January 5 . 2001 * J u t aaaftj j j
flfíE T T T F T n S T In e w s
S aucy S ynergy
V r e together 24/7, and we
love it.”
Some people strive to
keep their professional life
separate from their person
al life. But for Carl Smith and Telesforo Archule
ta, owners of Starky’s restaurant and bar in South
east Portland, that dividing line is gray at best.
Smith, 53, and Archuleta, 51, will he life
partners for 29 years in March. For the past 16
years, they also have been business partners.
The two are together constantly, either at
home in Alameda or at work in Starky’s. And
they would have it no other way.
How do they do it?
“Diligence, hard work and— ” Sm ith begins.
“And love,” Archuleta adds, punctuating
the thought by leaning over tQ give Sm ith a
quick kiss.
The couple met in 1972 while working at a
hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. W ithin a year,
they had settled into their first and only rela
tionship, sharing their lives and mutual interest
in hotel/restaurant management.
Since then, Archuleta and Sm ith have
gained significant experience managing restau
rants and taverns in Portland. Yet one of their
goals always had been to find a space of their
own, one that was a size they could afford to
operate with only minimal staff.
After scouting locations throughout Port
land, Sm ith and Archuleta decided to acquire
an existing establishment. They bought Starky’s
with a third partner in 1984 and became the
sole owners a few years later.
Ironically, they didn’t even intend to make
the place a “gay bar.”
But as Starky’s was opening, the nearby gay
establishment JR ’s was in the process of closing,
Restaurant owners dish about being partners—
at work and at home by T im o th y K rau se
and its clientele wanted a new home. “All of a
sudden, we were known as a gay restaurant,”
Smith says.
The Starky’s location at the comer of 29th
Avenue and Stark Street works to its advantage.
The friendly and comfortable environs that
attracted jR ’s customers continue to draw a
healthy mix of clientele from both the sur
rounding neighborhood and the city at large—
straight as well as gay.
At first, the three original partners and one
bartender ran the business. Now, the Starky’s
staff numbers 12, in addition to Archuleta and
Smith. Three years ago, the two men also
bought the land and the building— a major
advantage for them as business owners.
“We were able to make improvements that a
landlord wouldn’t let us make,” Smith explains.
“We made the patio permanent, and we tore up
the asphalt in front to put in landscaping.”
Other changes not so apparent to patrons
include new air conditioning, kitchen floor and
roof. The only significant physical drawback to
the facility, they say, is the lack of space that can
be closed off for private parties, which are limit
ed to the summer patio.
“We don’t really change, we evolve,” Smith
remarks. “Things are always in a state of transi
tion. Things change, colors change, but I don’t
think we change the overall tenor of the place.”
Beyond the typical ups and downs of running
any business, one
of the greatest
challenges
for
Smith and Ar
chuleta has been
to maintain an
inclusive atmos
phere while po
litely discourag
ing the stereo Telesforo Archuleta (left) and
types associated
with a queer bar. (Customers looking for a dark
comer in which to make out would do better to
head to the clubs downtown.)
“The customer isn’t always right; the cus
tomer just may not be in the right place. Peo
ple come here to sit down, chat and have a
pleasant evening. We don’t even have poker,
and we’re still in business. Can you believe it?”
Smith says, laughing. “No pool tables, no pin
ball, no poker.”
But Starky’s endures in good health, as does
the bond between its two amiable owners. The
couple say they do try to draw that line between
their professional and personal lives and admit it
doesn’t always work. But being together all of
the time is just how this pair like it, and the key
to their success is rooted in this synergy.
For instance, the two opened a second
restaurant on the west side six years ago. The
arrangement didn’t last long, though, because
Carl Smith
they found they were spending more time talk
ing on the phone than face to face. “Business
was fine, but Carl and I didn’t want to be sepa
rated like that,” Archuleta notes.
Smith adds: “I don’t know what the magic
solutions or formulas are, and I don’t think they
probably exist. I have a feeling that for any other
two people it would be a different thing that
works for them than what works for us.”
W hat apparently does work for this commit
ted twosome, however, is their singular sense of
partnership. j n
located at 2913 S .E . Stark S t . , can
be reached at 503'230'7980 or on the Internet at
ivuw .starkys.com .
S t a r k y ’ s ,
T IMOTHY KRAUSE lives in Portland and is
managing editor o f a national trade journal fo r the
recycling industry.
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