Douglas County Commissioners Tim Freeman, Chris Boice, and Tom Kress along with the Douglas County Parks Department are pleased to announce that the 3,400 sq. ft commercial retail building being constructed on the grounds of Umpqua Dunes County Park & Campground in Winchester Bay has been leased to Fritz, Jeff, and Steve Bailey, who are also the new owners of the Pelican Market on Highway 101 in Winchester Bay. The Baileys were the successful bidder in a request for proposal process conducted earlier this summer.
Umpqua Dunes County Park & Campground located at 1 Umpqua Dunes Way in Winchester Bay, formerly known as Discovery Point, was purchased by the County from private owners in March 2018. Construction of a new retail building began in May 2022, and is expected to be completed in October this year. The new building replaces a previously existing structure that had served as a small convenience store providing limited amenities, but was removed due to its poor condition. The construction of the new building at Umpqua Dunes Campground is one of a series of improvements the Commissioners and the Douglas County Parks Department have initiated as a part of our overall Douglas County Parks enhancement plan. The new building construction will be followed by the rehabilitation of campsites in the north loop of the campground, with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2023. The first renovation of the campground was initiated in 2018, with the redesign and paving of the front entrance and demolition and removal of several dilapidated rental trailers and cabins. The south loop of the campground was renovated in 2020, and included the redevelopment of 26 full-hookup paved campsites as well as the installation of a new restroom and shower building.
“The Board and I felt that it is imperative to add value and improve user experience wherever we can when it comes to recreating in our parks. Many families drive RVs and toy haulers to the area to enjoy our dunes, so we knew that replacing the previous building and making it available to the private sector for a retail market is one of the best ways we can serve this unique group of outdoor enthusiasts,” stated Commissioner Chris Boice. “We were excited to open it up for bidding and had hoped to find business owners who are familiar with this particular industry. I’m an OHV enthusiast myself and worked with the engineers on incorporating several of the amenities in the layout and functionality of the building. The idea was to enhance the user experience by providing access to things like fuel, food, and repairs available in close proximity to the riding area.”
According to the Baileys, the plan for the new store is to offer every possible amenity OHV users might need. The multi-purpose design of the building allows for designated areas for customer convenience. It will include a convenience store, pizza, laundromat, camping and fishing supplies, accessories for RVers, fuel, OHV rentals and a small repair shop. The convenience store will offer groceries, beer, wine, bags of ice, toiletries, fishing bait, and firewood. Fresh, hot pizza will be offered for sale from their conventional pizza ovens and a laundromat area will be equipped with 3 washers and 3 dryers. As part of the retail space they plan to offer camping and fishing supplies, accessories for RVers, and a pro shop for motorsports. A garage on the east side will house several quads and side-by-sides available for rent, small mechanic repair services, and tires and tire installation will also be available onsite. Above-ground tanks will store 1,000 gallons of OHV fuel and 500 gallons of propane for sale. The Baileys plan to open the Umpqua Dunes location in January.
“We are planning a one-stop-shop user experience for OHV enthusiasts. We’ve owned and operated campgrounds for over 28 years, and we understand our customers,” said Jeff Bailey. “What we don’t have space to provide here, we’ll provide from our Highway 101 location and will provide the best customer service we are known for, even if that’s one of us pulling a pizza out of the oven one minute and installing a flag the next, or hopping in the rig to do a parts run for a customer, we are here to serve.”
Being no strangers to campground operations or the off-highway vehicles (OHV) industry, Fritz Bailey and his sons Jeff & Steve enthusiastically submitted a bid to lease the new building. They saw it as an opportunity to expand their retail business beyond their first retail store in the area, Pelican Market located at 75298 Highway 101 in Winchester Bay. The family purchased Pelican Market in October of 2021, completely renovated the establishment and reopened it in March of 2022 to better serve customers recreating and traveling through the area. The old Pelican Market, which had been a haven for piles of unorganized products cluttering every corner, turned into an expansive OHV enthusiasts’ dream, complete with an open layout that feature spaces organized and designated for apparel, motorsports accessories, a fullystocked parts counter, and a well-stocked convenience store.
Although the Bailey family moved to Douglas County from out of state, they’ve been recreating at Umpqua Dunes since 1987, when the family took time away from their construction business in northern California. They ventured away from the construction business in 1993 to pursue the development and management of KOA Campgrounds, an endeavor they enjoyed for 28 years. From their first KOA in Needles, California to another in Durango, Colorado for 7 years, then back to California to operate the KOA in Yosemite for 10 years, the family enterprise was both a labor of love and an endless supply of elbow grease. The Baileys moved back to operate the KOA in Durango in 2018 just before a forest fire and a subsequent monsoon completely obliterated the campground. However, Fritz and his sons were undeterred and decided to rebuild the campground from scratch. In 2021, they recognized a great opportunity to sell the campground, when property values soared. All of their hard work and ingenuity in redeveloping the campground had certainly paid off, as well as a little help from the extraordinary uptick in campground patrons during COVID. Initially, their plan had been to relocate to the Pacific Northwest to own and operate several Papa Murphy’s franchise stores from Florence to Coos Bay. However, when passing through Winchester Bay, a visit to Pelican Market (and the opportunity to live where they have always loved to recreate) stopped them in their tracks, and a new family vision was launched.
Located on the edge of the Umpqua Dunes portion of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Umpqua Dunes County Park & Campground is tucked behind the foredune, overlooking Half Moon Bay. The campground offers water views, direct access to the dunes for off-highway vehicles (OHV) and is designed to enhance the OHV experience. The park includes 80 full-hook-up campsites, 4 partial hook-up sites, 5 group campsites (non-hook-up and partial hook-up sites), and 2 cabins. Umpqua Dunes County Park and Campground is conveniently located near the Crab & Fishing Dock, picnic and swimming areas, Salmon Harbor Marina, Umpqua National Sand Dunes and beaches. For
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