Since the calender flipped to 2011, a trio of businesses have set up shop along Buckley’s Main Street.

Buckley S and S

The first to invade Main Street is The Buckley S & S (soup and sandwich).

The minds behind this new eatery, owner Brian Burfeind and manager Jake Boutte, have adopted the “come as you are, casual, no jacket required” theme, that smacks of good food at an affordable price.

“We are the new kids in town, so we didn’t want to step on the toes of places on the other side of Main Street that have been around for awhile like The Firehouse Pub or The Hometown Restaurant,” Burfeind said.

“I guess we were shooting for a middle ground. A family-friendly place, where people can bring their kids for lunch or dinner, take a load off their feet in a relaxing atmosphere, chat with a group of friends or just eat their fill of good food without breaking the bank.”

A few of the items featured on the menu are The Porky Chicken, The Heart Attack Burger and the Hornet wrap with waffle fries, named after the White River High School mascot. Those who dine-in can play trivial pursuit while waiting for their order.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The business can be reached at 360-761-7365.

The Queen’s Ransom

This thrift boutique, managed by Katie Petrovich, is not a destination of those looking for junk. The store has 17 vendors who bring in new items every day and, Petrovich explained, a lot of the items are brand new and selling for a fraction of the original price.

Among the items on display are dishes, lamps, old and new glassware, collectibles and jewelry.

A new development that will help customers is the ability to take credit cards or debit cards.

“We have had so many prospective buyers leave without buying anything, simply because we didn’t have a method by which people could charge their purchases,” Petrovich said, happy that the hurdle has been cleared.

The Queen’s Ransom is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The phone number is 360-829-4286 and the business can also be found on Facebook.

The Green Door

The name itself has attracted a lot of attention, said Shelly DeBartolo who, along with her husband Matt, manages Buckley’s newest thrift store that is splitting at the seams.

“We had people stop in the middle of Main Street, jump out of their cars and snap pictures of our store front,”

Unbeknownst to the DeBartolos, “Behind the Green Door” was one of the early X-rated movies to generate a large audience in the United States.

“Initially we came out with the slogan, ‘vintage treasures and more behind The Green Door,’ on the insistence of one of our consignment people,” DeBartolo said. “I guess you could say the name was a blessing in disguise, because it sure has brought in a lot of curious folks off the street with that attention-grabbing title.”

The true blessing in disguise for the DeBartolo’s was Glen Jenkins of Auburn Mercantile, who was looking for someone he could trust to hand down his $75,000 inventory of “great stuff” to. He contacted DeBartolo and the two struck a deal.

“Mine and my husband’s signature may be on the lease for this place, but it really belongs to this great community,” DeBartolo said. “This place was built on relationships and a great deal of hard work and trust by our loyal employees as well as the consignment people. Without their help, we never would have been able to keep this place afloat.”

The store’s business hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 360-761-7088.