By Christian Messer Photography by Horace Long unless noted
Hair-Dryer Mafia: Hair by Spank, Outfits by Frock
Artwork by Whiplash Design

Mitch Bridon, opened Spank Hair Studio in 2004 in the bustling Alberta neighborhood. As with a lot of Portlanders, Bridon is a transplant from Michigan and loves Portland relentlessly. I took some time to chat with him recently to get his story and of course to introduce him to you. Full disclosure: I’ve been going to Spank Hair Studio since 2004 and Bridon and I have become friends since then, I was his client and then he in turn was mine, when I built his web site. We threw our history aside so you could get to know him just as I did many years ago.

id Magazine: I know you’re from Michigan – but give me a little bit of your background, where you grew up, when did you move to Portland etc.

Mitch Bridon: I grew up in a suburb right outside of Detroit, called Livomia. I owned a salon there for about five years. I just started out by assisting in a salon and then taking courses in England and Scotland at Vidal Sassoon and Rita Rusk. I sold the business because I wanted to move out of the state, and I moved here 12 years ago. I was here for a year (Portland) before my dad got in his car accident, and was paralyzed so I had to go home and take care of him. So, I lived back there five more years.

Then I came out here, and I was driving through Nebraska and a friend called me and they were eating at a restaurant across from where the salon is now. They told me there was a place for lease across the street and it was going to be my new hair salon. I told them they were crazy because I was already spending all the money I had to move out to Oregon and get established again…I certainly wasn’t going to have enough money to open a business.

When I got to Oregon, we went across the street to look at the building and I walked out in less than five minutes because the building was such a wreck. One of my friends was a contractor, so he took me back in and said, “You know what? Just pretend that this is going to be your business. Have a vision, and go around and tell me what you would want to do with everything.”

So I told him what I wanted to do, and he said, “We can get that done in a month, and we’re signing a lease.” It wound up taking us three months, instead of one month to put it together. My mother doesn’t have the concept of really what it’s like to open a business, so all she would say when she would call was, “Just open the doors and start cutting hair now,” so I could make money. So I said, “Well, you know Mom, I’m kind of a perfectionist and I don’t want it to be a sh*t shack, I want it to be really nice.”

So we did and the neighborhood was very supportive and curious and we did really well just because of the community. Then PABA (Portland Area Business Association) was a big supporter when I belonged to them…

When did you get involved with PABA?

Probably a month or two into the business. Pam Colton was the one who got me into it. I told her the only way I would go to one of those meetings is if I didn’t have to stand up in front of a group of people and talk. She assured me that I wouldn’t have to do that and within ten minutes of being in the meeting I had to stand up in front of about 75 people and introduce myself…and I wanted to kill her!

I can imagine.

But it took me out of my comfort zone, it took me out of the box, because I’m more comfortable doing one-on-one, I don’t like being the center of attention.

We got the business going, I hired stylists. It’s very hard to find people who are dedicated and driven. I think to keep the business going, I took like $7,000 out of my IRA. I myself didn’t take a check for three years. Then I had to take a check, but I just took…I was living on $600 a month is what I allowed myself on payroll.

It’s been six and half years and the business is paid off, so I paid off all the credit cards and loans that I had. And it’s just been fun…It’s the best clientele I’ve had in 23 years.

It’s still a struggle to find people who are good. Most of the people I find are good at what they DO, but there’s not a real strong work ethic. Portland itself is so transient with people moving in and then, not being able to make it or because they miss their family and friends, they often move back to where they came from.

There’s a pretty high turn over. I remember when I interviewed in salons twelve years ago a lot of the higher end salons wouldn’t let me fill out an application because I was out of state. Their experience was that if they invest the time and money usually with someone who is out of state, within a year they’re gone, and it was just a bad investment on their part.

Mitch Bridon with his dog Muppet

Well it does, but I didn’t know realize it until I got into the positions of being a business owner. What really is crazy, back in Michigan, the way a salon works is they are an employee of the salon and they get paid on commission so they get a weekly paycheck. Out here, the majority of the salons like to do a booth rental. Where the stylist is and independent contractor, buys their own supplies, and makes their own hours. I think if you have employees rather than booth renters, you have more control of your business, everybody’s on the same page, and it’s more of a team effort, instead of everybody being out for themselves.

What I get frustrated with is the young kids that come in, that they want a job and want to do booth rental, they either moved here form out of state and don’t have a clientele, or they’re right out of school and don’t have any experience and don’t have clientele; and where are they going to get the $200-250 to pay me for renting the station? So wouldn’t they rather work for someone on commission and get paid for anything that walks through the door, whether they get a $50 paycheck at the end of the week, or a $500 paycheck. They’re making something instead of going deeper and deeper into a hole by paying me $200 a week that they haven’t made.

It’s an interesting career. I loved it, I’ve traveled, I’ve met great people, I’ve met movie stars, worked on T.V.

Tell me more about your education, your schooling, you mentioned going abroad.

Well, what it was, when I went to school 23 years ago, the state paid for it because I was under 21, I think. At that time, tuition was a $1,000. Now the kids are paying $10,000 to $25,000 to get into the industry. Which I think makes it…you’re more serious about it if you’re wiling to pay that amount of money on an education. Whereas, a lot of people, $1,000 was nothing and they wanted to go work at Supercuts and Mastercuts. But, you can make a good career out of it, and you can make good money.

When I got out of school, I went and got a job at a salon and assisted for a year for the owner and then for some of the stylists. I did a lot of in-salon education, but then one year we went to London, to Vidal Sassoon. They are way more advanced over there, like in the fashion area than here…it was really grueling, we’d go to school from 8am to 6pm, and learn all these awesome cuts and we’d go home and show people all these new cuts and the new clothes we bought over in Europe and people would be like, “I’m not wearing that…I’m not getting my hair cut like that.” We’d just tell them within a year, this is what you’ll be wearing and this is going to be the trend.

A couple of years later, I went to Rita Rusk in Scotland. We were her first class in her new school. She was wonderful, we learned really great cuts…it was interesting to see how nervous she was, with us being her first class…somebody that is that established can be nervous and humbled. We learned a lot form her.

I’ve been to the International Beauty Show in London. I try to do a couple shows a year, a couple of classes a year. I just had a color class set up in the salon. I’m looking at going to a trade show in Las Vegas. One of my goals this year is to take some kind of cutting class in California…or maybe another country. I’ve been to Toronto, took a class on doing up-do’s through Mark Parsons and that got me over my fear of doing fancy hair for weddings, New Years things and parties.

I think that in this industry, to be regulated a little bit more, and I know that certain professions like nurses and teachers have to do ongoing education every so often. I think hair stylists in order to keep their license every year should have to attend a couple continuing education classes, because you don’t always know everything.

No – in business and in life, we’re all works in progress.

Right.

When you say color classes, do you host color classes?

We just had a color class for my stylists. We were looking at taking on a new line, which we decided not to do, because we like our line. I’ve used it for 23 years, it’s one of the best.

Speaking of which…what is that line of products?

Schwarzkopf.

Why is it the best?

The color is fool proof if you know what your doing, it doesn’t eat up the hair, it doesn’t coat the hair…their reds are amazing and their gray coverage is amazing. Their semi-permanent hair color covers gray very, very well. They have a great highlight series so you don’t have to always use bleach.

It’s funny, out here, because when I was back in Michigan everybody wanted to be blonde and highlighted so everybody looked the same. Here, I was at the window one day when we were getting the salon ready to open, and I was thinking, “I’ve never turned anybody’s hair blue, I’ve never washed dreadlocks, highlighted someone’s hair pink…how am I going to do this?” Again it was just one of those things where it took me out of the box and took me out of a rut, I just did it. It was fun! It was fun for me, it was fun for the clients and when I tell people back home, they just can’t imagine, because they’re so much more conservative.

I get that about Michigan with your stories…

Yeah…And right now we’re seeing a range of things in color, people are conservative, people are wild, people are wanting Japanese hair straightening but then again, people are starting to get perms again…we didn’t do perms for years. The scene is changing…you know what goes around comes around, but with a twist.

The one thing that’s funny is that when I was first doing hair, each stylist on average would do two to three perms a day. Now we do maybe a perm a month. The thing is, if my stylists don’t like doing perms – I’ll take the perm because they’re turning away a ticket. By not allowing yourself to learn and grow, and do new things, you’re just not going to make money.

Like if I did 10 haircuts in one day and booked $400…would I rather book a ten hour day and earn $400 or do a Japanese hair straightening in four hours and make $360? You want to be good with what you do, but you also want to…how do they say it? Not work harder, work smarter. Give a good quality service without ripping people off, but don’t break your back making a paycheck.

Who is the Japanese hair straightening for?

Anybody that has wave to their hair, curl to their hair or their hair is course and frizzy…it brings it down to perfectly straight so they don’t have to worry about using a flat-iron. Most times it leaves the hair in better condition than before you started.

How long does that last?

It’s permanent…the average growth in hair is about a half an inch in a month. So they’ll want to get a touch up when they have about three or four inches of new growth in their hair. It would be like every six to eight months.

How did you come up with the name Spank?

Oh, you don’t want to know this one…

(Laughing) Yes we do!

It’s not from what people think that’s for sure. Friends wanted me to name it after myself and I didn’t want to do that, and I wasn’t going to name it something super kitchy. So I was just looking around and it was raining and nasty…some people looked like they rolled out of bed and didn’t care what they looked like…and I just thought, “You know, I’m going to Spank the ugly off of Portland.”

At first I didn’t say it because I thought it would offend people…but now it’s on the business cards and stuff.

So that is the way you came up with it! We all wondered.

Yeah…and I love Portland, so nobody get’s the wrong idea! Portland is the funniest place I’ve ever worked and I do love the people. It did take me a while to acclimate, because it is so much different than the Mid-West…but I can’t imagine going back there, to work or to live. It’s the best clientele I’ve ever had.

What’s the biggest difference between Portland and the Mid-West?

It’s a lot more laid back, it’s not keeping up with the Jones’, not everybody competing for bigger and better and more and more…back in Michigan, it was buy a bigger house, get a bigger car…when I went back they were still building Hummer dealerships. Now I think a lot of people have learned their lesson, their houses are going into foreclosure, they can’t afford their car payment. I think people are becoming more simplified…they’re simplifying their lives.

What I appreciate here, of course, is the art scene and the ability to express yourself people don’t bat an eyelash…they don’t judge. People are just more politically aware, more environmentally aware…where as back in Michigan, if I try to recycle anything, they look at me like I’m a crazy. (Laughter.)

And…when I went back for my dad’s funeral, it was so funny…people would tap me on the shoulder and ask me, “How is everything in Denver?” I’m like, “I don’t know…I don’t live in Denver.” When they find out I live in Portland, they thought I lived on top of a mountain or in a corn field with nothing to do…(more laughter)

So I try to tell them how great the individual neighborhoods are, the downtown area, great restaurants, great shopping. I have a friend that just moved here and she works for Guess and she just loves the fashion that is here, and I have to say I do too.

It is pretty amazing…fortunately we already have a fashion issue in the pipeline for id Magazine…it’s incredible how many local fashion designers there are, and what’s going on in the scene right now.

Portland is a great place to come and be inspired.

Right…last questions here…what makes Spank different from other salons in the neighborhood?

The neighborhood is just so diverse, everything from salons to barbershops…to salons that just cater to the African-American community. I don’t usually judge other people’s work, but I think you get an extremely good quality for an amazing price. I think that we’re very personable, we’re not pretentious. We get a ton of referrals…people just don’t feel threatened, we don’t do things to people that they don’t want done. We communicate…communication is the big one. You’ve got to be willing to bend with the wind.

Do you travel back to Michigan twice a year or once a year?

I usually go twice a year, one year I went back several times within one year. I’m getting ready to go in about two weeks…every time I get back into the Portland International Airport, it feels like home. Michigan’s just desperate right now.

How’s the economy there now, has it changed, improved at all?

No…they just sold the Pontiac Super Dome which is was the home of the Detroit Lions. It’s on a 127 acres of land. I think they built it for $500 million, and they just sold it for $80,000…

Ouch!

Yeah…and people are upside down in their homes, I had a cousin who came out here to visit, and he loved it so much he wanted move his family out here. But when he got back to Michigan, he realized he couldn’t get what his house was worth, or what it used to be worth.

Yes, that’s a familiar story. My sister is in Las Vegas, and they’re stuck. They want to move out here but they can’t because they’d have to sell their house and can’t, not in this economy, or their economy anyway.

You know…It seems here has slowed down, I’ve had clients who are losing their jobs and clients who are losing their home, but it’s nowhere near as bad as back in Michigan. Michigan focused so much on the auto industry and wasn’t willing to make the changes that consumers wanted. At one point we were just dependent on lumber here, but there is so much more that moved in…you’ve got Nike, Adidas, we’ve got Intel. You’ve got small businesses, and small business is huge here, the city is really supportive. Like the PDC grant that we got to re-do the front of the salon. They don’t have things like that back in Michigan, and if they do, they don’t promote it. Portland is very protective of it’s people which is really nice.

I read somewhere that some of the stimulas money was going to Michigan auto factories to retro-fit them for green technology.

I haven’t heard anything about that. I just know that if I had tried to opened a business in Michigan, like the way I did here in Portland… It wouldn’t have worked. I would have lost everything.

Spank! Hair Studio is located at 1433 NE Alberta, Portland, Oregon 97211. Walk-ins are welcome, but they do suggest booking an appointment in advance at 503.280.5280 Frock Boutique is located at 1439 NE Alberta St. Portland, OR 97211 503-595-0379

Pacific Northwest is hopping with coffee houses, drive-thrus, independent coffee roasters and everything else in between including Starbucks, McDonalds and Dunkin Doughnuts all clamoring for customers. Oregon is right behind Washington for the coffee stronghold. Portland has the most coffee roasters, and unless you look for them, you would never know they exist, being drowned out by the bigger players in the bean field.

Cardinal Coffee is one of those roasters. Its owner, Hamilton Ash has a high regard for quality coffee and beans, and his business shows it. We caught up with him on a busy morning and found out we knew little about coffee, and probably haven’t had a genuinely good cup in long time.

Originally from Portland, Maine – Hamilton and Bethany Ash came to Portland six years ago from McAllen, Texas. They lived there for 15 years – during that time Hamilton was in the computer business, first working in schools for Apple, Inc. – he then started his own consulting business, working with law firms.

Ash thought he could get the same type of work here but found that the small law firms in Portland didn’t have the wealth like those in McAllen. He stated that he didn’t care to go into the large law firms, due to the corporate nature and especially the IT aspect.

After a while, he realized that maybe his days as a computer consultant were over. Literally the day they moved, Ash and his wife were contacted by a neighbor and a friendship began to cultivate. This neighbor began to tell them about a business he was starting, in coffee, selling a Sexton Huntsman product. It was coffee infused with some sort of aphrodisiac and they would sell it on the web. Ash was intrigued as memories of coffee, its aroma and mystic began peculating in his head.

Both Hamilton and Bethany were then introduced to the coffee world at a trade show in Seattle. As he says it, “We were both turned on to what we saw. For me particularly, the roasting side of it. I had never roasted coffee, didn’t hardly think about it. All of a sudden I was presented by this new world, and it was an international show as well. So there were folks from all over the world, presenting their wares.”

The coffee web business project with the neighbor didn’t happen, Ash recalls, “I thought, well that’s it. I’ll look around and didn’t know what to do. Then after a couple of years, doing a little bit of computer consulting, still in Texas…commuting back and forth. I kind of settled more into the Portland scene. Then I had one last job, and it was hell. That job tipped me over the fence to think, You know, you’ve got to do something else. Seriously, because you can’t be doing this work.”

“Bethany said, ‘You know, we have some cash here, you’re interested in roasting, so why don’t you buy a roaster? And start making coffee’…and I thought, O.K. – so that’s what I did. I bought a roaster, set it up, got some beans and started roasting. The business is two and half years old…I’m still learning, but in the roasting business you’re constantly learning. I ramped up pretty quickly and got a clientele. I found I did a pretty good job roasting coffee. My plans for the roasting business increased. I could see myself…not in a huge-huge situation but in a larger situation than I am right now, I’m working towards it. Travel is an element in the coffee business, I’m a very international person, I’ve done a lot of traveling. I like what goes on in other countries. The coffee business is a real mix of product and people.

The a year after that, Bethany decided she wanted to do something in the coffee business. We weren’t ready for a coffee shop situation, so we settled on a mobile business. We got the van and it became Espresso Giuseppe. I was roasting espresso at the time, so that’s how that started. I’ve been in the food service business before the computer consulting. So I was familiar with the food service business, so it wasn’t alien to me. I had a restaurant in Portland, Maine. We moved from Portland, Maine to Texas, and then to Portland, Oregon. We’ve been in Oregon for six years.”

“I love the coffee business. It’s my future, it’s Bethany’s future as well, so we are totally committed to what we’re doing”

What’s your mission with Cardinal Coffee? Is it to have clients receive fresh coffee delivered to their door every week?
Yes, if that’s what they want. My mission is to save the world from bad coffee. Saving the world from bad coffee, one bag a time! It’s amazing how much bad coffee is out there, seriously. Just because it comes in a fancy package or it comes from a fancy coffee shop does not mean it’s quality.

Where do your beans come from?
My importers that I have right now, are Royal Oakland for larger quantities. Smaller quantities I get on the internet and I have some suppliers that will supply in 25 pound and 50 pound bags. There are quite a few coffee importers around this area, Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Portland. As far as the coffee goes, we’ve got the Indonesian coffee which is very very popular, excellent coffee.

There’s Sumatra. Papua New Guinea, kind of classified as Indonesian, that is excellent. Coffee from India, very very high quality. Very high quality. There’s African, and I have my favorites, right now I’m buying Tanzanian Peaberry. I’ve had Ethiopian and Kenyan, Rowandon coffee is excellent.

This is the important part of coffee. You need it to be consistent. You can’t have one batch come in and it’s great and the next batch not being great. That can really mess things up. The consistency of quality is paramount.

As far as Central America goes…Coffee from Panama, a big favorite of mine, and South American Columbian coffee is a favorite.

So I would say my favorites…and I mostly sell what my favorites are. My favorites are Sumatra…in its different forms…Papua New Guinea, Tanzanian, Panama, India, and Columbia.

Do you get involved with the Fair Trade issues? Or do your importers do that for you?
Yes, some of my coffee is fair trade. Some of my coffee is organic and I really would like to go totally organic, because it’s the best way…and of course totally fair trade. Coffee from some regions however, is not that way. It may be organic, but it’s not certified organic. To be verified organic, the coffee producer has to go through a process of certification if you will. Which takes time and costs some money. Then they get the official piece of paper that says their product is organic. Some coffee producers don’t want to go that route for whatever reason, although their coffee is organic. For example, if I go to Royal and I get organic coffee, I get a special piece of paper that states the coffee is organic. If I go somewhere else and they say it’s organic, I don’t get that piece of paper.

So there’s a little bit of research I have to do to make sure something is organic, or I’ll be talking to a coffee importer or something, and it’ll come out that yes, it’s organic, but it’s not official.

As far as the fair trade goes, there’s some material in the press recently that the fair trade folks are having a problem with the fair trade process. That they’re are not making the money they thought they would be making, because they are going through the fair trade process. So there’s a little syphoned off here and there.

Now if a coffee roaster goes directly to the farm and worked out a fair trade price, that is something different. So the best way is for the roaster to have a direct relationship with the farm, a buying relationship, shipping relationship and payment relationship with the farm. Then those people will definitely benefit. But otherwise it doesn’t seem to work. I’m not there yet I’d like to be and want to be, but I’m not there.

That’s understandable…so could you walk me through your roasting process?
Yeah…It’s not rocket science. I use a San Fransiscan Roaster…It’s not made in San Franciscan, it’s made in Fallon, Nevada. It is a traditional roaster, and a traditional roaster being a drum roaster. Gas flame under the revolving drum. Beans are poured into a hopper above the drum. When the air temperature in the drum reaches a certain degree, the beans are then allowed to dropped into the drum…where they roast approximately 15 minutes. So, four batches an hour.

The roasting process is basically looking and listening…and a to a certain extent, smelling. I look at the temperature, I have an air temperature gage and a digital bean temperature. The difference being, the bean temperature is taken from a probe within the drum, where the beans are in direct contact with the probe. That gives me a better idea of what’s going on in the drum, rather than just the air temperature.

I listen…halfway through the process, the beans start to expand like popcorn. They pop…the official term is crack, so you’ll hear this cracking sound about halfway through. Now we really have to stay sharp as to what’s happening with the beans. A little further along, there is a spoon device where I can take out a sample of the beans to see their color…I then put that back. There’s also a site glass where I can see the beans as well.

I’m looking at the temperature and the color, and waiting for a second crack. Generally, my roast, Roaster’s Choice, I will take the beans out after the second crack or a little bit after the second crack. That gives the beans a nice dark brown color, but not black. You have to go further if you want the French roast, and I don’t do that unless someone specifies it.

Is there a different process that espresso beans go through?

Everyone has their own procedure for espresso. It’s kind of like a secret recipe, or a special sauce. You keep that under lock and key. It’s never a light roast, it’s what we call a full acidity…where the bean is dark brown and might have an oil sheen to it. Espresso is mostly a blend of different beans from different origins. Sometimes it can be from a single origin…that is the ideal. Mostly it is a blend…you do the blend because for espresso you want a certain taste, you want the crema, which is the foam, so to achieve that we do a blend. That is the American part of it…I’m still investigating this, in Italy, they can adjust the temperature on the roast so it becomes very dark without being burned.

Starbucks coffee? It’s burned. That’s the quick and easy way, you want it dark, well we’ll make it dark, but it gets burned in the process.

Is that what makes it bitter?
Yes. Dark, burned and generally bitter. Commercial coffee, Folgers, Maxwell House, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best…all that stuff is generally over roasted, burned and bitter. My father in-law drinks Folgers coffee and they put salt in it to take out the bitter taste.

In talking with you, I have a feeling I have not had good coffee in my house or otherwise. Our coffee comes in a can…
Yeah…it’s best not to tell me…(we laugh) But it’s cheap! You know I see in the grocery store isle, a can of Yuban, for five or six bucks, two pounds.

And now, Starbucks is getting into the instant coffee business.
Yeah…You know I as just reading today…if you go on Twitter, my last tweet was a link to an article on Starbucks, McDonalds and Dunkin Doughnuts…and they are having their coffee wars…there’s always coffee wars going on. Dunkin Doughnuts is made by Folgers, and I’m not sure about McDonalds…but the idea is that they are, spending all this money on media and marketing, and it could be a big flop in this country.

Especially here in Portland, there’s so many coffee shops to choose from, why would you want instant coffee…I am surprised that McDondalds and Dunkin Doughnuts are doing so well with their coffee.
Well, when you get out of Portland, you’re in a whole different world. Your driving down the highway and a coffee shop won’t be around…like in the middle of Montana, no coffee shop, but there’ll be a McDonalds.

Your business model…I remember the days when we would have the local dairy deliver milk to our doorstep…do people sign up and you personally deliver to customers and ship it out?
People can get a membership, and they pay up front, there’s a bout a 25% savings. I have some membership plans on the site, but they can work any way you like. With the membership, the product is shipped for free, unless it’s in town, close in to Portland, then it will be personally delivered. If it is out of town, it will be shipped…I use USPS Priority. I feel that for my volume, it’s the cheapest, even though the prices keep going up…compared to other carriers, it’s the cheapest and it is very quick. From here to New Orleans, 2 days…South Texas three days, East coast three days. In Oregon, a day.

With the others, we’re talking about five business days or a week, and that’s really too long for a bag of coffee.

Do you have clients beyond Oregon or the U.S.?
Not clients really, my daughter in-law is from Iceland, so I shipped some to her father…that took a few weeks apparently. (More laughter) He said it was very good, maybe it was…not being there to try it, but I bet the package smelled good.

Iceland…I have a Portland client who has an Indonesian products store. When he goes on buying trips, he stocks up with Sumatra, that’s his favorite, he takes that with him to Indonesia, because he can’t get good coffee there. So the coffee’s going home.

You see, a lot of the places, a lot of these countries…the people drink mostly instant coffee. Coffee producing countries, where the fabulous coffee comes from, they don’t drink coffee that much. India, is Nestcafe, and the U.K. I read today that it’s 80% instant coffee, which is phenomenal.

Wow! Who knows, maybe the Starbucks Via instant coffee could actually take off!
Yeah…it might bomb in this country but…it could work there.

Do you have local places that serve your coffee?
I have some offices, I have of course Espresso Giuseppe. I did have one coffee shop downtown, the Naked Portafilter by PSU (Portland State University), but they’ve changed hands recently. I really do need some solid coffee shop clients.
I’ve done sales calls to coffee shops and there’s a lot of competition, a lot. It’s all who you know, that is a very important part of the coffee scene.

So it is very much like Hollywood?
Yes…Stumptown for instance…when you’re looking at a $10,000 coffee machine, and you have someone say, “Well if you contract with us, we’ll let you use this $10,000 coffee machine,” it’s a no-brainer for a lot of people. Of course they’re going to do it. Once they are locked in, they can’t buy anyone else’s coffee. Like going to Starbucks…Starbucks isn’t going to buy my coffee.

There are many independents that aren’t because they have Stumptown. I’m looking for coffee shops that will feature other people’s coffee, that’s a good thing…Not “this is it, this is all we sell.” There’s a coffee shop in town called Barista that features several independents.
Here’s another thing…I don’t understand why coffee shops in Portland go to Seattle, Chicago, or California to buy their coffee. There’s so many roasters in Portland that can supply them. I do not understand that. Competition is fine, but buy local! Why go to Seattle? There are so many coffee shops in Portland that do that. They expect people to come in and patronize their store, local people…but they’re not supporting local people by buying locally roasted coffee.

It would make a great gift…
Yes…I’m seriously big on that. It’s a great gift, if you know the person you’re sending it to drinks coffee, it’s not expensive. It is unique…and you can just do a bag or two or give a membership…and the holiday season is coming up!

Being in the business, do you have any idea of why Oregonians are so drawn to or addicted to coffee?
I’m going to say the weather has a big effect…coming from Texas, particularly South Texas, where coffee is not the main thing on people’s mind. But when Starbucks came to town, that was a big thing because they were offering frapaccinos. So people wanted something cold. Hot coffee…No.

There were a couple of coffee shops but they didn’t do very well. When we left Texas, there where four Starbucks on the main street in town. People were not so much going in and hanging out, they were going through the drive-thru.

In Portland, there’s not so much drive-thru. People really want to go into a cozy environment. I think the weather. There may be other things as well…in Texas, everything is all spread out. Here, we’re kind of huddled together.

I think you’re right…and the independent shops foster building community. Tell me what drives your passion for doing this kind of work? What is that really turned you on at that trade show you were at?

That’s a good question. The tradition I think. Bare in mind that I was coming out of the computer business. There’s no tradition there, everything is always changing, you cannot settle down and be comfortable. I was looking for that…a harken to days gone by that were warm and cozy, and something that would last. Like my roaster…it’s a machine that was essentially designed to be used year ago. It will continue to be used forever, even when I’m dead and gone. You can’t say that about a computer or a digital camera.

That was something I Iiked. I saw heavy metal machines, packaging machines…I saw life. Like real life, where in the computer business, it had no life, it was all virtual. It had no soul.

How have you supported the LGBTIQ community as
an ally?
Well, PABA (Portland Area Business Association) to start with. Going to and supporting events…PRIDE. Last year we did the PRIDE parade, which was very exciting…that was wonderful. I was a little upset that I had to work it in the van, rather than being out there enjoying the events going on. My wife’s brother is gay. I gave him employment at the restaurant long ago. That’s the close personal connection. We have many friends in the gay community who are wonderful, wonderful people. I could name names, but I’d leave some people out.

We came out of a somewhat closed environment. Portland was a breath of fresh air. We fly the fag, when we get in the van, the old rainbow flag comes out…it says, hey, this is us…and what we support.

By Christian Messer

Edward and Bella are dancing in the gazebo at their prom…Bella is trying to convince Edward she wants to be come a vampire…“Is that what you dream about? Becoming a monster?,” he says. Bell answers, “I dream about being with you forever.” With that, Corebtt, Oregon’s The View Point Inn is immortalized in the blockbuster hit film, Twilight.

The trilogy book series by Stephenie Meyer is a phenomena that has its rabid fans and devotees much like the Harry Potter books, multiplied by three. The target market is teen girls and is a love story. A vampire and mortal girl in love, but of course, there are many complications. He wants to protect her, she wants to become a vampire to live with him forever.

As a Twilight books and movie outsider, I can’t really fathom the obsessive passion the fans of both are ravaged with. We went through one book series this way, but Harry Potter was different and didn’t truly have a love story as it’s beating heart. The fans of Twilight are absolutely nutty. Teenage girls are explainable, but it’s the grown women, the Twilight Moms who can really freak people out.

The View Point Inn owners Geoff Thompson and Angelo Simione didn’t know about the book trilogy. Thompson remembers, “we came to the Inn one day and there was a note on the door asking to be considered for a movie location. We had no idea about the books. We went to a bookstore to see what was up with the books, expecting nothing much. The gal we asked pointed to a huge display case. We had no idea.”

For Thompson and Simione, their luck couldn’t have been better. It wasn’t just any ordinary scene they wanted to shoot, it was the teen’s prom. It was here at The View Point Inn where the lovers declared their allegiance to each other, “Forever.”

When the movie premiered, calls started pouring in. Many parties had to book their events months in advance because the inn quickly became booked solid. Business couldn’t have been better. However, with increased business, the inn required more and more funds to continue running. Thompson and Simione were barely keeping afloat, and the renovations still needed to be made. How can you win, and what can you do?

You use what you have and cash in on the Hollywood equity you have. On the View Point Inn’s website, you quickly see how Thompson has turned this into a marketing and money making opportunity. They have a brick walkway, dubbed, “The Twilight Walk of Fame.” Every squealing girl who goes up there can buy a brick, personalize it with a saying or their names, and be placed near the brick, “Edward Cullen and Bella Swan – Forever.”

Fortunately for Thompson and Simione, the film crew left the casino archway and other props behind. With those, and a bit of marketing magic, came: The Twilight Prom, Twilight Bella Berry and Edward’s Essence soaps, Twilight calendar and they have even fashioned a completely original t-shirt with the love birds’ silhouettes against the View Point Inn. There is a plea for help on the web for Twilight fans to help save the inn, and even a petition to have the lead characters marry at the property.

I asked Thompson, “Do you think that the Twilight fans will catch on to what you’re doing and see that you’re milking the Twilight thing for all it’s worth?” His reply was that he would whore the property out as much as possible in order to save it.

From what I gathered, putting the property on the market was more of a strategic move to keep the place than to actually sell it. I asked Thompson, “Are you really trying to sell the place, or is it a bluff?”

“The purpose of it is, we spent over a million dollars on the whole journey to get it open. Legal fees, restoration…I mean we were here for three and a half years, it looked this beautiful, what you see here, for three and half years,” Thompson says. Unfortunately, the million dollars went to battle for the property, a battle that is legendary.

Thompson explains, “It would have been nice if we were able to spend that money on repair and restoring the inn, but that’s what happened. So be it…the inn is flourishing now, and I think that’s the time to put it on the market, when your flourishing. It would take a decade to have all the bills be paid, and another decade to have enough money to do the renovations.”

“You can see the roof, the chimney’s torn off. We need structural, windows, doors…it needs a lot of work. The Vista House went through a five million dollar renovation, the Pittock went through a similar renovation. If my heart is truly in the right place, and I’m committed to the inn, then it’s time to pass the dream along to someone who can pick torch so to speak, and fund it and help it get those things done, then that’s what needs to be done. When we put it on the market, we got publicity and people came out to ask, ‘What can we do to help?’ ”

Ultimately Thompson’s dream is to be 110, sitting out in the inn’s courtyard looking over the Columbia Gorge, “have a cup a coffee…nurse goes inside and says, ‘Hey, Mr. Thompson is gone.’ My heart and soul is with the land.” Who knows if this will become reality, but with Thompson, you can never doubt he will do all he can to make it happen. Even if means getting a vampire to marry, or handing the property to someone else.

photo courtesy of Synergy Staging

“Basically, we go into homes that are for sale, and we make them look as good as possible so that they sell fast.”

Peterson adds, “having your home staged gives it an edge, showing potential buyers how they could live there.” – David Peterson says.

Read the entire article here…

Home staging is not to be confused with custom home design, tailoring a space for an individual’s taste and living. Rather, home staging reveals a house’s potential. Murrow explains how it works.

“Basically, we go into homes that are for sale, and we make them look as good as possible so that they sell fast.”

Peterson adds, “having your home staged gives it an edge, showing potential buyers how they could live there.”

There are three key ways Synergy Staging makes homes more attractive to buyers. First, they supply furnishings and décor to make the main rooms of vacant homes look livable to the buyer’s eye.

“We stage rooms so they have an impact, but we don’t overwhelm buyers with too much stuff. The house is the feature—not the staging,” says Murrow.

Second, in homes still occupied buy the seller, Nik and David guide clients to de-clutter, and recommend removing any items that may distract buyers from seeing the house’s full potential. Murrow recounts an example.

“Before we staged this one house, it had felt like a museum.   We took away all the Victorian photographs, umbrellas, and parasols and put in décor and art that worked with that style, but toned it down so that prospective buyers could see more of the house and imagine themselves living there. While that was an extreme case, it’s true that most people have a lot of stuff. We do try to use as much of a clients’ furnishings and decor as possible while making the house welcoming to buyers. It’s important that buyers are able to see beyond the stuff.”

Additionally, Synergy Staging recommends to all of its clients the improvements they should consider having done to make their property more saleable.

“Buyers are looking for homes that are move-in ready. If a house needs painting, or a window is busted, a buyer is more likely to choose the similar property down the street that doesn’t need the extra work,” says Peterson.

Asked about the benefits of staging, he explains, “in a strong market, we see homes we stage sell for as much as 6% above list price, but staging helps to move a house, especially in competitive markets like this with more houses available for sale, and would-be buyers challenged to secure loans.”

Murrow adds, “Realtors understand the benefits of good staging, and I’d encourage anyone selling house to consult a professional stager.”

To learn more about Synergy Staging and to see homes they have staged, visit them on the web, or to arrange for a free proposal contact Synergy Staging by phone: 503.577.2244, or email info@synergystaging.com.

By: Andy Clemmer

Dr. Beck graduated from OHSU in 1994 and moved to Oklahoma City, practicing dentistry and teaching for almost six years. Oklahoma City is also where he came out, which he says was “a very liberating experience.” There he met new friends and started associating with other gay people. Beck states, “Dentistry is very conservative…and I was afraid that I would be closeted for my career. I decided that’s not who I am, and I made the decision to be out.” Beck admits he is fortunate to have never had any negative experiences being out. He and his partner, opera singer Jorge Garza, do not have any children, and they maintain homes in Portland and New York.

Beck, a solo General Practitioner, is trained to provide every service but orthodontics. He also refers out 95% of his pediatric clientele. Beck states that he loves kids but it is a highly specialized area.

Since he purchased the established practice almost ten years ago, he has doubled the clientele to 1500 active patients. Of that 1500, Beck estimates that 40 – 45% are members of the LGBTQI community. He is still accepting new patients and hopes to offer services to more LGBTQI people. He also plans to hire an associate practitioner to meet the demands of his growing practice.

Beck has an all female staff of three Registered Dental Hygienists, two Dental Assistants with Expanded Function Dental Assistant certifications, an office manager, and an accounts manager. Willie, a friendly Westy (they think he’s bi) serves as an office mascot. Five of his employees have been with him for over five years, a quality Beck says gives him a competitive edge. “People know they are going to be speaking with someone familiar when they call, and they appreciate that continuity. The relationship between doctor and patient is an intimate one.” In keeping with continuity, Dr. Beck has no plans to move from the Mt. Tabor neighborhood.

One of Dr. Beck’s mottos is “People before profit.” When he has a patient in the chair, he says that he considers the kind of treatment he would want for a family member. “I treat all my patients like they are family.” Beck believes treating patients with the utmost care is the foundation of his success. “All the gizmos and technology in the world would not make up for a lack of personal concern for patients.” However, the technology doesn’t hurt either. Beck recently invested in a new computer system, practice software system and digital radiography system. This will allow him to better diagnose and treat patients.

Dr. Beck is very proud to serve the LGBTQI community. “People feel more comfortable going to a gay doctor who understands their issues and concerns.” In the past, patients have gone to him with stories of being discriminated against. They know he accepts everyone and treats people with respect and dignity.

Helping one person in one chair at a time wasn’t enough for him, so Beck started as an Associate Professor at Oregon Health & Sciences University in 2000. After a leave of absence, he resumed his duties last year. He serves in the Department of Community Dentistry and the Department of Operative Dentistry, teaching classes once per week.

In addition, Dr. Beck is the chairman of the Dental Health and Well Being Committee of the Oregon Dental Association, and he serves on the Board of Directors for Multnomah, County Dental Society. Beck looks for opportunities to serve his community outside his practice as well.

Every year, Dr. Beck maintains a booth at pride, where he gives out oral hygiene kits, toothbrushes, t-shirts, information pamphlets, and certificates good for one complete oral exam and full set of x-rays. He also plays trumpet in the Rose City Symphonic Band (formerly Rose City Freedom Band).

Each year, Dr. Beck and his staff select one or two people from a patient pool and do an entire case at no charge. To qualify, the patient must demonstrate a legitimate need for a lot of dental work and be unable to afford all the needed services. Last year, one youth received around $10,000.00 in services at no charge to him. Beck says they are very selective about whom to help and this article is the first time he has made this known to the public.

Dr. Beck also serves on Medical Teams International, volunteering on a mobile dental unit in North Portland and Clackamas. He provides dental services for people who cannot afford dentistry, taking out teeth and minimizing pain. He donates five to six hours, treating 15 to 20 people one Saturday each month.

Though not politically active, Dr. Beck donates to Human Rights Campaign. He says that he tries to make a difference by living a good life and treating people with respect.

“We strive to provide ever increasing quality dental care to our patients. We value the collaboration of all staff members in reaching our goals. We aim to achieve our goals within an atmosphere that respects the individual needs of our patients and staff.”

Dr. Beck’s mission statement is not a short paragraph that sits framed and ignored in a remote corner of his office. It’s a statement that is made continuously through the actions and care of Dr. Beck and his staff. With a fulfilled promise like that, who wouldn’t want to switch?

Visit Dr. Beck at Mt. Tabor Dental at 728 SE 60th Ave, Portland or call 503-236-1449 for an appointment. Visit Mt. Tabor Dental’s website