Yes, another 'I'm moving to Port Angeles' thread :p (Seattle: Home Depot, find a job)

[KAILANI]

There are a lot of dirtbiking trails hidden in the forests here! Some are easy, some are technical. Theres also an MX track here. The closest riding area is just up the hill here and is easy, great for kids to learn.

I hope you can start up that business. That is just the kind of thing PA needs! We need more outdoors activities and businesses focused towards that to bring in tourists!

Hope to meet you all someday!

[rainforest338]

Originally Posted by tygerus

Thank you for that insight, rainforest338.
Everything does help.
Sounds like food does well, too.
Maybe if the B&B thing doesn't turn out well, maybe I can look into opening a Korean BBQ/Hawaiian food joint.

A Korean BBQ/Hawaiian food place actually would probably do fine. Especailly if they have 'big kahuna burgers'.
The drive through espresso stands seem to do fine out here, even with lots of competition.
I saw recently that the big zip-line project for PA was scrapped. It would've created the largest zip-line park in the world.
One thing that is new to PA that really brought out crowds (more than the Lavendar fest) was the sprint boat races. There is an extreme sports park in PA with a water track that some people love. Another idea would be a MMA/UFC gym/arena; as that is very popular in the area.

[Fairwinds]

I belong to "Transition Port Angeles". One of the things discussed at our last meeting was the lack of camping facilities along the Discovery Trail for bikers and hikers. A B & B coupled with a campground adjacent the Discovery Trail, somewhere between Port Angeles and Sequim would be great! I also noticed that there is a shortage of B&Bs near Port Angeles. https://www.facebook.com/transitionportangeles

[willowkim]

Originally Posted by cjg5

To add to willokim's suggestions, if you like good donuts check out Cockadoodle Donuts. Get there early though or you may not find much of a selection.

Stay clear of the Dynasty Chinese restaurant, or as we called it, D'Nasty Chinese restaurant. Joshua's makes killer Belgium Waffles!

Oh, absolutely on the donuts. SO good. And I totally agree about D'nasty... that's what folks in town call it, too. For Chinese/Asian, Tendy's Garden is good and also SoHo Asian Bistro. Sabai Thai, out on 8th Street is fantastic. Heavenly.

Joshua's has pretty good breakfast... but just stay away for lunch and dinner. Trust me. I think a Korean BBQ/Hawaiian food place would do GREAT. Folks in PA are looking for good food -- fresh, locally-sourced, well-made food. I've always thought a really good deli would do great too.

Also, check out McPhee's Market on Race Street, they have a cool little selection of groceries from around the world... chinese, thai, japanese, mexican. H-Mart is definitely worth the drive, though, I had some Korean friends who introduced me to H-Mart... what an amazing store. I've never seen so much produce.

Angeles Clinic for Animals is a good place for your four-legged ones! We took both our dogs there. TLC Pet Pros on 8th is good for grooming. We liked Country Paws in Sequim for boarding, even though it's a trek.

Personally, I'm was not a fan of the zipline project, though I knew some folks who invested in it. Opening a business up in the Heart of the Hills area that would be putting commercial vehicles on Lake Dawn Road -- not a good plan. Although the commissioners approved the business proposal, it was clearly against the road use as laid out by the county (one-lane, rural road) and there are families with small children up there. I applaud ingenuity and small business start-ups... and a zipline is a pretty cool idea, just not there. (And, it wouldn't have been very scenic when they do the logging that's scheduled to be done, too!) But that's just my opinion. I know others were really excited about the project.

I think the job market as represented by the Peninsula Daily News' want ads is pretty accurate. There are some places that just put up signs and want to hire from customers or within... and of course there is a certain amount of "small town" who-you-know going on; but I've had 4-5 jobs in town over the 11 years I lived there and initially, we knew no one except my family who had moved a couple of years prior. One thing that does happen is getting turned down for jobs because of being overqualified. My husband, who writes software, just tried to get ANY job when we moved... WalMart, whatever (he applied for anything tech, too) but no one would hire him because they knew he'd jump when he got a better offer.

I really believe starting your own business is the way to go. Great service and a niche that people are into, advertise in the paper and on the radio... get in touch with the Port Angeles Ambassadors to announce and do a ribbon cutting at your opening... join the Downtown Association (even though it may be challenging) if you open an office or something downtown. Facebook, Craigslist, Twitter, flyers on every bulletin board, handing out business cards... it's about letting people know you're there and reminding them until you have a solid customer base. People who just open up shop, hang out a shingle, and put a tiny ad in the paper for a couple weeks have a harder time.

[KAILANI]

We have a wonderful market in town here that has all kinds of ethnic foods. It is calle McPhees grocery.. They have a lot of Japanese, Hawaiian, Korean, Philipino and Mexican items. I get my seasonings, sauces, unagi, sushi items, rice sprinkles (furikake), li hing mui, dried cuttlefish and all those snacks. If they don't have it, they will be more than happy to order it. they have kimchee base, gyoza wrappers, taro leaves, poi, mochi and much much more!!

The best Vetrinarian is Dr. Schramm. He was getting all of my dogs ready to qualify for the Hawaiian quarantine. They were so good with following all of the rules. Unfortunately we canceled our move...

After living here for 11+ years, I have to say I just love it here. It is evolving into a cool place. We need people to come in and add life to it..
We try to promote the local economy. I am SO glad that the only big box store is Walmart.. I would totally boycott anything else. Sequim is doing a great job in ruining their town with that stuff. I can drive 15 minutes to go to those stores and realize that our local stores are much more helpful, good priced and adequate. If you need more, order online.
We don't NEED any of that crap!!

The kids who grow up here, with good parents, are amazing people!
Every town has its ups and downs. I like our small town vibe. There are some real cool people, all walks of life!

[tygerus]

Hi!
I hope everyone's weekend was fun!
Sorry, been a bit busy around here with family stuffs.
Thank you again for all the info!
We are waiting for the status of our business loan application to come through so we are in a holding pattern until we hear from them. My husband just wants to move out there anyway regardless if we get the business or not. We could just buy or rent a house and work on the bike tour group business for now.
I am adamant about that because I don't want to jump into a place we don't know that much about and not have anything lined up before we go. If it was just us and not with 2 small children and the furbabies then it would be okay but we have them.
The homes seem pretty reasonable but with an interesting range of prices. I wish I had made more notes about the area so I could target the home-buying a little better. After all, if we do this route, I don't want to end up in a neighborhood that is more questionable than others or too fussy about having kids and dogs move in on their street.
Any suggestions especially what streets to avoid, etc?

[ukiyo-e]

Originally Posted by cjg5

You may also see people looking for cooler weather during heat wave events in the Seattle area over summer. (Although a majority of those people tend to flock to Ocean Shores I'm sure the upper peninsula around Sequim and Port Angeles gets their share too).

I live in Port Townsend and we get tons of tourists here in the summer, too! It's a major segment of the economy here...but that's not always a good thing when you have the kind of weather the Olympic Peninsula gets. At least we're closer to Seattle than Sequim and PA.

[tygerus]

I wish that we had time to visit Port Townsend when we were driving around, ukiyo-e.
I heard its a cool place.

[tygerus]

[quote=KAILANI;28923837]We have a wonderful market in town here that has all kinds of ethnic foods. It is calle McPhees grocery.. They have a lot of Japanese, Hawaiian, Korean, Philipino and Mexican items. I get my seasonings, sauces, unagi, sushi items, rice sprinkles (furikake), li hing mui, dried cuttlefish and all those snacks. If they don't have it, they will be more than happy to order it. they have kimchee base, gyoza wrappers, taro leaves, poi, mochi and much much more!!

The best Vetrinarian is Dr. Schramm. He was getting all of my dogs ready to qualify for the Hawaiian quarantine. They were so good with following all of the rules. Unfortunately we canceled our move...
=================================

Are they expensive when it comes to the furukake and stuff?
If you don't mind me asking, why were you going to move back? You can send me a private note about that.

[tygerus]

Another question for y'all -
I am looking for a home in PA. Any particular neighborhoods to avoid?
With 2 small kids, it's always a concern.
Any input is appreciated.