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Eagle Point retail center changes ownership Eagle Point's Gateway Center, located on Highway 62,, is under new ownership by Portland brothers Doug and Steven Waagmeester. [Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta] Monday Feb 20, 2017 at 5:19 PM Feb 20, 2017 at 5:19 PM Greg Stiles Mail Tribune @GregMTBusiness EAGLE POINT — Gateway Center, anchored by Ray's Food Place, has new owners. Brothers Doug and Steven Waagmeester have acquired the 44-year-old, 5-plus-acre shopping center for $2.25 million. The center, which opened in 1973, has 35,260 square feet of leasable space. The brothers operate Waagmeester Canvas Products, a boat top, sail and awning manufacturing firm that is relocating from northeast Portland to Wilsonville. "We've been in the same place for the last 70 years," Dale Waagmeester said. "It turns out the property in the Alberta Arts District has become very valuable." After receiving 21 unsolicited offers for their property, they sold in a matter of days. With part of the windfall they bought property in Wilsonville, where they will relocate the canvas operation, and the Gateway Center. "I like going to those old west towns like Jacksonville and Sisters," Waagmeester said. "Whenever you go to places like that there's a Ray's. It's nice to be associated WITH small businesses like ours that have been around forever. You have a florist, a video store that carries the old-fashioned DVDs, kind like Blockbuster of old, a busy pizza parlor and an accountant." Unfamiliar with Eagle Point, he was pleasantly surprised to find a four-lane highway out front. "To be honest, I had no idea about traffic count, but being on a busy highway doesn't hurt," Waagmeester said. After chatting with tenants, he said he's planning to improve night lighting at the center, but has no other major changes planned. "Basically, I want to maintain the status quo right now," he said. C&K Market Chief Financial Officer David Doty said the company has benefited from the sale and lease back of property at other stores in its supermarket chain. "It's part of our ongoing strategy," said Doty, noting the property had been on the market for only a few months. "It was a pretty easy transaction." Although Waagmeester has no immediate redevelopment in mind, the vacant parcel behind the shops facing the highway presents future opportunity. "I'd like to get more familiar with the community before doing anything," he said. "But it would be silly to just leave it vacant."  — Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31.