Ted Huckins opened William Joseph Gallery next to Pioneer Square in 1993. His gallery attracted walk-in customers who reveled in beautiful prints featuring Oregon’s natural landscape and history. Foot traffic, however, nearly stopped when the Trimet light rail began construction outside the gallery storefront. Ted searched for business strategies that would help him survive the construction period.

Ted turned to the Trimet loan program, a program established by TriMet in partnership with Portland Development Commission and Portland State University, to help his business reposition itself during this time. He received business support services from the Portland State University Business Outreach Program and a low interest loan to help him through the construction hardship. The loan provided Ted with computing power, software, and hope that his business would survive the construction period. He updated his technology, developed a new digital product line, and realized his business had a future after walk-in service.

The Portland State University Business Outreach Program provided students that worked under experienced business advisors to complete a capstone project and support Ted’s business. The team helped Ted assess business competition, industry growth trends, and jump start a new accounting system. Ted speaks highly of the support students gave him. “It helped to have a group of interested students who were giving their all to make this business happen.”

In addition to selling photography from his gallery next to Pioneer Square, Ted markets his products directly to local Portland businesses. He creates HD photography exhibits for the décor of financial, high tech and other professional offices. His products draw from the work of 20 professional photographers and 4 historic archives. Ted believes that contemplative photography has a strong impact on viewers’ daily lives. “Landscape and historic photographs are symbols of our personal experience and common heritage. We can transcend the clutter of daily work in a moments’ gaze at a contemplative image of Oregon’s beauty or of it’s poignant past.”

Visit William Joseph Gallery at 526 SW Yamhill Street in Portland, Oregon, or via http://www.williamjosephgallery.net/.

The TriMet Loan Fund supports 10 businesses impacted by the heaviest phases of construction on the I-205/ Portland Mall MAX Light Rail Project. The Portland State University Business Outreach Program provides technical assistance to the businesses and Oregon Microenterprise Network administers the loan fund.  

Anni Forestel was managing a thriving beauty salon located on 5^th Avenue in the heart of Old Town when construction of the new TriMet line began. Bella Pearl Salon depends on walk-in customers and a prominent storefront presence to gain business, but construction of the new lightrail caused business to slow and product sales to drop.

It was during this time that Bella Pearl Salon received a long term, low interest loan from TriMet in partnership with Portland Development Commission and Portland State University to offset financial setbacks caused by lightrail construction. The loan provided working capital for Bella Pearl to make repairs to its storefront and improve the interior of the salon.

In addition to receiving capital from the Trimet loan fund, the Portland State University Business Outreach Program provides ongoing business support and counseling to Bella Pearl Salon. This includes a dedicated Portland State University student team that worked with Anni for 4 months to fine-tune her business plan, develop her business goals, and improve her marketing strategy. The students came from diverse fields of study, including marketing, accounting, and business management, and created a fresh and creative approach to running the business.

Bella Pearl Salon has been an important part of the downtown 5^th Avenue neighborhood since 2000. Anni Forestel became owner of the salon in 2002. The salon employs 10 stylists, 1 skin care specialist, and 3 part time receptionists. Job creation and the development of thriving neighborhood economic centers lie at the heart of microenterprise, and Anni Forestel has excelled at fostering these values for her business and the community around her.

The TriMet Loan Fund supports 10 businesses impacted by the heaviest phases of construction on the I-205/ Portland Mall MAX Light Rail Project. The Portland State University Business Outreach Program provides technical assistance to the businesses and Oregon Microenterprise Network manages administration of the loan fund.  

In 2004 Mira Fannin lined a small booth at the Eugene Farmers Market with her latest clothing creations. Her products immediately drew the attention of shoppers who loved the organic blended fibers with cuts described as ‘simple, modern, yet classically wearable.’ As Mira recalls, “there was such a demand for the classic simplicity and wearability of the designs that the obvious choice was to keep going.” Although she started with a tiny 4-foot by-4-foot space, her products quickly became popular and she expanded her booth to accommodate shoppers. Sweet Skins now operates a thriving store in Eugene, an online website, and acts as a distributor to customers worldwide.

One season Mira realized that purchasing large quantities of fiber would ultimately decrease her production costs and allow the natural fiber dyeing process to be more efficient, but she did not have the start-up capital to purchase fiber in bulk. With the help of eDev (Entrepreneurial Development Services) in Eugene, Mira applied for a $10,000 loan from the CapitalLink program of Oregon Microenterprise Network. Mira worked with Shawn Winkler Rios, Executive Director at eDev, to develop her business plan. She also took classes in accounting and worked with peer groups composed of other small business owners in Eugene. As Mira works to repay her loan, eDev provides customized support to fit her individual business needs and ensure that the microloan makes the greatest impact on the business. Mira meets regularly with eDev staff to fine-tune her entrepreneurial skills and approaches to running a small business.

Sweet Skins is a minority and female owned business located in Eugene, Oregon. Owner Mira Fannin designs all products herself, including shirts, fleece sweaters, pants, dresses, hats, and more. “I try to use all sustainable and natural fibers, mostly organic cotton and hemp,” says Mira. Her most unique creation uses a material called eco-fleece, a 100% recycled material made from recycled plastic pop bottles that produces an amazingly soft fleece without harmful chemicals and pesticides. Until recently, all aspects of production- designs, cut and sew- have been done by women locally. “It’s definitely more to pay for locally-made clothing rather than mass produced, subsidized clothing, but people seem willing and even feel good about it,” Mira notes. Sweet Skins maintains a conscious business model that supports environmental sustainability and the local community. The business employs one full time and three part time females from the Eugene community and has been a strong player in community development, job creation, and economic growth.

Sweet Skins website: http://www.sweetskins.com/

Garden of Ink adds a colorful new storefront to the streets of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Like many rural businesses, it brings together multiple segments- graphic design, printing, and tattoo art- to meet the needs of local businesses. Initially located on Main Street, the business grew tremendously over the first two summers. “I was turning people away. The tattoo industry had taken a major boom and was becoming more mainstream,” says owner Shelly Davey.

When the tattoo industry took a downturn, eDev (Entrepreneurial Development Services) helped Shelly access a CapitalLink loan through Oregon Microenterprise Network. Shelly was active in business training courses, peer mentor groups, and successfully completed an IDA savings program. She continues to receive personalized assistance from eDev staff in target areas, including marketing and sales.

Shelly attributes social media as a useful tool for small business advertising. “Facebook helped me create personal relationships with people. My current clients will contact me through Facebook and make appointments.” She has also used twitter, local newspaper and radio, and promotional items to reach clients. eDev even helped Shelly create a database to track client information and consumer markets.

Shelly is the sole manager of all operations at Garden of Ink. Although she keeps a busy schedule, she enjoys the flexibility that comes with owning a business and the ability to create artwork in a business setting. She plans to grow her business through offering classes at her tattoo studio where she will work with student groups over the course of a 6 month program. “This will provide steady income during the winter which is typically the tattoo industry’s slowest time,” says Shelly.

eDev (formerly Lane Microbusiness) is a nonprofit microenterprise development organization located in Eugene, Oregon. eDev was started in 1998 as a collaborative program of Lane Community College, Saturday Market and O.U.R. Federal Credit Union. Services include training, technical assistance, and access to capital. For more information visit www.edev.org.

In 2004 Mira Fannin lined a small booth at the Eugene Farmers Market with her latest clothing creations. Her products immediately drew the attention of shoppers who loved the organic blended fibers with cuts described as ‘simple, modern, yet classically wearable.’ As Mira recalls, “there was such a demand for the classic simplicity and wearability of the designs that the obvious choice was to keep going.” Although she started with a tiny 4-foot by-4-foot space, her products quickly became popular and she expanded her booth to accommodate shoppers. Sweet Skins now operates a thriving store in Eugene, an online website, and acts as a distributor to customers worldwide.

One season Mira realized that purchasing large quantities of fiber would ultimately decrease her production costs and allow the natural fiber dyeing process to be more efficient, but she did not have the start-up capital to purchase fiber in bulk. With the help of eDev (Entrepreneurial Development Services) in Eugene, Mira applied for a $10,000 loan from the CapitalLink program of Oregon Microenterprise Network. Mira worked with Shawn Winkler Rios, Executive Director at eDev, to develop her business plan. She also took classes in accounting and worked with peer groups composed of other small business owners in Eugene. As Mira works to repay her loan, eDev provides customized support to fit her individual business needs and ensure that the microloan makes the greatest impact on the business. Mira meets regularly with eDev staff to fine-tune her entrepreneurial skills and approaches to running a small business.

Sweet Skins is a minority and female owned business located in Eugene, Oregon. Owner Mira Fannin designs all products herself, including shirts, fleece sweaters, pants, dresses, hats, and more. “I try to use all sustainable and natural fibers, mostly organic cotton and hemp,” says Mira. Her most unique creation uses a material called eco-fleece, a 100% recycled material made from recycled plastic pop bottles that produces an amazingly soft fleece without harmful chemicals and pesticides. Until recently, all aspects of production- designs, cut and sew- have been done by women locally. “It’s definitely more to pay for locally-made clothing rather than mass produced, subsidized clothing, but people seem willing and even feel good about it,” Mira notes. Sweet Skins maintains a conscious business model that supports environmental sustainability and the local community. The business employs one full time and three part time females from the Eugene community and has been a strong player in community development, job creation, and economic growth.

Sweet Skins website: http://www.sweetskins.com/

After informally apprenticing for 3 years at two local shoe repair stores, Julie Derrick decided to start her own small business.  JD’s Shoe Repair, located at the corner of North Vancouver and North Fremont in Portland, Oregon, is part of a community hub of locally owned small businesses operating out of a former gas station that includes dry cleaning services, an espresso stand and various food carts.  What was formally a vacant building that attracted crime and graffiti is now a thriving business center for small business start-ups. 

When Julie thought about starting a shoe repair business, she recognized that the industry was growing despite the economy.  More and more people are finding ways to save money, which includes repairing broken shoes versus replacing them.  However, Julie knew that she couldn’t depend solely on economic trends or a good location.  She needed additional support for her small business and sought the advice and services of MESO (MicroEnterprise Services of Oregon).  MESO has successfully supported many of the small businesses in the community business hub where JD’s Shoe Repair is located. 

For additional support, MESO referred Julie to the MarketLink program at OMEN for market research services.  The MarketLink staff worked closely with Julie to discover effective and inexpensive strategies for JD’s Shoe Repair to become part of her local community by tailoring the research to the unique needs of a local shoe repair business.  MarketLink staff worked with Julie on strategies to increase her involvement with neighborhood businesses, working with them to develop a neighborhood identity.  MarketLink staff also assisted Julie in targeting small niches, such as musicians and vintage shops, with a person-to-person, community marketing approach.  To learn more about JD’s Shoe Repair, visit her website at: http://www.jdshoerepair.com/

website: www.ziadeetta.com

Website:  www.wolfefleece.com

Arrow Brause, owner of Arrow’s Delight Chocolates, makes fair trade, organic, handcrafted chocolates created from scratch in Oakland, Oregon. Arrows first steps in building her business started with Umpqua Community Development Corporation (CDC).  Arrow first accessed Umpqua CDC’s services by attending a workshop titled “Everything You Need To Know to Start a Food Business” where she learned how to put all of the pieces together to sell her product commercially and become a member of the Umpqua Valley Farmers Market.   Arrow then received business plan writing training and gained access to an Individual Development Account to help expand her business.  Arrow regularly participates in the Think Local Umpqua initiative which allows local independent businesses to network and collaborate while promoting small business development as an economic development strategy.  As a member of the Think Local Umpqua group, Arrow developed ties with other local entrepreneurs and small business.  This summer, Arrow suffered a devastating home fire which wiped out all her chocolate business equipment.  The Think Local Umpqua group rallied around to support her and raised enough money for Arrow to repurchase all of the chocolate molds and packaging materials that were destroyed in the fire.  Through the power of Arrow’s local small business group and her own tenacity, Arrow’s business is now successfully up and running again.

Website: http://arrowsdelight.com/