Reuse, recycle ‘n’ retro: New shops bring back a bit of the past

By Omie Drawhorn

If you haven’t taken a stroll through downtown Silverton lately, you may want to make the venture.

Businesses are opening in once vacant storefronts, providing opportunities to shop and dine locally.

It’s a good time to grab a friend and discover the new businesses in town and see what’s new in established stores.

Hand Me Downs

When Mark and Rachelle Haber opened  Hand Me Downs, a consignment shop that specializes in children’s clothes, they were hoping to provide quality clothing at a fair price.

Mark Haber said it appears to have filled a niche in town.

“People come in and say ‘we love that you are here,’” he said. “We love Silverton very much and we feel like Silverton loves us back.”

The shop at 105 S. Water St. is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The Habers have lived in Silverton for almost three years and Mark originally used the space that now is home to Hand Me Downs to house his eBay business.

When sales started to slide he decided to do something with the storefront.

Rachelle had done a lot of consignment independently, and accumulated a supply of used children’s clothing.  Opening up a consignment shop made sense, and she  bought inventory from Mother Goose Clothing, a children’s consignment shop in Salem that was closing.

Haber said Hand Me Downs buys and sells used clothing and will take most things “as long as they are clean.”

How much they pay depends on whether the clothes are in sizes they need, as well as the quality of the merchandise.

Haber said customers love that they can do their shopping locally and not have to go to Salem.

Now they accept sizes newborn to 7, but have plans to expand to size 8 or 10.

Books ‘N’ Time

Those who walk into Books ‘N’ Time to peruse the shelves for something to add to their bookshelf will find something they weren’t expecting.

In addition to the collection of new and used books at Silverton’s new bookstore, customers will find clocks hanging on the walls. The clock and book combination combines owner Chuck Tauer’s passions.

Tauer, his wife Pamela, and son Shayn, have lived in Silverton since July. Previously they lived in Minnesota and Oklahoma, where Chuck was a professor of forestry.

Tauer said he has always been an avid reader.

“I grew up on Tom Swift and I am a serious sci fi reader,” he said.

But Tauer really enjoys reading all genres, “as long as it’s good.”

“Every other book I sell I regret selling; I want to read it first,” he said with a laugh.

Tauer has also been building clocks since the 1970s. He didn’t build any of the clocks currently for sale in the store, but he said the clocks are high quality antiques that people buy as family heirlooms. He is hoping to eventually work with someone who does clock repair and offer repairs services.

He said he also buys books for store credit. In October, he bought a used book inventory of 14,000 books to help get the business started. Going through the books was a process.

“They take forever to sort and alphabetize,” he said.

He said he is selling a lot of the Hunger Games series, as well as many he was surprised to be selling.

“I’m selling some that I thought would sit on the shelf for years,” he said.

Cherry Red Salon

For Jillian Gillindo, cutting hair is a form of art.

The hair stylist celebrating the opening Cherry Red Salon at 424 McClaine St. in Silverton with a grand opening during May’s First Friday,  7 to 9 p.m. May 4.

“I love all avenues of art,” she said. “I throw myself into any art project I can find.”

The salon is reflective of that, and is filled with Gillindo’s art projects, which include a refinished 1920s style couch, refurbished vanities at the hair styling stations and collages of old photographs.

Gillindo has been a hair stylist for the past nine years, and has lived in Silverton for the past five years.

“I have always wanted to open up my own salon,” she said. “I had a clear picture of what I wanted it to look like and I had the opportunity to put that in motion.”

The styling reflects the retro and vintage look that Gillindo likes.

Gillindo loves the classic, old Hollywood look and she specializes in updos and weddings, but her salon offers services in all things hair, including cuts, color, extensions and styling.

“I stay very up to date on education; I take a lot of extra classes (related to hair styling), she said.

She is in the process of hiring a team of stylists.

The salon is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and mornings and evenings by appointment.

Haircuts start at $20 and highlights start at $55 and include a complementary hair cut.

The First Friday event will feature a live Elvis performance and a drawing for products. They are also collecting diaper donations for the Family Building Blocks diaper drive.