By SCOTT D. JOHNSTON
For North Coast News
Two new eateries are in business in Ocean Shores, and while the culinary offerings are oceans apart, the new owner/operators have in common the experiences of pursuing and living their dreams by the beach.
Kookamunga’s Doughnuts & Espresso, at 668 Ocean Shores Blvd. NW, and The Lighthouse, 650 Pt. Brown Ave. NE, both opened their doors in the past few weeks. The former is in a drive-thru location that has been closed over a year and previously sold chowder and hot dogs, and the latter brings new ownership to the building that is a full-scale replica of an actual light house.
Kookamunga’s
From the drive-thru in front of the Have A Heart marijuana store, Sheila Bradford offers mini doughnuts by the dozen, with a seemingly unending variety of drizzles, sprinkles and toppings. She and husband Jeff lived for 20 years in Juneau, AK, where she worked as director of admission and registration at a local hospital and he remains up there, finishing up some construction projects.
Sheila said, “I envision myself as an entrepreneur, and I decided I’d like to make little mini doughnuts.” They tried their concept in 2009 at Gold Rush Days, a major annual event in Juneau.
“The next thing we knew, there was a line, and there was a line the entire weekend,” she recalled. They enjoyed running it as a hobby on summer weekends and built a custom concession stand that looked like an old-fashioned diner.
The couple had been talking about long-range retirement plans that would include a concession stand, when, in 2016, Seattle native Jeff visited a friend in Aberdeen and saw a listing for a special house in Ocean Shores.
Sheila explained, “I’ve always wanted a round house… we looked at it (the listing) and something just clicked. The next day, I’m flying to Seattle and driving to Ocean Shores!” Growing up, Jeff had enjoyed family vacations in the area and as a South Florida native, she liked the idea of getting back to a beach. They closed on the “little round house I’ve always wanted” on Dec. 31, 2016.
The couple agreed on a five-year plan that would culminate in their move to Ocean Shores. But on a trip to the area early last year, they saw a “For Rent” sign on the closed drive-thru on Ocean Shores Blvd., “and the five-year plan was out the window!”
Kookamunga is a family nickname for Jeff’s sister, Cori. The store planned a soft opening late last month and “the first weekend was crazy! I’m very happy! I’m just amazed at how warm and welcoming everyone has been,” Sheila said with a big smile.
Kookamunga’s is open 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed Tuesdays. A menu and more information can be found online at their Facebook page, Kookamunga’s.
The Lighthouse
The exterior of this structure was built by Dan and Joyce Murphy as a full-scale replica of the “Mukilteo Light,” including its 38-foot-tall octagonal tower, minus the Fresnel lens that threw a beam of light over Possession Sound in Snohomish County beginning in 1906. They opened the restaurant seasonally beginning in 2006, but put it up for sale after closing for the winter last October.
Cindy and John Ravenhill, who have operated the George & Dragon English Pub with a partner in Seattle’s Fremont area since 1995, with another pub opened in 2010, bought their future retirement home in Ocean Shores in 2015. John, who came from London, England, to New York City in 1983, explained that, “I just love the ocean. I’ve always wanted to live by the sea. I also wanted to distance myself from the Seattle traffic.”
In February, he noticed the “For Sale” sign on the reader board at The Lighthouse. The couple closed on the purchase of both the building and property in April. For now, John is mainly in Ocean Shores, while “a very, very good staff” in Seattle makes it possible for Joyce to go back and forth.
The new menu is intentionally “a lot of different,” John said, with an emphasis on items not typically found at area restaurants. For example, they will not have fish and chips and their seafood chowders are Manhattan-style, with a tomato base.
They’re up for trying “almost anything that nobody else wants to do,” Cindy said.
Most of the menu has been developed by Chef Robert Hart. It features breakfast burritos, sweet and savory crepes, panini sandwiches, gyros, falafel and specials, such as a Cuban sandwich. Barista Chloe Hall makes a full range of coffee-based selections and regularly creates other beverage specials.
“We’ve been very, very welcomed,” John said, adding that he has found the North Coast community to be a very friendly one where “everyone wants to work together.”
The Ravenhills plan to keep The Lighthouse open throughout the year. Presently, they are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and plan to extend their hours next month for the summer season. Their phone number is 360-940-9020, and their menu and more information can be found on their Facebook page, Lighthouse Ocean Shores.
New flooring business
The grand opening of ResCom Flooring will take place on May 23 at 1 p.m. The location in Hoquiam at 605 Simpson Avenue was most recently the site of Levee Lumber’s feed store and pet supplies division and was a Safeway before that. Owner John Pegnam has relocated to Ocean Shores from Seattle and is well on his way to eventually serving all of Western Washington, both residential and commercial, with all flooring needs. His 23 years of flooring experience and his staff of 19 are prepared to offer high quality materials and installation at a reasonable cost to our area. The new showroom will feature room displays where flooring choices can be seen in a realistic setting and can also be walked on. The hours will be Monday-Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-4, and Sunday 10-4. Phone (360) 533-5700. Online at rescomflooring.com.
