Sumner to add visitor’s center to Old Cannery

Published 1:11 pm Monday, January 3, 2011

Sumner is going forth in the new year with a ramped up plan to bolster tourism. Part of the campaign is the establishment of a visitor’s center.

The plan includes signs directing visitors to attractions and is being funded with money generated by Sumner hotel taxes.

The location of the center is inside one of Sumner’s most renowned businesses, The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse.

As the name of the business suggests, it hasn’t always been just for furniture; in the past it was a fruit cannery. In the heyday of the cannery many found employment there, including Sumner City Council member Leroy Goff.

A longtime Sumner resident, Goff recalls his time working at the cannery and the transition into a furniture store. Pear season meant a busy time at the cannery and the bell would ring to let people know the pears were there, Goff said.

High-school students could leave school early to work there, he said. Much of his responsibility involved pulling heavy loads of pears.

“Most of the time I was a handtrucker because I was pretty strong,” he said.

Eventually the cannery stopped the fruit business and caskets were manufactured inside.

The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse has earned a reputation as a place to get quality products, but also as a historical preservation site and a frequent host and collaborator of annual events like the bridge lighting.

Goff praises the cannery for its work.

“They just jumped in as real members of the community,” he said.

The visitor’s center will be an information hub for Sumner tourists and part of the program to bring more tourists to the area and generate more revenue.