Beautify Cambria’s recent project is a magazine kiosk was created out of individual racks. Photo: Back row: James Mundy, Jason Anderson, Randy Arnett Front row: Cheryl McDowell, Mary Ann Carson, Claudia Harmon Worthen. Right, Cheryle Raiter, Lee Ann Vermeulen, Roland Soucie and Linda Haskins. Photo by Dean Sullivan
On a late Sunday afternoon in 2015, after the tourists had left Cambria and downtown was quiet, three Beautify Cambria Association volunteers drove around hoisting old, abandoned magazine stands into a pickup truck headed for the recycling center.
“We felt like thieves in the night,” says Beautify Cambria president Claudia Harmon Worthen, “even though there was no one to call for permission.”
For the almost 100 remaining racks, an alternative solution was needed. Each publication had its own kiosk, leading to rows of plastic boxes in various shapes, sizes and colors, many of them damaged, grimy or dilapidated.
“We thought it would be a win for everyone — the magazine distributors, the adjacent businesses and consumers — to provide an aesthetically pleasing alternative that was clean, consistent and that fit the Cambria ambiance,” said Vari MacNeil, Beautify Cambria co-founder and president emerita.
That solution was unveiled on September 15 when a beautiful, multi-magazine kiosk was installed in front of the Cookie Crock Market, 1240 Knollwood Cir. Replacing eight individual racks, the custom designed unit is made of a durable, exterior-grade plywood with a baked-on finish, self-closing tempered glass doors and a copper roof.
The kiosk was built by local craftsmen based on a design by interior designer Harmon Worthen. Scenic Coast Cabinets engineered the cabinet, PolyPro installed the glass and Lafferty Heating created the copper roof.
Beautify Cambria is thankful for a generous donation from the Cambria Community Council that made this project possible.
Beautify Cambria plans to continue converting existing kiosks around Cambria. When the free magazines and newspapers are eventually replaced by online versions, the kiosk is ready and fitted with moveable shelves to turn the cabinet into a free lending library.
Beautify Cambria is a non-profit dedicated to preserving and enhancing Cambria’s unique ambiance. The organization is best known for designing, installing and maintaining the downtown Cambria trash/recycling receptacles with flower gardens on top. Learn more about Beautify Cambria and the organization’s other projects at beautifycambria.org.
