Cozy’s Roadhouse owner takes over Clinton Chamber of Commerce reins

Stephanie Cook, who owns Cozy’s Roadhouse with her husband Troy, was voted as the chamber’s president last week. She will be joined by Janae Cameron, owner of Make Whidbey, as vice president.

A pair of familiar faces are running the Clinton Chamber of Commerce.

Stephanie Cook, who owns Cozy’s Roadhouse with her husband Troy, was voted as the chamber’s president last week. She will be joined by Janae Cameron, owner of Make Whidbey, as vice president.

The Clinton Chamber of Commerce was floundering without a robust membership, closing businesses in the area, and even forfeited applying for near-guaranteed county-issued grant funds for tourism and promotion.

Former president Bob Craven remains a chamber member, but is no longer a board member.

Taking over the leadership was important to Cook, who has run the chamber’s Facebook page for months, to rebuild the membership and once again promote Clinton’s businesses and economic activity.

“(We’re) starting from scratch and going up,” she said.

“We’re really focusing the chamber on businesses running it,” she added.

A meeting for all business owners, both chamber members and non-members, in the Clinton ZIP code area is planned for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 30 at Clinton Community Hall. Getting business owners together is an opportunity to show that commerce continues, even if some prominent storefronts are empty in the commercial hubs near the ferry.

“It’s that one time of year we all get on the same page,” Cook said.

The chamber is planning, as it has for years, the Easter egg hunt the Saturday before Easter Sunday. This year, the egg hunt is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, March 26 at Dan Porter Memorial Park on Deer Lake Road, near the park-and-ride lot and Clinton Library.

Other happenings, such as the Thursday market, are being worked on but specifics were not available yet.