Manzanita Connections – April 22, 2025
Community Member Spotlight: Connecting With Wynn Rankin of Base Camp Manzanita. Plus sharing a podcast with Justin Bailie, and don't miss the Wonder Garden Plant Sale!
Presenting the second “Connecting With” interview, which officially makes it a series! This is where I get to know someone from the community a little better and share their story with you. When I saw the “Base Camp Manzanita” sign hanging in front of the 447 Laneda building that houses Unfurl Manzanita and Cloud & Leaf Bookstore, I reached out to Wynn Rankin to get his story. He is both the landlord of the building and the creative mind behind the concept of Base Camp Manzanita, which will open behind the bookstore in early May.
Keep reading to find out what Base Camp is all about, followed by a peak into a podcast where Wild Coast Goods’ owner Justin Bailie talks about his fishing passion and photography career. Finally, I finish with a few Earth Day activities this weekend including the Annual Hoffman Wonder Garden Plant Sale.
How did you find your way to our coastal community?
Wynn Rankin grew up coming to Cannon Beach and Manzanita all the way from Yakima, Wash. As an adult, he continued visiting Manzanita from Portland on the weekends. During 2022, Wynn and his husband spent every weekend here while trying to determine the right time to move to the beach. Then in 2023, they moved to Manzanita full time with their two children.
Wynn integrated himself into the community immediately. With a background in publishing, he took a job working Sundays at Cloud & Leaf Bookstore. This part time job turned out to be a fabulous way to meet people, both getting to know the locals and talking with frequent visitors.
Fun fact: Wynn starred in the Riverbend Players 2024 production of The Play That Goes Wrong.
He continued to think about leasing space and opening a business. He wanted somewhere he could go with his kids, a place with an element of community like a bookstore. He was seeking somewhere that had a sense of curation – a place that would have things people use and get excited about.
Somewhere along their path, it occurred to Wynn and his husband that maybe they should invest in the town rather than open a store. He spent a lot of time thinking about how one would start a business in this town and how new things could take foot here. The question was how he would balance family life and having a store. He had always loved the building at 447 Laneda and kept his eyes on it while contemplating what to do. When the folks at Syzygy retired, they sold the building, and their space became a gallery. However, as fate would have it, last year while he was traveling over the summer, Wynn got word that the new owners of the building were looking to sell. He asked Holly, owner of Cloud & Leaf, “Would you move the bookstore if I buy the building?” And as they say, the rest is history.
How was the idea of Base Camp born?
Wynn didn’t start out with a completely gelled idea of what Base Camp would be. The path was somewhat organic. Wynn was most excited about being able to take something already here and help it grow. He wanted to help steward the town and fulfill his goal of supporting the community.
In Wynn’s words, “Life is chaotic,” and there’s something to be said for “not waiting until that settles down to start the gestation of an idea.”
Camping, getting outside and having adventures are things Wynn is passionate about. He worked at REI after having kids and is very familiar with the tools that help you get out into nature. He realized that so much of the idea of equipping yourself to get outside is centralized in metro areas like Portland, but here we only have Fred Meyer or the hardware store. Once you are physically here, there is less available. That’s where Base Camp enters the scene. His goal is to have limited, useful small things that aren’t available elsewhere and that are either locally made or something you can use today.
Inventory will be a mix of very intentionally chosen items that you can use right away while adventuring on the north coast. His intent is to provide thoughtful “tools for play” that facilitate and make your adventure more fun and that evoke something memorable about being here.
Also important to Wynn is supporting local artists and causes. He’s working with Heather at North Coast Mudworks in Nehalem who has custom-designed a tall ceramic coffee cup for Base Camp that fits a cup holder. He sells North Coast Life Conservancy postcards with 100% of the proceeds going back to the Conservancy.
The items he has curated for his shop are all things he’s personally bought for himself and liked. “I’m a shopper and user of these things, and I just happen to be a fan of opening my doors and contributing to Manzanita,” said Wynn. Base Camp is a “little space I thought I could hang my hat and add to the community. And see how it grows.”
This small space in Manzanita is a base camp where you can pick up items for hiking, for carrying, for eating, all while exploring. Perhaps you need a pocketknife, trekking poles, tape to mend your backpack, or a few snacks. Titanium plates and forks let you forgo plastic or bamboo. Wynn has thought of everything. He personally has sewn colorful custom bags with hand straps to hold the Camp Snap digital cameras he sells, and he’s made logoed napkins for your beach picnic. And did I mention the astronaut ice cream? Yep. Available at Base Camp.
Whether you’re a local needing a little boost during a power outage or you need to run a reading light, fan or heater in your van, Base Camp has you covered. Wynn sells a small backup battery that acts like a mini generator that can recharge your devices 10 or 12 times. And yes, he carries solar panel chargers to charge these mini generators.
You can also pick up small butane canisters that work with your camp stove, lantern or a folding torch to start a beach bonfire. (Sign me up!) And the item you didn’t know you’ve been looking for – a roll-up wine flask. Need I say more? Buy a bottle of wine in town, pour it into the bag and dispose of the glass bottle before going to the beach. Then roll it up, stick it in your backpack and take it home to use next time.
When are you opening? What will your hours be?
Base Camp will be open in early May, weekends only at least for now. Follow Wynn’s Instagram account for opening day info and specific hours. As a local, Wynn doesn’t want to spend too much time inside. He plans to keep “Dixie hours.” IYKYK.
You can access the store from inside the bookstore or around the back of the building. The way the building is set up, one family member can get lost in Unfurl while another sits by the fire in the bookstore, and you may decide to wander into the small space Wynn’s carved out in the back of the bookstore. Wynn looks forward to having people come through the store and says, “I like connecting people with people, like meeting people who are local, and hearing why people are here.”
What else can we look forward to?
“My goal is for people to learn more about what is happening here, what it’s like to live here, to be a steward of here,” says Wynn. “To enjoy the seasons, learn a little bit while they are here.”
Wynn expects the space to grow and change. He has some ideas for using the parking lot and atrium space as well. Maybe a bonfire? A movie night? He’s thinking about activities that start with picking up a couple things at Base Camp before venturing out. Like berry foraging or one-hour camps that everyone or anyone can participate in like tying knots, lighting a fire with a flint, using a compass or reading a map.
Any other comments on community and connection?
Wynn believes that people here have to be intentional about their community. He recalled the recent spring festival at the White Clover Grange, where his 6-year-old knew the people selling baked goods because they work at the hardware store and one was his friend’s grandma. Reflecting on his comment, I think there’s a sense of comfort in familiarity and knowing people.
“Really the reason we live here is so there’s a sense of running into the same people over and over again and having them actively contributing in a low-key way,” explains Wynn.
Follow Wynn on Instagram @basecampmanzanita to stay updated.
Justin Bailie on The River Rambler Podcast
For anyone who may not know, Justin Bailie and his wife own Wild Coast Goods in Nehalem. Justin has been a photographer for over 20 years and has been hooked on fishing since he was four years old. The shop is coming up on five years this summer. In addition to various handmade goods, Wild Coast Goods carries work by various local artists, his wife Ashley’s jewelry, and lots of Justin’s gorgeous photography (and reclaimed, repurposed wood framing). There’s also a “flybrary” out front and a woodworker’s chest in the back of the shop filled with flies and leader line.
Earth Day activities this weekend
Today, April 22, is actually Earth Day. But you still have time for a few activities this weekend!
My Life in Plants lecture by Dan Hinkley is Friday, April 25 from 5 pm - 7 pm at NCRD Performing Arts Center in Nehalem.
Don’t miss the Annual Hoffman Wonder Garden Plant Sale taking place in the workshop room inside the Hoffman Center for the Arts, this Saturday, April 26 from 10 am - 12:30 pm.
Get your hands dirty with some scotch broom busting at Elk Meadows Park in Nehalem on Sunday, April 27 from 1 pm - 4 pm.
