J u l i L
WWW JUSTOUT COM
AUGUST 21 2009
FI NE
a K r
B R I A N
Vi A R K I
FRA V \IN G
Claret
I et’s hear it for the heroes of the 21st century GLBT
I community—the small business owners.
1 While we are quick to acknowledge, salute and
I h h hold up as leaders our political and arts activists,
often lost in the story are those very folks who are the
foundation of our community—the small business owners.
Not celebrated enough are the individuals who provide
local jobs and pay city, county and state taxes. Not hon
ored enough are the local citizens whose profits, albeit
often meager, stay in our communities. Not championed
enough are the same ones who struggle to provide health
care for their employees while having to compete with the
pricing and services of larger corporate competitors. Yes,
let’s hear it for the small business owner.
Small businesses, especially gay-owned and gay-friend
ly, are the ones most often asked to contribute financially
to the political and cultural and social aspects of our
community. Time and time again the phone will ring
with requests for donations and dollars for auctions and
fundraising events; time and time again the small business
owner digs deep and contributes to ensure the ongoing
cohesiveness of our community. Again, let’s hear it for the
small business owner.
Following are profiles of a sampling of entrepreneurs in
our community. There are many others just like them, pro
viding the services and products needed to make our lives
the way we all want them to be. As a consumer in a down
economy, your spending dollar is powerful. Individually,
you can impact the success of a local business; collectively,
you can sustain it. On behalf of the gay business owners
featured here, we respectfully ask you to shop local, shop
gay and shop often.
- M arty D avis
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Area GLBT Boutiques.
Eateries ond Services
W eather the Financial
Climate - and Connect
with Consumers
HEALTHY PETS NORTHWEST
Owners: Julie Cantonwine. Barb
Cantonwine. Laura Amiton.
Michael Carroll
Years in Business: 9 years at
Hawthorne location. 5 years at
Alberta. 3 years on SW Capitol
Highway
Addresses: 1402-A SE 39th Ave..
2224 NE Alberta St.. 7642 SW
Capitol Hwy.
Web: www.healthypetsnw.com
About 10 years ago, Julie Cantonwine was
on the prowl for a natural ear mite medication
for her cat— something that didn’t contain
pesticides or other nasty chemicals. But when
she came across a Portland independent pet
supply store and found only products that
contained warnings of what to do should the
substance land on her skin, she was under
standably careful not to apply it to her cat.
“I was walking with a friend of mine and
said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have a store like
W hole Foods for pet stuff where you didn’t
have to look at the label?’W here it was just a
natural pet food store so you could make sure
that you were feeding them foods that didn’t
H ealthy Pets Northwest s Julie
C antonw ine h ad a W hole Foods for
pets" in m ind
have by-products, you were buying products
that didn’t have pesticides, that kind o f stuff,”
says Cantonwine.
Cantonwine began assembling those
thoughts for the business plan that would
eventually become Healthy Pets Northwest,
a store now boasting three locations and
focusing on natural alternatives to pet food
supplies.
The market for alternative and natural pet
food and supplies has seen an explosion in
popularity over the last nine years, explains
Cantonwine, who adds that when the pet
food recall came down a couple o f years ago,
owners began paying close attention to what
they were feeding their animals. The pet
health trend seems to have since echoed the
human health trend.
“We have all these people practicing natu
ral medicine in this town and eating organic
food for themselves, but they’re going to the
grocery store and buying a bag o f Purina or
Beneful,” says Cantonwine. “So just getting
the word out there' and getting the education
pieces in place has been important.”
Equally important is Healthy Pets
Northwest’s connection and visibility within
Pordand’s gay, lesbian, bi and trans com
munity. The business was a major sponsor
during this year’s Pride festival, among other
sponsorships.
“W e’re not Petco,” states Cantonwine.
“But people keep coming back because they
know that the final sell isn’t our whole goal;
our goal is to be part o f the community, to
give back, to give information and tools you
need to raise your animals in a chemical-free
environment.”
- R yan J. P rado
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