Only six miles of good highway separate Joseph from Enterprise, but when it comes to generating business in the downtown area the tourist-friendly Joseph seems to retain more of their event attendees. Businesses along the Main Street in Joseph threw open their doors, and tourists who came for the Main Street-centered car show last weekend had little need to wander further a field in search of a latte, gifts, goods, and entertainment.

Joseph business is ecstatic, but Enterprise business is singing yet another verse of an old, old song.

“I’d love to see us get our heads together and put on joint events,” said Christi Curtis, owner of Treasures, Antiques and Newer in Enterprise. “The car show had no effect on my business that I can see.”

Simply Sandy’s in Joseph, by contrast, packed them in for antiques and newer at three locations. “We had a great day,” said Sandy Warnock.

It’s important to note that Curtis was not open on Saturday – the big day for the Oregon Mountain Cruise Car Show.

However, Country Quilter next door to Curtis shop was open on Saturday, and reported only “okay” business at their Enterprise Main Street address despite the quilt show in Joseph and the car show along Joseph’s Main Street. Sue Coppin at Cattle Country Quilts in Joseph, in comparison, reported they “did well, we did very, very well.”

As expected, Enterprise hotels, motels and eateries did much better than goods providers did. Enterprise Best Western was “pretty well packed,” according to the front desk. The Wilderness Inn front desk reported they “did really well.” And Ponderosa Motel reported the car show “helped out quite a bit.” However, Ponderosa Manager Don Winfrey, qualified the success by pointing out that a great many of his customers were car show attendees by default. “It’s a combination of everything including warm weather,” Winfrey said. “We had bird watchers, hikers – and some folks came for the machine gun shoot on the day posted on the Chamber website and when they discovered it had already been held, they hung around and attended the car show and had a good time, anyway.”

In general, hospitality businesses are not complaining – the sheer number of folks looking for food and shelter on beautiful weekends send overflow crowds to Enterprise. Steve Lear of Lear’s Main Street is careful to qualify his success in the same way Winfrey does. Although he was pleased with his income over the car show weekend, he points out “you just don’t know if the customers are from the car show.”

Next door at Deb’s (clothing store) there was no doubt that customers came from the car show. “Some of the car wives came in on Saturday,” said employee Laura Thompson. “I definitely think it helped us a lot.”

The bottom line for Enterprise was that, with the exception of hospitality vendors, business successes based on events held in Joseph are hit and miss. To pull customers back to Enterprise once they get to Joseph, “We need a plan,” Lear said.

Wallowa Lake businesses traditionally do well no matter where the event is held: Enterprise or Joseph.

As Winfrey pointed out, folks traveling this far up the road generally combine their love for their particular event with appreciation for the area as a vacation destination.

Linda Keisler, front desk at Wallowa Lake Resort reported that the weekend was the best of the season.

“We had a lot of regular repeat people who come back every year,” she said. “The car show is always good for us.”

Wallowa Lake Lodge employees reported that business was good and long-lived, with 41 reservations for breakfast on Sunday, the day after the car show. “Business from the car show was great, great, great,” said Connie Naplin, front desk.