimney fire in her own home.  These days, Niki is a board member for the Neah-Kah-Nie School District.

When Sheldon Oil Co. was founded it had just three employees, all of them family members.  Today the company provides jobs for 89 people.  Mike and Niki, as well as Shell and Lisa, all work 50-60 hours in an average week.  “We’re proud of how well we work together,” says Niki.  “As different as we are as individuals, we get along, which is essential in a family owned business,” explains Lisa.

With six children between them, five of which work for the company, a fourth generation of Sheldon Oil local ownership is on the horizon.  “If they’re willing to make the commitment, we hope to pass it on someday,” says Mike.  “Being able to work with our wives and kids in such a beautiful part of Oregon is something we’re very appreciative of,” points out Shell.

Sheldon Oil Co. has been a customer of Oregon Coast Bank since we first opened our Pacific City office.  “Relationships are very important to us and we love working with a locally owned bank,” remarks Niki.  This year the bank provided financing for Sheldon Oil Co.’s new Willamina location.  Because of difficulties in the timber industry, the economy of Willamina had suffered in recent years.  The new Sheldon Oil Co. service station was the first new commercial construction in more than a decade and has been positively received in the local community.  “We’re always looking around for more sites,” says Shell.  “Our relationship with Oregon Coast Bank has really opened the door for future growth.”

Drive around Neskowin and you’ll notice a lot of homemade yard signs, all creatively articulating the same thought: “Slow Down”.  From a traffic standpoint the meaning is clear, but the message is also a philosophical one.  The pace of life is a little slower in Neskowin.

When Genie and Frank Ullrich first moved to Neskowin 17 years ago, part of the attraction was that pace of life.  They especially loved the local cafe, where neighbors would linger to catch up on the day’s events.  It seemed like Neskowin and its cafe were inseparable.

Over the ensuing years the cafe was operated by several owners, but in 2012 it closed.  Recognizing how much it meant to the community, Genie and Frank purchased the business last April.  Using local tradespeople whenever possible, Frank and his son completely remodeled the building.  By the end of June, The Cafe on Hawk Creek was reopened.

Business was immediately brisk.  The town was packed with summer tourists and so was the cafe.  But it was the locals who seemed the most appreciative.  Although officially open from 8 am to 9 pm, the neighbors would typically continue their conversations on the cafe’s new deck until at least an hour after closing.

With its prime location next to the creek and views of Proposal Rock, the deck quickly became the most desirable seating area.  But if you dine inside, it’s the tables you’ll first notice.  Frank built them himself of solid quartersawn white oak with ebony inlays.  The walls are paneled in cedar and display original works by local artists Michael Schlichting and Ken Dust.

The menu is varied with an emphasis on local seafood.  Five different entrée salads are popular, each served with the cafe’s signature rustic bread.  A variety of pizzas all start with fresh dough and homemade sauce, and then are baked in a wood fired brick oven.  The wine list is extensive, including a wide variety from Northwest vineyards.  Oregon microbrews are among the 10 beers on tap.

Owning a restaurant is a serious commitment of time.  “You have to be here if you expect things to run smoothly,” says Genie.  Generally, either she or Frank are at the restaurant seven days a week, but both enjoy interacting with their customers.

The Ullrichs have high praise for their staff, recognizing how difficult it is to operate a cafe that often has a line of customers waiting out its front door.  From an economic standpoint, the cafe has been a benefit to the communities of southern Tillamook and northern Lincoln counties.  Eighteen more people are now employed.

In reopening The Cafe on Hawk Creek, Genie and Frank utilized local businesses whenever possible.  They also chose a local bank, Oregon Coast Bank.  “They’re friendly and very accommodating,” explains Genie.  “That’s why Oregon Coast Bank is so nice to do business with.”  She enjoys visiting the bank, but admits to using Oregon Coast Bank’s Online Banking when she’s just too busy or needs to do her banking after hours.

Genie and Frank call it “a labor of love”, but we’d like to thank them for reopening The Cafe on Hawk Creek.  With miles of pristine beach, a memorable landmark in Proposal Rock, and a relaxed pace of life, Neskowin does have a lot to offer.  But it’s hard to imagine the town without its cafe.