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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2009)
WWW JUSTOUT COM AUGUST 21 2009 MEADOWS GROUP. INC. REALTORS Owner: Celia Lyon. Principal Broker Years in Business: 18 Address: 1902 SE Morrison St. Web. www.Gelialyon.com “Buying a home is a pretty intimate experience,” accord ing to Celia Lyon, Principle Broker with Meadows Group, Inc. Realtors. After nearly twenty years in Portland’s real estate business, she understands just how important— and sometimes frightening—buying or selling a home can be. • Her presence is long felt in the gay community, she says, adding, “I’ve been advertising in Just Out since the beginning o f time.” She es timates that 80 percent o f her clients are gay. For Lyon, as a gay woman, she can relate to her clients’ experiences and what they might need or want in a home. “I have an understanding o f their life, they have an under standing o f my life,” she notes. In the process o f purchasing a home, clients must be able to talk honestly about their lives, Lyon says, and to feel they can trust the person with whom they are working. Drawing on her background as an educator, she focuses on listening, paying attention and giving support. It’s an emotional experi ence, Lyon says, and her clients appreciate her accessibility. “They can always reach me,” she adds, “and they can, literally. I answer my phone.” Lyon works with buyers and sellers equally. She feels working with both groups affords her a better grasp o f the marketplace, and o f what all clients are looking for. “I f you only work with one side, you do not really understand the other,” she says. As for the housing market crisis, Lyon believes it has been blown out o f proportion. For Portlanders, “whatever crisis there was hit us last and is leaving [us] first,” she states. “It’s actually a really smart time to be buying property,” continues Lyon. The first-time home buyer tax credit is available until December 1, and according to Lyon, the market is not unhealthy. She warns against exploiting the economic downturn and taking advantage o f “the other side.” However, she says, “you can get a good deal.” To help potential buyers navigate the sometimes confus ing process, Lyon and her partner, a mortgage broker, and a financial adviser friend host classes for individuals to discuss the industry, tax credits and how to get a loan. “To me it’s not just a job, it’s my life,” she says. “I enjoy helping people.” - K ir a L e s l e y z - j THE FUNNY BONE DAVIS J t J i Owner: Gory Hopping Years in Business: 18 Address: 617 SW Washington St. ' Web: www.funnybon 0 stor 0 .com Though recently having received much regional and local attention for the plight o f missing Veronica— the Yorkshire Terrier belonging to owner Gary Hopping—The Funny Bone has, in fact, been garnering attention in its downtown locale for almost two decades. Hopping’s business shifted gears over the last couple of years, morphing from simply Balloons on Broadway to re naming the retail side o f the business The Funny Bone. The move allowed each side to have its own identity. “We were just trying to make sure people are aware of what we do, both sides o f the business,” says Hopping. “Just to be able to market ourselves into different groups o f people, different marketing strategies. What works for the store doesn’t always work for the balloon side o f it.” Balloons on Broadway specializes in balloon delivery, décor and events, while The Funny Bone store is buried in a gag-trinket avalanche, with novelty toys, magic sets, and silly cards dotting the aisles like pines on a toboggan run. It’s the kind o f place where children and adults alike can spend hours browsing or buying, thinking they’ve been do ing so for only a minute. Despite the built-in hypnosis, Hopping admits that changes in downtown Portland— construction, economy, eta— have contributed to some serious years for The Funny Bone. Still, the resiliency o f the gay, lesbian, bi and trans business community has helped significantly and been a source of inspiration, even in more desperate times. “I think we’re on a plateau,” says Hopping. “Hopefully when the bus mall reopens and things get back to normal, WITHAM 8 DICKEY Owners: Bill Dickey 8 Matthew Witham Years in Business: 5 in current location Address: 4824 NE 42nd Ave. Web: www.withamanddickey.com In a time when amenities like printing seem to be bear ing the brunt o f the economic tsunami, Portland-based, half-gay owned print services company Witham 8c Dickey is weathering the storm. Witham 8c Dickey have been in business longer than their residency at their current location on N E 42nd Ave., and have brokerage agreements and national accounts with Working to Protect the LGBTQ community since 1996 it’ll help. The wonderful thing about Portland is it’s got a great downtown, but it always seems to be three steps for ward, two steps back. “I think everybody really needs to support local gay business,” he says. “Instead o f buying it online, see if it’s available at a local store. Support your local business, whether it’s gay, straight, or any orientation; just support local business.” - R yan J . P r a d o printers in several different locations throughout the coun try, as well as printers that are set up to handle their work in other cities for regional services. The business boasts a digi tal department, small press department, large press depart ment and facilitates in-house mail services. The company is most notably involved in the election business, producing political campaign materials including letterhead, fundrais ing letters and business cards. For Dickey, who represents the “gay” in the “half-gay owned” title, the recession prompted some downsizing earlier this year, but ultimately revealed the importance of opportunities to flex their philanthropic muscle— a major aspect o f doing business the Witham 8c Dickey way. “The business model that I had before we merged and • TM IILLU iu sin g le so u rce j H so lu tio n s j p r i n t i n g s e r v ic e s • digital excellence • delivery included Beth Allen Law PC tel 5 0 3 . 2 8 1 . 8 6 6 6 A d o p tio n s 811 SW Naito Pkwy., Suite 420 S u rro g a c y Portland, OR 97204 D iv o rc e C u s to d y ( 503 ) 241-3103 W ills /E s ta te P la n n in g info@bethnllcnlaw.com www.bethallenlaw.com E m p lo y m e n t Winner of the Oregon Gay & Lesbian Law Association (OGALLA) Silver Jubilee Award; OGALLA Award of Merit; and the Basic Rights Oregon Superhero Award. Founding member of the BRO Legal Group; author of Same-Sex Marriage: a Conflicts of Law Analysis for Oregon; frequent local, state and national speaker on marriage equality. H . D w ayne D a v is , w w w .im p re ss-u sa .co m Broker AS YOUR AGENT I WILL'. Listen to you Communicate throughout the process Be present through closing and beyond ceil 503/319-4057 office 503/294-1101 Email hddavis@ realtytrust.com wwwTealtytrust.corrVhdwaynedavis Let's talk about your needa and create a strategy for your future. B f . a i . t y T rust > CRO CP
