EPHRATA – Clients of Cherabellas Salon at 142 W. Division Street in downtown Ephrata will soon have a different and larger venue to visit to get gussied up, according to shop owner Hannah Oliver.

“Right now we have 900 square feet and the new building is 1,700,” Oliver said. “So, it’ll double the space, which will allow the last extension gal, Kiffen (Schulz, her own space.)”

Oliver said she and Schulz currently share a room in the back of the salon for eyelash extension and permanent cosmetics – tattooing makeup such as eye shadow or lip gloss into place – and Schulz’s eyelash services. After the move to the new location, those services will each have their own room set aside which will allow easier scheduling and allow them both to serve more clients without accidentally overbooking the space.

The salon offers more than just eyelashes and permanent cosmetics though. The full-service salon also offers hair coloring services, haircuts and styling. Additional services include facial waxing, teeth whitening, lash tinting and extensions and touching up thinning eyelashes or brows to ensure clients look their best.

The new location may allow the shop to expand with more staff as well, Oliver said.

“There’s plenty of room to bring in more hair stylists or, you know, whatever kind of services they want to offer. It just gives us more space,” Oliver said.

Oliver isn’t only happy about the added space. She said she has wanted to own a building for her salon again after having to sell the building she’s currently located in as part of a divorce some time ago. So, she had been looking for a new space for around nine months when she came across the new building at 130 First Street in Ephrata and loved its unique appearance. She dug around on government websites until she found out who owned the building and eventually tracked down Linda Knudson, the building’s former owner whose former husband had run Knudsen Land Surveying out of the building.

“I said, ‘Well, Ideally, I’d really love to own a building again, but you know, if worst comes to worst, I’m willing to lease again. We need more space than where we’re at now,’” Oliver said.

Knudsen put Oliver in touch with her daughter and after some back and forth, the pair struck a deal for the building and Oliver has the keys to create the salon she wants. But, it isn’t just about expanding the salon, she said. She wanted to know the history of the building as well.

“It was built in 1908, so, to me, 1908 is a long time ago. The building is just so unique and cool looking, and everybody’s like, ‘Oh! I know that building. You know, it’s such a cool building. I’ve always loved that building,’” Oliver said.

Having grown up in Quincy, Oliver wasn’t familiar with the building’s history, so she took to Facebook to find out more from the You know you're from Ephrata, WA when....... Facebook group.

“I'm sure the walls have more stories to tell. I recently purchased this building and would love to hear stories or what memories this place holds,” the post read.

In response, Ephratans and former Ephratans answered – in the hundreds. Responses poured in and Oliver got a great deal of information. At one point, it was The Rock Tavern, Irene’s Candy Kitchen, Irene’s Café, Lee’s Landmark Restaurant, The Rock (a former youth ministry) and several other area businesses, commenters said. It also served as an office for Rimrock Meadows and at one point had an apartment in the back some folks remembered.

Oliver said she heard some interesting stories she has no way of verifying, but are none-the-less exciting to hear. They include a tunnel under the street that is rumored to have lead to a former speakeasy and a story about a burly Native American woman who used to disrobe in The Rock Tavern and tussle with law enforcement when they arrived to deal with the chaos.

The responsibility of owning one of what Oliver feels is one of the most interesting historical buildings in Ephrata – which also may have hosted the engineer that designed the Panama Canal and assisted with the design of Grand Coulee Dam – is sobering, she said.

“A lot of people remember it as a café, going to breakfast on the weekend with their parents or their grandparents, and I just think that’s, you know, it’s just forever in their memories, so, I feel like I have a lot to live up to,” Oliver said.

When Oliver opened Cherabellas in 2009, she wanted to build a business that supported the community. Now, with the new location, she’s also looking to preserve the city’s heritage and keep the town looking good – in more ways than one as she works to renovate the new space.

“We hope to be over there in the very first part of August,” Olvier said. “That gives us from now until then to get it salon ready. Get the plumbing, the electrical, the flooring (fixed) and then, of course, all the cosmetic fun stuff that I’d like to do. So that gives us a little bit of time to get that done.”

R Hans Miller may be reached at editor@columbiabasinherald.com.

CHERABELLA'S SALON

Current: 142 W. Division St., Ephrata

Future: 130 First Ave. NW, Ephrata

Phone: 509-398-7855

www.facebook.com/cherabellassalon