march 5.2004 » j u s t o u t
Yfl Pnn
IU
DI U
by
SIAVQ A1HVW A0 O iO H d
CULTURE
▼............
Meet the brains
behind the Aalto
M ic h a e l E B a r r e t t
fatchout, Hawrhorne: Belmont is
are tables of 60-year-olds” among
quickly supplanting you as South
20- and 30-somethings. And while
east Portland’s hipster hub. Leading
many business owners “make a point
the way is Peter Bro, gay owner of
o f’ getting to know' their customers’
the Aalto Lounge, located in the heart of
names, one senses that Bro’s familiari
the district between 25th and 39th avenues.
ty with his own regulars comes natu
Together with his hi bartender/art curator
rally from the sheer joy of welcoming
Marne Lucas, Bro combines art, drink, good
guests to his house of conversation
eats and ambiance in this neighborhood
and libations.
landmark.
Bro purchased the Aalto, where he was
espite Bro’s claim that the people
already on staff as a bartender, last September.
are what make the Aalto a special
His day job as a developer in the eastside
place, he deserves credit for creat
industrial district “proved to he a hard animal
ing the comfort zone that he has. The
to control” financially, and it was his need for
nruxxJ is warm and mellow, yet
capital to buy drywall that landed him the job
groovy, thanks to lighting that casts
at his favorite local bar.
everyone present in sepia tone.
When he discovered the owner was look
The buzz of talk and laughter steadi
ing to sell, Bro feared the worst: A new owner
ly increases with the hour hand,
would change not only the character of the
though the music is always soft enough
bar hut the staff, too. Armed with a soft heart,
that it won’t disrupt your chat (but
a level head and a touch of entrepreneurial
loud enough to hear if you want to lis
Marne Lucas and Peter Bro create “every person’s environment” night after night in the heart of the
spirit, Bro bought the bar with the help of a
ten to it). Add a nice Kittle of wine, a
Belmont district
silent partner.
cold beer or one of the Aalto’s simple
cocktails and you’re set for the evening.
The 34-year-old sees the Aaltos role in
Belmont as a “comfortable meeting place
There’s a Kmus, though!
mate viewing space” than a traditional gallery'.
Pander the Younger did indeed tackle this
that can accommodate a lot of different
When Bro Knight the Aalto, he inherited
Her goal is to expose “local talent" to a clien
medium with taste and ingenuity.
groups— an ‘every person’s environment.’ ”
Marne Lucas, the lounge’s art curator and
tele that enjoys a “mix of art, shopping and
For Bro, Lucas is clearly a gem. As one of
He describes the atmosphere as “Euro-style”
twice-weekly bartender. (A u'ell-known local
drinking." If steady sales are any indication, it’s the “hot” women who work alongside the
and insists its feel is more a reflection of the
erotic photographer, Lucas also goes by the
fair to say Lucas has developed a recipe for suc “gay boys” Bro employs, her enthusiasm,
people who work and play there than a
pseudonym Gina Velour, her stage name in an
cess, hut the charm and character that her
acumen and striking beauty complement the
result of conscious ambiance tinkering: “I
shows add to the Aalto cannot he understated.
Aalto’s other fine features. And he is gen
art film called The Operation.)
uinely, yet humbly, excited about the role he
bought this bar, 1 didn’t create it, hut I
Lucas’ knack for marketing and publicity,
understand the meaning and
plays in her success as a curator: “For some
coupled with a discerning eye
n January the Aalto featured velvet paint
ings (remember those things from the 70s?)
conviviality...it represents.”
one like Marne, this is an excellent outlet
for unique and provocative
for her to flex her artistic muscle in the art
by Arnold Pander, son of renowned lcxral
work, enables her to Kxik
A “spillover effect” is com
painter Henk Pander (whose gargantuan
community in a way she wouldn’t otherwise
shows two years in advance
mon among the commercial
hough
more well-
t
be able to."
9- by 7-foot oil painting from The War Series
with quality local art—plus
establishments crammed into
known as a drinking
occupies a gcxid chunk of the west wall).
Portlanders who know Belmont probably
some from elsewhere.
the blocks surrounding the
establishment featur
A recent show, for example, Though the subject matter of Arnold’s works
already know the Aalto Lounge; those who
Aalto’s home near the comer of
ing cocktails and a good
is hardly the stuff of 70s kitsch, velvet paint
have yet to discover the city’s hippest ’hexxf
34th and Belmont. With neigh
selection of wine and beer, fell under Kith the “provoca
tive” and “from elsewhere” cat ings are velvet paintings nonetheless, which
can look forward to a warm intrcxluction
bors like Stumptown Coffee,
the Aalto’s new menu
begs the question...why?
egories, as Velour PrixJuctions
from Peter Bro. W hether kxiking for a scene,
offers patrons a variety of
Theater! Theatre! and the Blue
art or a good drink, this queer-friendly bar
presented Los Angeles photog
The “virtue of the work” is most impor
tasty appetizers, salads and
Monk, the Aalto hosts a mix
has it all. JH
tant to Lucas in her selection process, but
light fare at moderate
rapher Steve Diet Goedde’s
ture of locals, regulars and visi
she readily admits to the nepotism she
prices. Specialties range
nude portraits of The Porce
tors to the district.
employs as a curator. In this case, her con
The A alto L o u n g e , 3356 S.E. Belmont St., is
from more sophisticated
lain Tw'inz, an Oregon erotic
Bro resists any attempt to
nection to the Pander family goes back sev
open from 6p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly except Sunday.
creations like “tuna and
performance art duo. In Febru
typecast the Aalto’s crowd,
eral years: Arnold’s brother Jacob is a former
Beginning March 15, happy hour is 5 to 7 p m.
ary, Goedde and Lucas had
insisting it attracts a wide range piquillo peppers" salad to
lover of hers and worked with her on The
weekdays. Lisa Dejohn's abstract chalkboard
concurrent shows at the Erotic
comfort food like “fried
of ages and sexual orientations
Operation. Still, the quality of the art is the
paintings adorn the walls through March.
egg over easy on roast.” Be Museum in Los Angeles.
and is unpredictable from one
foremost criterion, and, although the
Lucas, 35 ("going on 18”), is
on the lookout for a lunch
night to the next. “Sometimes
thought of velvet paintings invokes a feeling
M ichael E B arrett pens the "Epieiueerean''
forthright in her assertion that
you’ll look around at 10 o’clock menu, which is in the
of
discomfort
to
many
a
contemporary
eye,
column
once a month in Just Out.
the Aalto provides a more “inti
preparatory stages.
on a Saturday night, and there
d :
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T :
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