Welcome to the site of a Lewis County legend, the Yard Bird! 🐦⬛
The huge building that sits on this lot used to be one of the greatest stores in our area, and has a rich history. "Two Yard Birds Surplus" started in 1947 as a war surplus out of an old garage, brought to life by Bill Jones and Rich Gillingham originally on the corner of Harrison and Yew in Centralia.
Within 11 years, they had upgraded and moved into what is now the Chehalis Outfitters shopping center, with 110,000 feet of space, 16 departments, and 5 businesses leasing space inside, being heralded as the "Largest Surplus Store on the West Coast". 13 years after that, in 1971, they moved into what we all know as the Yard Birds building, expanding to 305,000 feet and 350 employees.
This is where the original 60-foot-tall Yard Bird statue, which had begun construction 2 years prior, would stand, visible even from I-5. This towering 800-pound fiberglass statue stood for 5 incredible years, becoming a popular landmark where people could drive their cars under its legs as they left the store.
The original Yard Bird met its fateful end on October 1st, 1976, when a local man's car backfired underneath, igniting the fiberglass statue and causing it to burn completely within 12 minutes.
What we see here now is the second Yard Bird, built just before her counterpart's demise, in May 1976, and originally stood on the other side of the building, welcoming shoppers as they arrived at the store. She is roughly half the height of the original Bird. She has seen some repairs and restoration over the years, and a relocation to the original Bird's location, but has remained on this lot for 40 years now, and continues to be an attraction for drivers passing by.
The last couple decades were hard on Yard Birds. The location of the building is prone to flooding, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage over the years. Sales dropped, competition moved in, and the building suffered wear and structural issues. In 2017, the grocery portion inside Yard Birds, Shop'N Kart, closed, leaving only the businesses renting space in the building and others who lived there. The building was eventually closed permanently in 2022 due to power failure and safety inspection failures. Tenants of the property were required to vacate and the parking lot was blocked off.
But you're still allowed to park here and see The Bird! Bonus points if you post a pic of yourself with him in your log :) Please enter from the west/N National Ave. Absolutely no need to trespass past The Bird!
Thanks for visiting!