Agate Beach to the north. While beachcombing is always popular and fruitful on Newport’s beaches, this summer is a good time to keep your eyes open for a particular kind of flotsam: tsunami debris that has floated across the ocean after the devastating 2011 Japanese tsunami. A range of items is now being discovered, from an enormous floating dock in the summer of 2012 to wooden temple beams to plastic bottles. As you wander the neighborhood, make sure to look up at the light posts. Every summer local artists design unique Nye Beach banners that fly from these posts and declare Nye Beach’s unique and arty character. In the fall they’ll be auctioned off to raise funds for local youth art programs.
Shopping, Lunch at Nye Beach Market, and More Shopping Whether you’re searching for a vacation souvenir, a wedding gift, or just a little something for yourself, you’re bound to find what you’re looking for in the shops of Nye Beach. The explosion of color that emanates from The Dapper Frog might lure you in just after your beach walk. One of five Dapper Frog locations in Oregon, the shop carries a dizzying array of high-quality art, decorative items, jewelry, ceramics, and more. Goods range from colorful and fun $10 tagua rings to spectacular works of glass art costing thousands of dollars. An animal and nature theme runs throughout the store. In one cabinet is a set of gemlike glass frogs depicted in various stages of leaping. Whimsical ceramic dogs adorn another corner, begging to be adopted. A number of regional artists are represented; one of my favorites is Christopher Marley of Salem, who creates gridded mosaics of butterflies, feathers, and other items from the natural world, framing them on stark white mats.
to find something to mark a very special occasion,” he says. On a recent visit I tried valiantly to protect my wallet by leaving it in the car, but I was unsuccessful. I wanted a fun, cheap, mid-week kind of red wine and Wahl came up with two options instantly. I bought both, and am happy to report they both hit the mark. When I go back, he’ll remember me, as he does all of his customers, and personalize some new recommendations. In addition to wines hailing from the Willamette Valley to Argentina to Italy and beyond, he also stocks mouth-watering specialty foods such as cheeses, chocolates, Italian pastas, and mustards. Wahl offers themed wine tastings most weekends, and hopes to be offering wines by the glass this summer. Your stomach may be telling you by now that it’s time for lunch. A great choice is the casual, friendly Nye Beach Market, where you can find soups, sandwiches, burritos, and other lunchtime fare made fresh, often with local ingredients. Sandwiches include hot pastrami, ham and brie, and spicy tuna made with locally canned albacore, all stacked on homemade focaccia bread. Custom deli sandwiches can be whipped up for you as well.
All their sandwiches can be made on their homemade gluten-free bread for $1 extra, and the creamy clam chowder is also gluten-free. They offer a selection of burritos, including the delicious Johnny Wrap, a vegetarian option with no cheese and homemade salsa. If you’ve left room for dessert, the options are simple perfection: homemade fruit pie with or without ice cream, or chocolate mousse. Who needs anything else? If you want to continue shopping after lunch, head up Coast Street to Jovi, right next door to Panini. This stunning shop is packed with treasures from around the globe, from housewares to perfume to jewelry to art. Store owners Jody George and Veronica Willemin both love to travel – George lives in Mexico for three months of the year – and that travel bug is evident on their shelves. Walking into Jovi is like wandering into an exotic international bazaar. French soaps that smell good enough to nibble, Haitian metal wall hangings, Mexican and Balinese silver, fine Polish tableware, vintage Turkish oil jars – all these treasures and more are displayed artfully in Nye Beach continued on page 28
Zach Wahl, the owner of the Nye Beach Wine Cellar, moved his shop around the corner into a gorgeous, larger new space in January. Zach is the most knowledgeable and least pretentious wine merchant you can find, and his shop is packed with wines at every price point and from every corner of the world. “It’s just as easy to find something inexpensive here to drink alone in a hotel room as it is Photos by: Jo Wienert
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