A new sign advertises the doughnut shop coming to Umatilla.

When I spoke with Salud Campos of the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce recently, she told me the chamber is planning several grand openings for new businesses in the Umatilla area.

“Things are changing in Umatilla, and I’m excited to see it,” she said.

One of the new businesses is actually an old business reborn, which the Hermiston Herald reported on recently. The former Riverside Sports Bar is having a grand reopening as The Bridge on Saturday, July 25. The business is changing from a sports bar with adult entertainment to a more family-friendly bistro.

Umatilla residents can also look forward to a new doughnut shop in town. Campos said Raelynn Gallegos, owner of Rae’s Dayz Diner in Umatilla, is planning on opening the doughnut shop in the original Rae’s Dayz building at 1290 Sixth St. in Umatilla. After its opening at that location in 2017, the diner has since moved next door to 1226 Sixth St.

Campos said the date for a grand opening for the doughnut shop hasn’t been set in stone yet, but look for a story on the new business in the Hermiston Herald once that date is set.

Campos said the chamber of commerce is also working with Evangeline, a new gift shop, to set up a grand opening celebration.

The gift shop is one of three new businesses in the building at 1201 Sixth St. in Umatilla. The building, which previously housed the Hunny Bunz strip club, was purchased by Kyle and Heidi Sipe in 2019 and turned into a space to lease for small local businesses. The other two spaces in the building now host the barbecue restaurant Lite ‘Em Up BBQ and the brand new Fruteria Piqui frozen dessert stand.

The businesses, like others in downtown Umatilla, are currently facing construction in front of their building as the Oregon Department of Transportation completes an overhaul of Sixth Street, but they are still open.

Editor’s Note: In the Works is a regular column discussing new economic development projects coming to west Umatilla County and north Morrow County. To submit tips, email editor@hermistonherald.com, call 541-564-4536 or send a letter to 333 E. Main St. in Hermiston.