Directly next to Lacamas Lake is a green building that has stood there for nearly a century. Some knew it as the Lakeside Chalet, and others knew it as The Acorn and the Oak. The building has served as a local restaurant spot since the 1930s, where it made its humble debut as a Dairy Queen. 

The building then went on to become the Lakeside Chalet, which served as a comforting breakfast and brunch nook for Camas residents for decades.

“[When I was the football coach], I used to take my defensive linemen there for breakfast once a season, just to connect with them,” Camas High School (CHS) fitness instructor Les Albert said. “They had the best biscuits and gravy in town.”

However, the long-standing family-run restaurant eventually retired, giving married couple Chuck and Janessa Knodt the opportunity to contribute to the community by breathing new life into the building: The Acorn and the Oak. The restaurant served bites and drinks, and also functioned as a flower shop. 

The Acorn and the Oak opened in May 2020 after a full year of renovation. The timing presented many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also left some lasting positive impacts on the business.

“[The pandemic] forced us all to band together, and to be there for each other: as friends, coworkers, and even entire communities,” Janessa Knodt said. “We had to get creative to survive under massive pressure, and some of our best ideas and greatest friends were born out of that creativity!”

One of those friends was Melissa Peake, who owns a local bookstore in downtown Camas. Peake was a regular customer who eventually ended up becoming Knodt’s best friend. Peake hoped to expand her business, Bookish, into a larger building with more community-focused activities. At the same time, the Knodts were thinking of selling The Acorn and the Oak in order to spend more time with their young son.

So, the ownership of the building was given to Melissa Peake, and the expanded Bookish building is set to open in the near future. Aside from being a bookstore, there are also plans to expand the space into a cafe that serves coffee, tea, and adult beverages. Peake also intends to utilize the outdoor space for community events.

Many Camas residents are looking forward to what the space will have to offer. Local readers appreciate being able to support a local business that will support the community in return.

“To me, we have to support our local businesses,” CHS Librarian Stephanie McGinty said. “The idea here is to bring everyone together and support each other in what we’re trying to do.”