Historic Hood River
Close Cover Before Striking
Notes
Morganne’s pick from the archives for this Monday is this matchbook from the Apple Blossom Cafe. There’s a pretty good amount of information on this small artifact. Besides the name, address, and phone number we learn the proprietors were James Rankin and Charlotte Wennerskold, and they were open 24 hours.
According to the Sanborn maps 207 Oak Street has held a restaurant since at least 1909. This 1921 ad in The Hood River Glacier tells us the first owner of the Apple Blossom Cafe was R. V. Foreman. He says he chose the name because, “nothing could be more significant of the Hood River Valley and its pastoral and scenic beauty…” By this 1927 advertisement it was owned by Charles Carson, and included a confectionery. We learn in this issue that there was a golf practice range in the basement of that restaurant in 1928.
It will take some more research to figure out how long the Apple Blossom Cafe lasted, as well as when Mr. Rankin and Ms. Wennerskold owned it. 207 Oak Street is the present location of the Trillium Cafe. I believe it was “Yaya’s” Greek restaurant before Trillium (1990s), but I suspect it had other lives between Apple Blossom and Yaya’s.
Tags: Apple Blossom Cafe, matchbook, matches, Morganne's Mondays, Oak Street, Rankin, Trillium, Wennerskold
Jennifer Thompson-Meyer
My parents Fred and Jean Thompson bought the Apple Blossom from Harlan and Vi Shank. They had changed the name to the H and V Cafe. When Fred and Jean bought the cafe they changed it back to the Apple Blossom Cafe. That was in 1972. Fred had been working at Eddy Mays hotel where the Hood River Inn is today. They borrowed some money from Chuck and Fran Cody to get the Apple Blossom and opened it until they retired in 1985 or 1986. Fred cooked his own beef, turkey for sandwiches and meals. Made his own soups, gravy, French fries pancakes. They had a soup and sandwich every day for lunch special for $1.50. There was a long table in the back area where people who worked downtown would come in for coffee. There was a cash drawer where they could just leave the money for their coffee. Every Christmas they gave a special coffee drink to customers as a Christmas cheer. He had worked in the restaurant business since he was 14 in England doing all sorts of jobs in the restaurant business. I was married in the restaurant and they had a baby shower for me there. In the early 80’s we remodeled the Apple Blossom and built booths my husband David Meyer helped build and remodel the restaurant as did the rest of our family. We all worked in the cafe during high school. My parents worked long hours running the cafe. Fred did the cooking and Jean waited on customers as did the kids, David, Jennifer and Jill.
Arthur Babitz
Jennifer, thanks for that great history.
Jeffrey Bryant
My mother, Liz Cole, worked at the Apple Blossom Cafe as a waitress in the early 1950’s. I’m sure many others have worked there as well.
Jennifer Thompson-Meyer
Aloha. Fred and Jean actually took over the Apple Blossom in 1971. They sold it to the Vouvou’s in 1987 or 88. They changed the name to Yaya’s which is Greek for grandma. They were Greek descendants.
Arlen L sheldrake
Somebody, Pete J?, should write a history of the basement activities in the downtown HR businesses as I understand a lot happened also in the basement of Franz Hardware….I had no idea that a golf practice range was one of them. This is great history but growing up in HR in the 1940s and 1950s I can never remember my family eating out……during high school, yes, but that was more “hanging out”.
Gorgecat
Hmmm. 4 digit phone number would be easier to remember!
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Glacier, 1926-09-30, page 7 – Charles Carson Buys Apple Blossom.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1926-09-30/ed-1/seq-7/
William C. Seaton
The phone number I remember is 2244 to call Applegate Taxi.