Page B4
_____________________
Minority & Small Business Week___________
September 28. 2005
Mississippi Neighborhood Attracts Proprietors
Equinox offers a
‘celestial' experience
by
E rika -L eigh G oodwin
T h e P or i land O bserver
With the recent flurry of busi
nesses opening on and around
North Mississippi Avenue one
can overlook the differences be
tween this place and that; but
the proprietors of Equinox have
ensured their restaurant stands
out.
Equinox is located at 830 N.
Shaver St., about three doors
east of Mississippi.
A crew made up of its two
original owners and friends,
M ichele Stulz and T ara George,
put the first time business ven
ture together in 30 days.
“I live in this neighborhood
and I love this neighborhood and
when Tara and I were looking
for a location for the restaurant
we wanted to be in north or
northeast Portland,” Stulz said.
“We built everything our
selves, we hired a plumber and
an electrician, that’s it,” she said
Stulz. “From the walls to the
tables to the bar with a lot of
recycled and green materials;
we had a lot of work parties
with friends.”
Though it has only been open
for two years the fledgling ven
ture has received rave revues
for its celestial take on cuisine
and its cozy setting.
A former Spanish teacher,
Stulz was introduced to George
through a mutual friend who
appreciated the pair’s common
vision.
George had originally devel
oped a business plan for a res-
Part o f our mission is not just
business, but to be a place where
our staff feels at home, feels
invested and a sense of
ownership-sweat equity.
— Equinox co-owner Michele Stulz
photo by E rika -L eigh G oodwin /T he P ortland O bserver
Well-treated employees like Jon Swearingen and high quality food are the signature for Equinox in the Mississippi neighborhood.
taurant and club and was look
ing for a business partner at the
time.
“After several discussions we
realized that it'd be a good idea
to go forward as business part
ners and develop Equinox res
taurant and bar, but we dropped
the club aspect,” Stulz said.
“W e’re both in our 30s and
realized if we did the whole club planetary alignment and geog
scenario then we’d be up until 4 raphy is the inspiration for the
or 5 every night and we did not Equinox them e. Just as the
want to do that,” she laughed.
continued
on page B7
G eorge’s fascination with
State Opens Advocacy Office for Minority and Women in Business
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski
signed legislation this month to
create the Oregon Advocacy
Commissions Office and expand
state contracting opportunities
for minority businesses.
Senate bills 359,316and 173
enhance the link between the
needs to do a better job at
reaching out to minority and
small businesses so they have
equal bidding opportunities for
public contracts - and the bills
I signed today will help us move
forward in expanding access
and opening more doors for
state and small business-own
ers.
“Small businesses are the
backbone of Oregon - they
inspire innovation and create
economic opportunities for our
citizens and our communities,”
Kulongoski said. “The state
Can a global corporation make a
différence in our community?
such opportunities.”
Senate Bill 359 creates the
O regon Advocacy C om m is
sions Office to provide adminis
trative support to the Commis
sion on Hispanic Affairs, Com
mission on Black Affairs, Com
mission for Women and Com
mission on Asian Affairs.
The funding for all of the
state advocacy com m issions
was eliminated during the 2001 -
03 legislative session. Estab
lishing this new office will help
continued
on page B7
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