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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2005)
lune 17. 2005 • jlISt OUt|23 k’uiniaviwmews t least 10 different kinds of olives. Organic Valley milk. Fresh onions, garlic and avocado. Doesn’t sound like standard con venience store fare, does it? Addison’s Market is anything hut a usual convenience store. Rather, the store’s gay owner, Gary Walton, calls it a “purveyor of semi-con- venience.” Walton’s concept is to provide a wider range of higher-quality products while still maintain ing quick in-and-out convenience for neighbor hood shoppers. He carries soy milk as well as regular, heat-and-serve polenta and Ginger Aid medicinal tea. The magazine rack displays Utne, eco-structure and Hip Mama. “In general, I think people are just surprised hy what they can find in the store. In 1,200 square feet, you can find a lot of in-hetween bak ing needs—obscure items that they don’t expect to be able to find,” says Walton. Walton has heard his store referred to as a small New Seasons or Zupan’s, but he prefers thinking of it simply as a neighhorhixxl store. “1 just put up a sign: ‘We’re like a bionic neighhorhixxl store.’ That’s kind of what 1 want it to be thought of as,” he says. While he doesn’t claim it’s an original idea, he ikx;sn’t know of anywhere else in the Port land area that has the same mix. He suspects similar shops may serve populations in larger cities, but he hasn’t traveled enough to find out for himself. When Walton originally purchased the cor ner lot on 45th Avenue and Stark Street, he intended to gut the old convenience store and revamp the building. A picture on the cash register in Addison’s shows the market’s previous incarnation: a tired- looking store with cigarette ads everywhere and bars over the windows. Walton recalls that they A T he N ew C orner S hop Addison's Market offers convenience and quality to the neighborhood by Rebecca Ragain sold mostly expired fixxi, 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor and some drug paraphernalia. But instead of repurposing the building, he found himself inspired to salvage the store. Var ious aspects of his personal background con verged to lead him to this decision. His experience working at Nature’s after col lege—though it involved little work on the store floor or with food—connected him with business role models, off whom he later bounced his ideas for the new store. Walton studied urban planning in college, focusing on urban economics, and has a strong interest in the role of neighhorhixxl businesses. “What gives people the ability to live within a neighhorhixxl and make as few trips out of it because what they need is here?” he questions. For these reasons anil others, the idea of a neighborhood store appealed to him. In Sep tember 2002, he opened Addison’s Market. “So far, so good,” he says today. “The neigh borhood’s been very kind and generous with us.” He finds that being a gay business owner has not been an issue for him. “There were only a few Yes on 36 lawn signs in the neighhorhixxl, if you know what I mean. It’s a very welcoming neighhorhixxl.” As far as open-mindedness goes, it’s a two-way street. Walton is responsive to the needs of his cus tomers, open to suggestions and will Gay-owned Addison's is the gourmet's destination on upper ing to experiment with products. Stark Street. A Picture Perfect Digital Camera Set fed ALL THIS FOR1 Canon Hrwer5hat A 510 ■ 3.2 Megapixel Digital Camera ■ 4x Optical Zoom ■ NEW Compact Body ■ Canon PowerShot A510 Digital Camera ■ Canon PIXMA ÌP6000 Photo Printer* ■ FREE Sandisk 128mb Memory Card A ddison ’ s M arket is located at 4500 S.E. Stark St. Quality Health Care For Men, Women and Children of all Ages By Appointment Bridge City Family Medical Clinic, PC 2821 ME 58th Avenue (Cross Street Sandy Boulevard) Portland. Oregon 97213 Sexually Transmitted Infections Physicals • Pap Smears • Birth Control Diabetes • High Blood Pressure • Asthma Minor Injuries • Colds • Flu • Ear Infections Rashes • Immunizations • Stomach Problems Sports Physicals • Bladder Infections •$309 ” $379’8-$70“’ PICTURE PERFECT DIGITAL PACKAGE “It’s sort of this demiKratic prixiess in terms of what’s on the shelf,” he says. Surprisingly, Walton is not much of a foodie himself. He’s more of a Ritz Crackers kind of guy. So, in addition to input from his customers, he gives his three employees a large chunk of the responsibility, especially store manager Kelly Young, whom he calls “the brains of the opera tion.” He also consults-with an independent contractor about prixluct selection. “I would have picked the absolute wrong prixlucts to put on the shelf. Because what do I know?” says Walton. “So the logical thing is to get the best people you can to do the things that you don’t do well.” Even though he’s comfortable turning over the reins, he still enjoys working in the store. He posts ever-changing signs around the shop with pithy comments like “Superhero-like clerks” and a Full Sail poster that reads, “Ahoy maties.” His time behind the counter also enables him to build relationships with his neighbors. They come in and chat about who’s doing what, who has rooms for rent and even who’s available. “I want to do a ‘singles shop’ night.... You know, bump into somehxly over Annie’s Mac Cheese,” he says, only partially in jest. Addison’s already hosts one successful sixzial event: a wine tasting the second Friday of every month, featuring sixlu for kids and sometimes pasta samples. Occasionally other neighhorhixxl businesspeople make guest appearances, giving chair massages or selling hand-crafted hats, for example. After nearly three years in business, Walton sees his store as “an interesting microcosm.” “It just creates more of a tight-knit commu nity,” he says. |M Canon PIXMA ¡P6000D Photo Printer j Teri Bunker FNP Monday - Friday 5O3.46O.O4O5 8:30 - 5:00pm fax: 503-460-0434 www.bridgecitymedical.com t ebate on 1P6OOOD printer you purchase qualifying PowerShot Camera. What is she thinking? ■ 8.0 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera with Superb Picture Quality. ■ Lightweight & Compact - the smallest camera body in its class. 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