Day Trips: Antiques hunting and a haunting lunch

SNOHOMISH -- Stand at First Street and Avenue B, in the heart of the historic district, and it's easy to see why Snohomish bills itself as the Antique Capital of the Northwest.

Although an economic slowdown has changed the retail mix somewhat, this picturesque shopping district still boasts some 450 antiques dealers. First Street itself is a charming throwback, lined with wood and brick storefronts that hark back to the late 19th century.

The people are friendly, restaurants abound and -- this should grab you romantics -- the historic district is haunted. What's not to love?

If you're looking for bargains, mark your calendar for Feb. 11-13, the dates of the Citywide Antique Sale. All of the antiques dealers -- and many other merchants -- will have special markdowns.

Only 30 miles north of Seattle, Snohomish is an easy hop. Head east from Everett along U.S. Route 2, then south on state Route 9, which leads straight into the historic district.

And, no, you won't have to wear your hip waders. Shopkeepers grumble that recent TV news reports of flooding have scared away visitors, but the historic district is unscathed.

"Last month it flooded -- it wasn't even on the news. This month they decided to play it up," said Randy Rush, manager of Antique Warehouse, a fixture on the Seattle waterfront until high rents propelled it to Snohomish a year-and-a-half ago.

Winter days are sleepy, so streetside parking is easy to find -- and apparently free despite the two-hour parking signs along First Street. Two merchants told me the limit isn't enforced. I can't promise anything, but it worked for me; I parked all day without repercussions.

GRANT M. HALLER / P-I

Juliet Stratton, a saleswoman at Casa e Cucina Francesca, an Italian imports shop, tries out a handmade Venetian leaf mask.

The compact historical district is scaled for exploration on foot. The retail area ranges up First Street and a short way up the side streets. A few blocks up from the Snohomish River are several streets of lovely historic homes. Styles range from American Foursquare to Queen Anne to Colonial Revival.

Stop by the visitor center at 127 Avenue A and pick up a walking- tour map. There are stories behind many of the surrounding buildings. Up the street at 205-207 Avenue A is Soap Sud Row, five mill houses where washerwomen used to do laundry for mill workers and loggers.

St. John's Episcopal Church, at 913 Second St., is one of several historic churches. Built in 1893 for $250, its white, steepled buildings are based on a New England design, with gothic-arched windows and curlicue trim.

I was hoping to visit the Blackman House Museum, situated in a restored, 1878 house at 118 Avenue B. The museum is open only sporadically, however, as volunteer staffing permits.

Still, with more than 65 listed points of interest, you'll be plenty busy, even if you neglect to visit the hundreds of antiques dealers that are Snohomish's calling card.

"There's a whole bunch of history in this town," said Sheryl Burnette, a Mill Creek artist whose children attend Snohomish High School.

The community got its start in 1859, when entrepreneur E.C. Ferguson persuaded a few friends to stake out a claim on the river to capitalize on plans for a military road that was to stretch from Steilacoom to Bellingham.

GRANT M. HALLER / P-I

The Oxford Saloon and Eatery is reputed to be haunted. Who knows? Maybe after the lunch crowd leaves, a ghost might get thirsty for a brew.

The road, which never was built, was proposed in the wake of that year's "Pig War" on San Juan Island, a territorial dispute between the British and Americans. The short-lived idea was to carve an inland route that would be safe from British naval attack.

Back then, the surest way into the heavily forested settlement was by canoe. Soon steamers and paddle-wheelers plowed the mighty Snohomish to the new town, originally called Cadyville for co-founder E.T. Cady.

Today Snohomish is working to revitalize its riverfront. A new walking trail connects Cady Park, under the railroad trestle to the west, with Kla HaYa Park, at 1117 First St., next to the public restrooms. The long-term plan is to link the riverfront trail to the Centennial Trail, which stretches eight miles to Lake Stevens.

Some residents even hope to restore boat traffic on the Snohomish, capitalizing on the city's logging and riverboat history to create an evocative destination on the order of Leavenworth -- but based on the area's authentic history. (You can get a fragrant whiff of that history from the Sea-Sno lumber mill, still operating on the far riverbank.)

"I think that would be wonderful," said Kathryn Deierling, co-owner of Weed's Variety, which dates from 1927. "I'd love to see dinner cruises."

Local history is so important to Deierling that she and husband, Dale, bought Weed's Variety in 1998 to ensure its survival.

GRANT M. HALLER / P-I

Nikki Musseau, 17, and Chad Barber, 19, walk along a county trail beside the Snohomish River.

"We didn't want it to turn into another antique store," said Deierling, whose children are fourth-generation Snohomish High graduates.

"We wanted to maintain some of the heritage."

It's an ongoing struggle for the city. In fact, it was the economic slide of the 1960s that gave rise to today's preservation district. Like a lot of small cities, Snohomish lost its economic verve when a highway bypass routed traffic out of the retail core. Far-flung shopping malls also siphoned customers from downtown.

In 1965, according to the city's Web site (www.ci.snohomish.wa.us/HistoryCreation.htm), the city considered knocking down the old buildings to make way for a covered mall. With no funds to carry out the plan, history got a reprieve. In 1973, a 26-block historic district was enrolled on the National Register of Historic Places. Snohomish then began marketing itself as the Antique Capital of the Northwest.

Today the city is struggling with another downturn.

"It's been a very slow year for everybody in the historic district," said Donna Hager, who with husband John owns the Collector's Choice restaurant at the base of the Star Center Mall, 829 Second St.

Special annual events, including a classic auto show and a vintage motorcycle show, draw thousands of visitors, but even these are not without dissention. The current hot-button issue is whether to continue hosting the bike show, a May event for the past eight years.

GRANT M. HALLER / P-I

Kelly and Dean Mahlen, lower right, seem to be lost in all the items for sale at Pegasus Theater Shops.

"There aren't enough police to man it," said Hager, one of the opponents. While past shows have been without incident, she said, the potential is always there.

Don Everest, co-owner of the Java Inn, which roasts its own, mostly organic beans, argues that bikers are the best tippers and the most congenial. "There's a lot of money in that show," he said.

For visitors, the most visible effect of the current economic slump is fewer stand-alone antiques stores and more consolidation into antiques malls. First Street businesses now include some gift shops, boutiques and unusual home-decor stores -- such as Way Out West, where you can buy a swivel bar stool made from a saddle while listening to the rollicking theme song from "Bonanza."

Or Lodge Podge, where the look is log-cabin rustic and a cloth moose greets shoppers with its sign, "Moosey on In."

At Pegasus Theater Shops, on the south side of First Street, nostalgia takes on a glossier look. Here the specialties are neon, tin advertising signs and classic gas pumps, both restored antiques and shiny replicas.

One of the biggest surprises is Casa e Cucina Francesca, which sells sophisticated Italian imports. Located in an old barbershop at 1206 1/2 First St., it specializes in stainless steel, stovetop espresso-makers and handmade Carnival masks from Venice.

Several shops are popular with locals as well as visitors. Everything Tea, which sells more than 300 varieties, is an example. On the day of my visit, ponytailed owner Tricia Jay-James greeted customers in a blue sweatshirt that said, "Live. Love. Laugh." She mentioned the Snohomish Pie Co., just up the street, as another magnet for resident foodies.

Speaking of food, there's no shortage here, as First Street offers everything from English tea-room fare to fish and chips. I opted for the family friendly Oxford Saloon and Eatery at 913 First St.

"The three main bars are all family till 9 o'clock at night, and it's good food," noted Deierling, the variety-store owner.

With its worn, wooden floors, funky decor and elegant antique bar, the Oxford is a good place to soak up an atmosphere of yesteryear. It's noted for its wraps, but I splurged on a bacon blue-cheese burger ($8.95 with fries or homemade potato salad) and wasn't disappointed.

In truth, there's another reason I chose this haunt: It reportedly harbors at least six ghosts.

The most famous spirit, a policeman named Henry, is pictured in a framed photo by the stairs, along with other officers in Keystone Cops-type uniforms. He was killed in a bar fight and is now said to inhabit the downstairs women's restroom.

Sue Hem, a server and bartender at the Oxford for 10 years, said Henry has been sighted by at least a few people, including a friend of her teenage niece, who hadn't heard the legend.

"She was sitting at the bar and she just turned white," Hem recounted. "She said, 'There was a man in a tall hat and he just walked right in here.' "

Psychics also have reported sensing the spirits of a former madam, one of her "girls" and a "John," from the days when a brothel occupied the third floor. Hem said one ghost, a former bar owner, has "been known to slap a few fannies." What's more, she said, "Things will go flying off the countertop for no reason."

"Do I believe it's haunted? Oh, yeah," Hem said. "Just because I have been in a situation a few times when it calls my name. At first I thought there was something wrong with me. You turn around, and there's no one there. It's a generic voice -- not male or female."

There's nothing like a good ghost story to perk up a gray Northwest afternoon, which made this a pleasant getaway indeed.

If you go

• Star Center Mall -- 829 Second St. Hours: daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 360-568-2131
• Oxford Saloon and Eatery -- 913 First St.; Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-midnight, Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2 a.m. 360-568-3845
• Weed's Variety Store -- 906 First St. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5; 360-568-5161
• Way Out West -- 1116 First St. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sunday noon-5; 360-563-6565
• Casa e Cucina Francesca -- 1206 1/2 First St. Hours: Monday and Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5, closed Tuesday/Wednesday; 360-563-9440
• Pegasus Theater Shops -- 1003 First St. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; 360-568-8815

  Everything Tea -- 1101 First St. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11-5; 360-568-2267

• Antique Warehouse -- 1019 First St. Hours: Thursday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday by chance, Tuesday-Wednesday noon-5; 360-568-7590; www.antiquewarehouse.us

  Collector's Choice Restaurant -- 120 Glen St. (at base of Star Center Mall). Hours: Sunday-Thursday 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 7-10; 360-568-1277

• Snohomish Pie Co. -- 915 First St. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9-5, Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 360-568-3589
• Java Inn-Snohomish Coffee Roasters -- 1120 First St. Hours: 6 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. 360-568-8254

  P-I reporter Cecelia Goodnow can be reached at 206-448-8353 or ceceliagoodnow@seattlepi.com.

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