Westport Winery Opens Seaside Kites

Westport Winery Opens Seaside Kites

The Roberts family who own Westport Winery in Seaside opened Seaside Kites at 810 Broadway on June 1. Winery co-owner Kim Roberts, who is partners with her husband Blain, daughter Carrie, and son Dana, said, “We love that Seaside is a family-focused town with a solid local population. As much as we enjoy sharing our wines with adults, we want to make sure there is a safe and friendly kid space in all our properties. We hope the parents can enjoy tasting with us while the kids happily explore the world of kites.”

The kite shop’s tag line, “The Sky’s The Limit”, is reflective of their purchase of the building in January. Since then the family has made significant investments in the property. “There had been quite a bit of deferred maintenance, which you know is especially profound at the beach. We’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars in painting and repairing both the inside and the outside of the structure to set the tone for our goals with this project. We are delighted to be a part of the renovation and renewal of this section of Broadway.”

At the same time, learning the nuances of creating a cute kite store was aided by long-time family friend, Doll Camp, who has owned Cachalot Kites in Westport for over 40 years. Kim said, “I’ve always enjoyed going into Doll’s shop because of the bright colors and kinetic energy. It’s a happy place.” Camp assisted in purchasing and merchandising the new bright and colorful shop with spectacular displays high above the open atrium. She focused the kite shop’s contents on affordable, colorful, and easy-to-fly kites, for all ages. In addition, the store offers a nice selection of flags and spinners. “We made sure there was space for products for OSU and U of O fans,” Camp said.

In collaboration with the winery there are other dominant themes in the new sky’s the limit enterprise. “In both of our gift shops we are known for our extensive collection of mermaid and pirate products,” said general manager Carrie Roberts. She and her sister-in-law Rikki recently added special areas in their Westport and Seaside tasting rooms designated as “Ocean’s Daughter: Mermaid Lounge – Pirates Welcome.” This is fitting since Rikki is the inspiration for the new Mermaid Merlot label painted by Sisters, Oregon, artist Jill Neal (known for her Wacky--but tasteful--Wine Women). Carrie said, “One of my favorite movies is Princess Bride with Dread Pirate Roberts, so it’s natural that we make it part of our store too.”

With all things in this family business, there is a story. Blain said, “We’re huge Star Wars and Star Trek fans so you can count on kites featuring your favorite characters and ships.” In 1978 Blain founded Lahaina Divers on Maui and subsequently named each of his dive charter boats after Star Trek vessels. Winemaker Dana Roberts said, “We’re currently aging a series of reserve wines in homage my dad’s boats and our family’s history. They will be named MV Endeavor, MV Reliant, MV Valiant, MV Defiant, and MV Dominion.”

It is obvious that even though they are first and foremost a winery, their tasting rooms include options for guests interested in more than wine. Their Seaside manager, Brian Hammack said, “We offer free olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting every day in addition to sampling a wide variety of gourmet foods. These are really popular in our custom gift baskets.” Free gift wrapping is available daily in both the winery and the kite shop for those looking for fun, functional, or delicious gifts.

Hammack said, “Whenever we can we want to collaborate with other local businesses and charities.” One of their other commitments to the community is that they are open seven days a week, year around (except for Thanksgiving and Christmas). Since the winery’s launch in 2008 the family has donated over $400,000 to various coastal charities.

The Roberts family opened their Seaside tasting room in January. They also have a tasting room in Cannon Beach. Their commitment to Seaside goes beyond the business community. Blain said, “We are currently building a second home here for our family. We work when other people play so we plan to spend quite a bit of time in Seaside in the winter.”

As part of the Broadway revitalization, in addition to adding the kite store, the family is welcoming Rick and Nancy Smith as they moved their antique and collectible store Rust & Dust, adjacent to the winery’s tasting room on June 1. Tom and Elena Shern, who own Capricorn Pub in Astoria, are adding a second location in the Roberts’ building with the goal of opening in July.

With all spaces in the main level of the mall filled the family is determined to find perfect tenants for the upper floor of the building which has about 3000-square feet available for rent in a series of spaces from 200- to 1200-square-feet. “In addition to Astoria Coast Professional Properties’ office these spaces would be ideal for everything from a yoga studio to business offices for other Broadway retailers that want to maximize their ground floor footprint for retail.”

When they purchased the 810 Broadway property the deal included the original Seaside blacksmith shop built in 1904 located at 733 Oceanway. “We love that we have this historic structure and hope we can find just the right business to bring it back to life.”

In 2017 the Westport Winery was named Greater Grays Harbor Business of the Year. The Sea Glass Grill at Westport Winery Garden Resort was voted #2 winery restaurant in the nation by USA Today. The business has been voted Best Winery by King 5 Evening Magazine.

In 2016 Westport Winery was honored as one of the top twenty most-admired wineries in North America by Winery & Vineyard Management Magazine. The business earned Best Winery, Best Wine Shop, and Best Boutique Winery for 2016 by South Sound Magazine. They received the Grays Harbor Environmental Stewardship Award in 2015. They were named the Best Washington Family Business Silver Medal winners in 2012 by Seattle Business Magazine. And in 2011 they garnered Washington Winery to Watch by Wine Press Northwest.

In Oregon, Westport Winery Seaside is open daily from 11am to 6pm and until 8pm on Friday and Saturday. Westport Winery TASTING @ Cannon Beach is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

Family-friendly Westport Winery Garden Resort is located on the corner of Highway 105 and South Arbor Road halfway between Aberdeen and Westport. The Sea Glass Grill at the resort is open daily or breakfast, lunch, and dinner from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information or reservations call 360-648-2224.