SEQUIM — Sequim has its staples of favorite places to eat, shop and play.
In recent years, the Sequim-Dungeness area has seen several new owners take over well-known eateries, offer needed services or provide something else entirely.
The number of new businesses and owners shows local entrepreneurs’ optimism in Sequim, said Beth Pratt, executive director of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“(It’s) a willingness to stretch, grow and branch out to do their own thing,” she said.
“They see opportunity to create jobs, both for themselves and for their community, and to prosper for their families, and it is across the board, not just in retail or dining.”
Pratt said the community should reward that optimism by shopping local and using local vendors for services whenever possible.
“As the holidays approach, it is very easy to shop on your phone from the comfort of your couch, but this year, I encourage all of your readers to first try to find what you need locally,” she said.
“Support these folks who are working to grow our economy, which only benefits our community at large.”
Local businesses support children’s sports teams and local nonprofits, from musical groups to housing support services, Pratt said.
“It is our turn, as consumers, to show our support to them,” she said.
Daily, business owners are making tough decisions on services, supplies and situations out of their control. Here are two business owners who shared how they’re staying positive as they continue to grow their clientele and sense of community.
Finding Sunshine
Jaclyn Wagner, co-owner of Sunshine Cafe and Bar, 145 W. Washington St., celebrated one year of ownership on Oct. 1 with partner Alex Kirchner. The established eatery has been going for decades as a mainstay for breakfast and lunch.
Wagner and Kirchner have been in the food industry most of their lives, she said, and she recalls first visiting the cafe during a hiking trip with friends years ago.
“With surprising regularity, guests share stories about the cafe and/or what it’s meant to them,” Wagner said.
Following the cafe purchase, she closed for 25 days to ready the business for new ownership and personal touches.
One of her goals is to continue making the cafe feel cozier with vintage family photos and encouraging people to come for their morning coffee.
“This is our family,” Wagner said while gesturing to the photos. “We want people to feel that here. It’ll get cozier over time.”
Sunshine Cafe is her family’s vision, she said, as they’re all involved in some capacity. Wagner works upfront, Kirchner cooks and her in-laws smoke the meat and make the baked goods.
“We want people to come not just as a treat or on special occasions, but as someone’s weekly lunch,” Wagner said.
Wagner knew Sequim is a tourist town and said their first winter in business was tight. Since then, she’s pivoted to make things more efficient and profitable, trimming back the menu and the restaurant’s hours.
Wagner tried offering dinner service for six weeks when they first reopened, and again six weeks in the summer, but the volume wasn’t there to keep it going.
In May, she switched from exclusively cooking to working up front to better help diners.
“Being more hands-on has helped with connection, reviews and to establish relationships, especially with our locals,” Wagner said.
Wagner and Kirchner moved to Sequim a few years ago from Seattle to apply their years in the food and beverage industry by offering a small menu of comfort cooking that changes with season and mood.
Some of their featured items are homemade biscuits with sage gravy, overnight yeast waffles, pulled pork sandwiches with hand-cut fries and gluten-free fried chicken. Wagner said their fryer is even Celiac-friendly.
They also offer catering and take out/DoorDash delivery through their website, sunshinecafesequimxo.com.
“We want people to know it’s OK to come in and have a cup of coffee and fries,” Wagner said. “We want people to support local.”
The most recent hiccup came in late July when Sunshine closed for nine days for a planned apartment remodel of the former Sequim Gazette offices that gave the cafe its own power supply.
Wagner said the timing was difficult at the heart of tourism season, but business is going well now and she hopes people continue to connect in the cafe and support them and other local businesses during the cold-weather months.
“I’d like Sunshine to live on for a long time,” she said.
Sequim Sunshine Cafe and Bar is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It is closed Monday through Wednesday. For more information, call 360-683-0668.
Keep on gaming
It’s been a wild year for Douglas Offenheiser, co-owner of Cardquest Gaming, 271 S. Seventh Ave., Suite 26.
Last December, his store was burglarized with about $30,000 in handpicked cards stolen, and on Aug. 24, a driver coming to visit the store hit an outside beam and adjacent wall that led his business to close for 19 days.
“It’s one of those things you hear about, but don’t know what to do,” he said.
Thankfully no one was injured, particularly two children who went into the entrance just seconds before, Offenheiser said.
He was advised by Sequim Police Department officers to close the business that day out of safety concerns, and Offenheiser said it took about two weeks to get an assessment and for repairs to begin so he could get the OK to reopen.
Since he opened in May 2024, Offenheiser has become Sequim’s go-to gaming store offering Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Warhammer and more.
He said the closure came just as he was getting back into a groove post-burglary. It also came as bills were due, and special game releases for his biggest franchises were coming out.
Cardquest also has seen increases in costs for all of its products via tariffs, inflation and supply and demand, Offenheiser said.
“You can feel a difference now,” he said.
Some players are opting to only buy products and not participate in special events, Offenheiser said, while card packs now cost about 15 percent to 20 percent more.
“It may be only a few dollars, but it all adds up,” he said.
But the community Offenheiser has created is in demand. Cardquest reopened Sept. 17, and he was surprised to see how much everyone missed the shop.
“The community is still worth it in the end,” Offenheiser said. “It became even more relevant when we closed. The first day we reopened, we were packed.”
Cardquest Gaming is open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from noon to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit CardQuestgaming.com.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
