04/08/08 Celebrating Hamley's

Celebrating Hamley's. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. A western icon was on the verge of fading into the sunset until partners Parley Pearce and Blair Woodfield made the decision to invest in the struggling company. Those that know the name Hamley, know that they are known for some of the finest cowboy saddles in the world. Pearce says that rescuing the company was a lot about preservation. PEARCE: It was kind of a business passion you might say more than a dollars and cents decision. It was part of preserving a very important part of the west we felt and Pendleton truthfully and actually a lot of people in areas outside of Pendleton have been very grateful that we kind of rescued the company and kept it going, and it's going along well. We're real pleased with where it's going and how it's going and people have really responded to it. The store has been remodeled and still sell great handmade leather goods. You can even watch the craftsman building your saddle but that is not where it ends. The name Hamley is now associated with a darned fine steak. PEARCE: (Laughs) We're at least helping some of the cowboys sell their fine beef I guess. And so we had a lot of people saying gosh have you guys ever thought about doing a steakhouse. We hadn't and maybe should have had our heads examined. That concept just sort of kept popping up and before we knew it we were kind of leaning that direction and the rest is what you see. And see you should. I could sit and gawk at the magnificent woodwork all day long plus they make a good meal. They have also added a coffee house for a quick mid-morning or afternoon pick me up. There are still some surprises for Hamley's. PEARCE: We're celebrating Hamley's 125 years in business this year and at the conclusion of this year also celebrates 100 years since they came out with their first printed catalog and one of the things that we have on our to do list with Hamley's is get back into a printed catalog. That will sure get some people's attention but as they on TV&That's not all! Upstairs from the restaurant are banquet rooms including another complete facility called the Slick Fork Saloon. PEARCE: You'll have to attend a concert there sometime. That's a great place for a concert. We try to do 6 or 8 good concerts a year. Don Edwards was there kind of for the Valentine's weekend. We have Ian Tyson booked for Round-Up again this year and that venue becomes a real awesome place for a good personal concert. The name Hamley is not only back&but is bigger and better that ever and well worth a visit anytime. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.