Nguyen updates plans for downtown buildings

Gazette intern reporter

Texas businesswoman Kim Nguyen has spent the last couple of weeks in Colfax, overseeing the progress of the buildings she purchased earlier this year. The buildings include the Old Rose Theatre, which housed Peak Fitness for 21 years, as well as the Washington State Grain Inspection Office, Main Street Books, Colfax Security, Colfax Computer Services and Edward Jones Investments and the Masonic Building. Nguyen and her husband of Rockport, Texas, bought the buildings with the intention to help Colfax, although she had never been to Colfax or even seen the buildings in person before her purchases.

“The town has so much charm, so much we need people to appreciate it what it used to be,” said Nguyen, a native of Vietnam.

Currently, Nguyen is working on completing inspections of the Old Rose Theatre, for which she has big plans. Her plans include a gift shop and tailoring shop in the building, because while perusing the internet Nguyen found out there used to be a group of women who tailored in Colfax. She hopes to bring tailoring back to the town, so those with alteration skills are able to be involved in the business and teach the younger residents of the town how to sew and make their own alterations.

“I would love to have someone donate sewing machines to show people the old machines, as well as how the new ones work, too,” said Nguyen.

In addition, she will update the upstairs of the venue so interested residents are able to rent the space out for events such as speakers coming to talk about simple living and eating healthy, cooking workshops and alterations and sewing classes, too.

“I would love to teach kids how to cook healthy foods,” said Nguyen. “Or if button loose, simple to teach and cost no money for them to do themselves.”

She is hoping to boost Colfax tourism through these efforts.

“We need to bring Colfax back to show people what Colfax do have, so more visitors travel here in the future,” said Nguyen.