jii M
Jan u ary IS, 20 0 1
a r t in
L uth k k
K in o
.J r .
Es 2 0 0 3 s p e c i a l e d i t i o n .
Page BS
Success on
the Boulevard
Naming Martin Luther King Jr.
Blvd. after the civil rights leader
started economic renaissance
by
J aymee R. Cm i
T he P ortland O bserver
Business has been “beautiful” for Paul and Geneva Knauls since they opened
Geneva’s Shear Perfection Barber-Beauty Salon on Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard, 12 years ago.
During that time, more than 100 new businesses have sprouted up along what
was once a seedy strip with little foot traffic.
The decision to rename the northeast Portland street after the slain civil rights
leader was the deal-making factor for the shop’s location. To the Knauls, the
name change meant a renaissance and an asset to their business.
While Geneva s specializes in hair—all hair— Knauls says people know
they have found an ethnic barbershop
when they look in the phone book and
7T
?
~ ~
find the salon on Martin Luther King
j '. B ode™ ,.
A woman called, asking if we did
ethnic hair. I said we did, and asked if
she wanted to talk to a stylist,” Knauls
said. “I called out, ‘Carmesha!’ Now
she found a stylist named Carmesha on
Martin Luther King Boulevard. She knew
photos by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Portland Police Lt. Derrick Foxworth gets a haircut from Paul Knauls Jr. of Geneva s Shear Perfection Barber-Beauty
Salon on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
The Portland Police Bureau
supports the legacy of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
City of Portland Police Bureau
till S W. 2nd. Portland OR 97204
Honoring
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“ JUSt Sf)CirkCCl
joy and * pride in the
J '
community.
_ busincss owner Paul Knau|s o„ |hc
positive change since Union Avenue was
chanS«t to Martin Luther King Jr. Bou-
^vard.
she had called the right place."
From the vivid decor, family atmosphere and publicity photos of greats Cab
Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr. and Ray Lampkin from the Knauls’ past lives as
nightclub owners, the Knauls family knows what it means to cut hair on MLK.
Next to the church, the barber shop is a place where people meet and greet
and talk to their barber about their situation. The barber becomes a psychologist,”
Knauls said.
And while Geneva s is committed to making its clients look good— Geneva
herself recently retired after a 40-year long career as a beautician— the stylists
also care about how their clients feel.
Paul Knauls Jr. is one of only five stylists participating in a pilot program, the
only one in the country, designed to eliminate some of the health disparities
affecting the African American community. After six weeks of training through
continued
on page H7
We must
accept finite
n I
iim r a itii
but we must
never lose infinite
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
“Everybody can be great... because anybody can
serve. You don'f have to have a college degree to
Though he suffered through disappointments, Dr. M artin Luther King
serve. You don't have to make your subject and
verb agree to serve. You only need a heart fu ll o f
legacy to us all is the invaluable gift o f hope. N W Natural proudly stands wii
our African American com m unity in celebrating Black History Monti
grace, a soul generated by love. ”
—M artin Luther King, Jr.
Neil Kelly Remodeling
503288-7461
www.neilkelly.com
NW N a t u r a r