The merchandise sold at Menagerie on Pier 39 comes from artists living in the coastal Pacific Northwest and Northern California.

Pier 39 is changing.

A gift shop and wine bar have opened on the waterfront, expanding the offering at the historic destination. The businesses in the space will host a holiday market this Saturday afternoon.

‘Let’s open a store’

Stacey Stahl and Jeff Boyce watched the traffic on Pier 39 from their apartment at the Cannery Loft Condominiums and wondered how to better contribute to the local community.

“I always had this secret dream to have some kind of a gallery or art shop,” said Stahl.

A Coffee Girl regular, she frequently overheard visitors on the pier ponder where to buy Astoria or coastal souvenirs. When she discovered a space tucked behind the coffee shop was available, a light bulb went off.

She recalled thinking, “That’s it. Let’s open a store.”

Three months later, Menagerie on Pier 39 held a grand opening.

If You Go

Menagerie on Pier 39

100 39th St. #23, Astoria 

Open Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

menagerieonpier39.com/

The shop features eclectic gifts, art, home goods, games and quirky souvenirs, most with Astoria or coastal themes, including T-shirt designs Boyce created. The store’s merchandise comes from artisans living in the coastal Pacific Northwest and Northern California.

“The store is small and most of our things are small, angling on the delightful and the whimsical,” said Stahl. “Anyone can walk out of the store with a gift.”

The business hopes to be a destination for holiday shoppers, and is hosting a handmade and curated goods market Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will feature live ukulele music.

The shop, which overlooks the river, is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Products in the souvenir vending machine outside the shop are available 24/7. Customers will also be able to order directly from Pier 39’s website, which will offer shipping anywhere in the U.S.

A move in the Astoria direction

A second new business, The Vineside, rounds out the pier’s coffee and beer offerings with wine. A mother-daughter duo, Delaree Reilly and Autumn Haile opened the wine bar last month in a dedicated space across the walkway from the Hanthorn Cannery Museum.

The Vineside may be a familiar name to the North Coast wine aficionados: the bar operated in Seaside for six months this year.

“We had a great summer and love the community there,” Haile said. “But this is a dream spot.”

Pier 39’s historical character helps to create the ambience Haile desired.

“We want it to feel like a speakeasy, something dark and cozy and calm and quiet,” said Haile.

The Vineside features a bar, a rentable adjacent event space and assorted seating areas in between.

“Wine is about conversation, about gathering,” Haile said. “I want to make this a really easy place for people to do that, like you’re sitting in your best friend’s living room over a glass of wine.”

If You Go

The Vineside

100 39th St #39, Astoria

Open Thursday through Friday 3 to 9 p.m., Saturday 1 to  9 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 7 p.m.

thevineside.com/

Away from downtown’s abundance, the wine bar is also unique to the eastern part of Astoria. Haile aims to fill an additional gap on the North Coast.

“I love Oregon wines, but if you want something different, it’s a little hard to find,” she said. The Vineside’s focus will be international and offbeat wines, particularly French and Italian, in addition to traditional Oregon and California offerings.

“I scour wine magazines to see what’s new and different, and that’s the stuff we want to do,” she added.

To Haile, wine is also about education. She and her mother come from Southern California, where wine tasting was one of their favorite family activities.

“I fell in love with the educational aspect of wine tasting and got geeky about it,” Haile said. “If someone doesn’t know anything about wine, I want to help them find something they really love, and not feel intimidated.”

The shop will sell select bottles, wine by the glass and flights. The Vineside will also serve locally sourced small bites, cheese and charcuterie platters, paninis, soups and chocolates. The owners also have plans to offer classes.

Floyd Holcom, the owner of Pier 39, appreciates the new tenants both from the economic and destination standpoints. “It’s going to add a whole new profile and a new dynamic to the pier,” he said. “You can have coffee in the morning and wine and beer later, and we can continue being a destination on this side of town that people will enjoy.”