Kelso junior brings LA to Longview
Monday, March 7, 2005 7:42 AM PST
By Pat Forgey
Printable version
E-mail this articleKelso High School student Alicia Rodriguez wanted to bring California-style clothing to Longview.
So with help from her mother and brother, the family has opened LA Outlet in downtown Longview.
"We like vacationing in California, and my daughter liked the clothes down there," explained Barbara Garcia, Alicia's mom.
The family-run store at 1233 Commerce Ave. features shirts, pants, shoes. T-shirts with sayings on them are a big item, along with hats.
The growing selection includes girls' jeans, boys', girls' and children's shoes, guys' jackets, little girls' and baby girls' dresses for Easter.
"They're mostly for teenagers, but adults can wear them too," said Alicia Rodriguez.
Non-clothing items include big blankets from Mexico, make-up for women, toys for little kids, belts for girls and guys' and baby clothes and blankets, Rodriguez said.
"Everything is $30 and below, so it's a really cheap store," Garica said.
T-shirts go for $3.99, she said.
Garcia and her family recently moved to Cowlitz County from Battle Ground. LA Outlet is her family's first clothing store venture, but she's worked in clothing stores before. Son Victor Rodriguez, who attends Kelso High School with Alicia, also works in the store.
They're open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
Diamond Lady returns
Valarie Crisman, a local jeweler known for many years as the diamond lady, is back in business in downtown Longview.
Crisman's new business, called Diamond Lady, is upstairs in the General Mortgage Building, where she used to be located in the space now occupied by Luigi's. She's offering jewelry ranging from $10 to $20,000.
"I'd been out of the community for a while, but it's great to be back in business, she said.
In the past Crisman has done business in the Triangle and Three Rivers malls and downtown. She likes her downtown location best.
"I don't want to say anything negative about shopping malls, but I love being in a building that has windows, high ceilings and fresh air," she said.
Diamond Lady will be focused on wholesale prices and expert repairs. Crisman will run the business herself.
Crisman said she's glad to be back in business in her hometown, where she said people appreciate doing business with someone they know.
People in Longview, she said, "like fine things and very good prices." They also appreciate attention to detail and doing business with people they trust.
Diamond Lady works with outside goldsmiths and platinum smiths, but does its own jewelry design in-house with designer Cheri Westervelt, Crisman said.
Crisman said she hopes to expand into the jewelry brokerage, and will be setting up an Ebay site for people to sell jewelry through.
In that venture, Diamond Lady will be taking consignments and doing jewelry repairs. That will get people better prices than the melt value than pawnshops pay, she said.
The General Mortgage building is at 1329 Broadway. Diamond Lady is in Suite 208.
Weyco hits safety milestone
Weyerhaeuser Co.'s St. Helens-North Tree Farm has marked 1 million hours without a lost-time injury, say company officials.
"This is an incredible achievement for an operation in our industry and an achievement that is difficult to obtain in any industry," Jack Taylor, Weyerhaeuser's senior vice president for Timberlands, said in a press release.
The St. Helens team is made up of foresters, engineers, loggers, truck drivers, mechanics, road maintenance crews, construction crews and administrative staff. Team Leader Ray Arnold has been there since 2000, and with Weyerhaeuser for 32 years.
Arnold said the group on the St. Helens takes pride in working as a group and making sure everybody goes home safe and healthy every day.
"Safety at our St.. Helens tree farm begins with setting clear expectations and making sure we have 'buy-in' from every employee," he said. "Then we concentrate on bringing safety to the forefront every day and recognizing employees who work safely."
"Our St. Helens team has proven that it is world-class in safety performance," Taylor said.
Talking Business writer Pat Forgey can reached at pforgey@tdn.com or through regular mail: Talking Business, The Daily News, P.O. Box 189, Longview, WA 98632.
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