Foragers fill Astoria Underground
Mar. 8—A forest is growing in the Astoria Underground.
Foragers, an earthy collection of artisans, recently took over the center suite of the old Astoria-themed underground village on Marine Drive and 10th Street.
Jaz Carpenter, who founded Foragers with Kirsten Norgaard of Kit's Apothecary, started painting portraits of people as mushrooms as a quarantine hobby during the coronavirus pandemic. She and Norgaard, who creates CBD-infused products, thought of how to combine their passions and those of other artisans into a collective storefront.
The center suite of Astoria Underground played host to a teahouse and Floral Haze Vintage. With help from some friends, they transformed the space into a forest understory of deep green walls, earthy brown floor and bare wood displays.
"We wanted it to feel like the forest floor," Carpenter said. "We wanted it to be as much handmade as we could."
Foragers displays the custom woodworks of Mic Danielson at NorseWest Woodshop and artist Autumn Eve Montgomery Hurd, known for her work around queer representation, body positivity and female empowerment. The store also provides space for several handmade vendors, including Chef Daddy's seasoning salts, Forage & Farm's packs of dried wild mushrooms and other edibles and Cloudy Day Candle Co.
Foragers joins an eclectic collection of artisans populating the miniature village of the Astoria Underground, including Kit's Apothecary and Cascade Screen Printing. Pianist Bob Goldstick rents a studio where he broadcasts his performances on livestreaming platform Twitch. Sondra Carr, of Weird Sisters Freak Boutique, helped create a forested decor in the alleyway meandering around the underground.
Rob Collins, who ran Astoria Barber Co. next to Reveille Ciderworks until a business partner had a life change, was about to sign a lease in the Astoria Underground when the coronavirus pandemic shut down barbershops. After going into hibernation for several months, he signed on and said business, while not as good as on Duane Street, has been steady.
"It's been good," he said. "I love it here."
Business owners in the underground are hoping for a new proprietor to take over the now-vacant coffee stand at street level on Marine Drive. The stand acts as kind of an open sign drawing people to the staircase that leads down to the collection of businesses underneath.
But Carpenter said the hidden vibe fits well.
"I feel like that's Astoria's vibe," she said. "There's a lot of hidden gems you have to seek out. But once you find them, they're great."
