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Shelton institution served
its last meal on July 7
By NATALIE JOHNSON February '1998, with her ex-
~at~Uie@rnaso~cov.myx:o,",~ husband Steven Olson, who
............................................................................... was the first executive chef
at the fine dining restaurant.
After struggling to h01d Hickson, who has been
on in an economic down- trying to sell the restau-
turn for four years, Steven's rant for three years, said
on Railroad closed its doors she had several reasons
for the last time on July 7. for shutting the restaurant
"It amazes me we've been down this month.
able to hold on this long," First among those rea-
owner Angela Hickson said. sons are Hickson's two chil-
Hickson opened Steven's dren, both born in the last
more than 14 years ago, in two years.
Denny's Auto
Service presents
our Non-Profit
Organization of
the Month:
Love, INC
We at Denny's Auto Service
Love INC
Love h~ the Name of Christ
are seeing the impact that
the economy is having on the community and also how it is
impacting local charities. We want to do our part to support our
community and the people who help make Mason County great.
You can help by adding $I.00 to your bill at
Denny's Auto, or by attending or participating in the
upcoming Golf Tournament July 30th. Call 462-LOVE (5683)
or visit www.masoncountyloveinc.org for more information.
We hope you will join us, your small change
can make a big change in others' lives/
Quality Repair by
People Who Care
Warranty Approved Maintenance
Nationwide Warranty Courtesy
Loaner Cars Complete Auto Care
24 Hour Drop Box
Lifetime Protection Program
Financing O.A.C, Senior Discounts
"I always wanted to have
a family -- I never wanted
to have both a family and
a restaurant at the same
time," she said.
Also, Hickson owns an-
other local building, An-
gela's Beauty Boutique in
Shelton, and works full-
time there. Before the re-
cession, she said there was
time to run both business-
es.
"It worked even when I
wasn't here full time," she
said. "Because of the staff I
had I was able to do well."
While business was good
for the first decade at Ste-
yen's, the business started
faltering along with the
economy in 2008.
"That's when I really
started feeling the pinch,"
Hickson said. "The num-
bers got tighter and tighter.
It got harder and harder for
it to work."
Between the two busi-
nesses, and with Steven's
needing more bf her time,
she said the amount of time
spent away from her family
left her feeling guilty.
"I had to make a-choice
for my life," she said.
The building Steven's
served steaks and cocktails
in was built in 1915, and
was the first bank in Shel-
ton.
Before it became Ste-
yen's, another restaurant
occupied the space. How-
ever, Tea and Crumpets,
which Hickson worked at
as a waitress, only lasted
seven months before shut-
ting its doors.
"They pretty much
packed up one weekend --
when I got here it was basi-
cally the walls," she said.
For much of its life,
Steven's did well, offering
Shelton residents a more
upscale place to eat.
"When we started 15
years ago fi~ae dining was
a trendy thing," Hickson
CLEANERS & TAILORS
..... ~ Mon-Fri 6:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. ' Sat 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
cnamDer 215 South Second, 426-3371
Member Sewing She~ton and Mason County for 86 years
Washington's Wild
Cat Sanctuary
from Lions to tiny
Gordon's Cats
Each w~ld cat is special and has a
need for a safe and comfortable
place to live out its life happily,
peacefully and with dignity.
Mail your tax-deductable donation to;
Wild Felid Advocacy Center
of Washington
3111 E. Harstine Island Rd. N.
Shelton WA 98584.
Jt
(360) 427-4466 It~tt
Ir W
V~N.wildfelids.org
UNOCAL 76 PRODUCTS
Motor Ods & Hydrauhc Ods Industrial
Lubricants Automotive Oils Metal
Working Fluids Greases & Gear Oils
Solvents & Antifreeze Cutting Oils
O I k CQ Job Site High-Volume Commercial Diesel
W, 150 Sanderson Way Fueling Pump Repair, Tanks, Nozzles,
Shelton, WA 98584 Grease Guns Heating Oil Delivered
Furnace & Stove Oil Kerosene
1"800"826"8959 " (360) 427-8084
Drive All Over for Your Dental Needs
Shelton Dental Center is a
full-service dental office
providing all general dentistry services plus
specialty services including:
Oral Surgery Implants
Root Canal Therapy Periodontal Therapy
Pediatric Dentistry Botox and Juvederm
11111111117111 Come see why everyone is smiling/
..... ~ (360) 426-8401 360.GO.BRUSH (462-7874)
i
' www. S h e It o n D e n t a I C e n t e r. c o m
1829 Jefferson Street Shelton WA, 98584 j
Page A-2 - Shelton-Mason County Journal -Thursday, July 26, 2012
Journal photos by Natalie Johnson
Above, Nathan and
Angela Hickson,
owners of Stevens on
Railroad announced
this month that the
restaurant had closed.
Angela Hickson said
she closed the
restaurant after going
through several years
of a difficult economy to
spend more time with
her family. At right, the
Stevens sign was still
visible last week.
said. tions, ton's main drag leaves "a
But as the economy suf-"When I did close I hole in downtown Shelton,"
fered worldwide, she said thought people just don't she said people need to
fine dining became morelike me anymore, they don't make an effort to support
synonymous with high pric- like Steven's," she said. local businesses.
es, and business slowed. However, after posting "I want people of Mason
"I still had the same about the closure on the res- County to realize if there's
great clientele but instead taurant's Facebook page,something they value in
of seeing them four times she said the comments she town they have to make
a month I'd see them one received from customers sure and spend their dol-
time,"she said. were"heartwarming." lars there," she said. "I
The experience of closing while Hickson acknowl- don't think people will real-
the restaurant she owned edged that the loss of Ste- ize it until they want to go
for much of her life left ven's and the resulting someplace special ... and
Hickson with mixed emo-empty building along Shel- there isn't anywhere."
i ....
Mason Area Fair this weekend
By NATALIE JOHNSON
nata/ie.@masoncounO',com,
The Mason Area Fair wilt
kick off this Friday, giving
local farmers, artists, musi-
cians and food-lovers alike
something to enjoy.
"Entries are amazing,"
said Rachel Hansen of North-
more entries than in the past
five years combined.
"A lot of people call in about
canning. A lot of people call in
about art," Hansen said. '%Ve
have more superintendents
than we've ever had."
This year the fair will have
three stages for music, and
Friday night will be reggae
night, with local band High
west Event Organizers, Ceiling and Hawaiian band
which, along with the Mason Unified Culture performing.
Area Fair Association, orga- The fair will offer a canxi-
nizes the fair. val and petting zoo, and fire-
Hansen said she believes dancing troupe Dragon Steps
this year the fair has received will perform half hour chil-
our newest agents
]ili!7iTiiiiiiiiii!iiiTiiiii!iii!iiiiiii ~!iii!i iilili !i!i!i!iil! !! ii iii~!iTiii,iiiilll'
Dawn Pannell Cherie Depoe
Dawn has serced 12 Born and raised in Mason
years as a City of County, Cherie joins us
Shelton Commissioner with deep knc~Adedge of
and knc~#s the in's and our area. She has over 20
out's, She looks foraard years in the financial in-
to putting her education dustry, which makes her a
to work for you. natural fitto Real Estate,
REAL ESTATE
306
W. Railroad Ave. PO Box 70
Shelton, WA 98584
(360) 426-3319
dren's shows every day.
The group will also per-
form longer shows through-
out the weekend.
Also on Saturday the first
100 children in the gate will
get goodie bags, Hansen said.
This year the fair will also
offer a broad selection of food,
including a Turkish food ven-
dor, German sausages, fun-
nel cakes and local clams and
oysters.
Nancy Dillon, superinten-
dent of the Floral and Ag-
riculture department, said
the department will include
many sections this year such
as a Mason County Master
Gardeners booth, a shore-
line care booth, a station for
building worm bins, aquacul-
ture and more.
"I've had people who say
they haven't entered for
years and are bringing lots of
stuff," Dillon said.
Hansen stressed the im-
portance of responding to a
Port of Shelton request for in-
put on its draf~ Fairgrounds
Future Use Plan. The fair
will offer $1 off admission for
anyone who fills out a com-
ment form on page 28 of the
Mason Area Journeys maga-
zine, which was mailed out in
the county.
Farm Tn
Greenhouse. Nursery. Produce
. Seafood Bark
Soils. Plants
Olympic Mountain Ice Cream
1921 E Hwy 106, Union WA 98592
(360) 898-2222 (360) 426-2222
Open 9am-5:3Opm 7 days a week
www.hu nter-farms.corn
Journal photo by Natalie Johnson
Draft horses,
including this one,
with carriages will
roam the grounds
during the Mason Area
Fair this weekend.