By Carol Couch
It really pays to go to the restroom at Bailey’s Bakery and Café in Nahcotta. Or at least to go in that direction down the little hallway leading to it. It’s another ‘gallery space’ for local artists and right now there are prints of paintings by Carol Couch. They are charming!
A portrait of Ole’s Nook caught my eye and when I saw the price tag, I didn’t think twice! Matted and framed it was $20! Talk about bargains! I honestly don’t know if I bought it because I remember Carol or because I remember Ole’s Nook. Probably a little of both.
I first met Carol when her grandson was in my class at Long Beach School. It was about the time that I was beginning to look into an assisted living situation for my mom and Carol, who was just about to retire from DSHS, paved the way. She couldn’t have made all the paperwork easier and the interviewing process more pleasant. I will always be grateful to her for her kindness and assistance at a very difficult time.
Another Ocean Park Icon
And now… she’s a painter! Her work is bright, colorful and whimsical. It makes you smile. The subjects are recognizable and, as in the case of ‘Ole’s Nook,’ irresistible – at least to me. The really weird part is that I have this totally sentimental feeling about the place, yet I was never inside it.
I don’t really know when Ole’s Nook first appeared on Bay Avenue a block or so East of Jack’s Country Store. I know I remember it from the mid-seventies – maybe even for a decade before that. It was a place that the local fishermen often congregated and, from what people said it was sort of funky inside. Maybe even beyond funky. Grungy.
A couple I know used to go to Ole’s now and then and my friend said she always sort of held her breath when she slid into a booth. “I’d seen too many old men come out, pretty unsteady on their feet, with bleary eyes and wet trousers,” she said.
That’s not what kept me out, though. I’m just not a tavern kind of girl I guess. I’ve never been into Doc’s either – another Ocean Park icon and still going strong. But I did go into the Shake Shack once for a piece of fabulous wild blackberry pie. I think Ole’s Nook and the Shake Shack closed their doors at about the same time. Ocean Park isn’t really the same without them.
I’m glad I have Carol’s picture!
What a treasure, Sydney and a bargain to boot! Ole’s was an institution. Yes, by the 1980s it was rather seedy, but that’s what made it…well, Ole’s! I am sure that I would have purchased the painting as well. It’s Peninsula history!
Henrichsen’s grocery was purchased by my parents the summer I finished high school in Longview and left for college, so I was a resident of Pullman when the name of the business was changed to Jack’s Country Store. As a young college student, I was not of legal age for patronizing taverns in the State of Washington. In Idaho, just a few miles from Pullman, the drinkingvage was 19 at the time. When I turned 21, and could be served at taverns such as Ole’s Nook, I invited my parents to join me for a beer there, where the three of us celebrated my status. I was glad to be finally rid of my designation as a Minor.
That is a great story. Noticed Ole’s was just demolished last month August 2015. Then I get a call from a friend that had six hard plastic coasters from Ole’s Nook. I hold them close to my heart. I also have three pencils from the old Port O’ Call Realty in Ocean Park that she gave me. I’m going to frame these.
Hate to say it but I gave an Ole’s Nook coat away years ago after my mother died in 2005. Wish I had that back.
Hello! I’ve stumbled upon this site in my journey to discover more about a jacket I picked up at a yard sale all the way down in Phoenix, AZ. I purchased a red coach’s jacket from what I am thinking is the 70s or 80s. It’s got an Ole’s Nook Tavern graphic on the back and it says “Brat” on the front chest area. It’s a great piece and must have an awesome history from what you and the other commenters have included on this page. If you have any info you can give me it would be much appreciated and maybe I could send pictures via email to share 🙂