Rainier Oregon Historical Museum
Back to Rainier, Oregon Furniture Store Page!
Click on images to enlarge
Wallin Furniture and Variety
1945 - 1955
Compiled by Mike Clark

The location of the Wallin's Furniture and Variety Stores was on the ground floor of the former Ellis building. This building was on the West side of East 1st Street and on the South side of West A Street. The Rainier True Value store now occupies this space as of 2022. They moved there in the summer of 2002. Apartments are located on the second floor. Photo was taken on May 16, 2021.
This photo of the east end of the Wallin Furniture store on the corner of East 1st Street and West A Street, was taken in the first week of August 1951 during Rainier's centennial celebration. Women wore bonnets as part of the festivities and men grew whiskers. (Mike Clark collection)

On August 12, 1945, Lewis K. Wallin took over the furniture store operated by his father-in-law Isadore Benjamin Lindeman. Wallin married Lindeman's daughter Dorothy Helen Lindeman in 1936. The store was in the east end of a building owned by Lindeman, located on the West side of East 1st Street and on the South side of West A Street. Lindeman had operated the furniture store along with a dry good store as a single unit for 2 1/2 years, but he decided to separate them. The furniture store remained, and the dry goods was moved back across the street to a location where it had once been before, next to a hardware store (1). Wallin also took over Lindeman's variety store located in the middle of the building. The other business in the building was the Rainier Post Office on the west end. The post office moved there in 1928 and stayed until May 1948, when it moved to a wooden structure next door to the west that Lindeman purchased from C. R. Hallberg. Hallberg had used it for some years for feed storage.

On November 5, 1950, Lewis Wallin died of a heart attack while duck hunting. He was 40. His widow Dorothy took over the businesses. During the summer of 1955, the building was remodeled and the furniture and variety stores switched places. The variety store was moved to the east end and the furniture store was to the west. Gene Carpenter did the carpentry and cabinetry work. In late 1955, the building and furniture store were sold to brothers Joe and Bernard Oliva. The Wallin Variety store remained, with a 10-year lease on the space.

Eventually the building along with the furniture and variety stores were all owned by Joedy and Joyce Oliva.

Notes:
(1) 113 E A St, Rainier, OR 97048. It became Weiby's in 1946 and later Bell Studios.

References:
Information from the Rainier Review articles shown below and from Robert West's blog.

Click on images to enlarge
Image
Description
L. K. Wallin Takes Furniture Business From Lindeman's

From the August 16, 1945, issue of the Rainier (Oregon) Review. The drygoods department has been returned to the former location alongside the Rainier hardware, where Mr. Lindeman will continue, while Mr. Wallin is taking over and will run as a separate establishment the furniture store at the corner of First and A Streets.
Wallin Furniture Store Robbed Tuesday Night

From the October 7, 1948, issue of the Rainier (Oregon) Review. About $25.00 in cash was missing.
Lewis Wallin Dead From Heart Attack

From the November 9, 1950, issue of the Rainier (Oregon) Review. Lewis K. Wallin, 40, died of a heart attack last Sunday while duck hunting on Sauvies Island with his friend, Robert Graham of Portland, but formerly of Rainier.
Wallins Remodeling Variety, Furniture Store

From the June 30, 1955, issue of the Rainier (Oregon) Review. Wallin's are remodeling their furniture and variety store and switching location of the two stores. The variety store will from now on be on the corner where the furniture was formerly located. The furniture will be switched over into the west section where the variety store was before. Both stores are bring remodeled and repainted.
OPENING SALE, Saturday, July 23rd

From the July 21, 1955, issue of the Rainier (Oregon) Review. Opening Sale July 23rd. We invite you to visit our Furniture and Variety stores in the new location. New merchandise has been added and we have some special bargains to offer you this Saturday.

Additional information:

        Lewis Kenton Wallin, on "Find a Grave" page.

        Dorothy Helen Lindeman Wallin, on "Find a Grave" page.

Return to top

Contact me at Clarkmikew@aol.com for any questions

Copyright 2022