Portland observer., September 28, 2005, Page 15, Image 15

September28.2005_____________Minority & Small Business Week_____________________ Page bs
Local Florist Grows
The Bungalow Bose'
Business stems from personal hobby
by K atherine B i . ack . more
T he P ortland O bserver
As an avid gardener with a
g re e n
th u m b ,
D e b b ie
M annings has alw ays had a
love for plants and flowers;
their soft sm ells, their vivid
c o lo rs and th eir e ffe c t on
people as a whole brings her
joy and satisfaction.
Noting a study from Rutgers
University that showed flowers
were scientifically proven to
brighten moods. Mannings de­
cided it was her turn to help lift
spirits as well. After working in
customer service and banking
jo b s th at all e v e n tu a lly
downsized, she decided to do
what she really loved and “go
for broke,” starting up her own
floral business called The Bun­
galow Rose.
M annings already had a life­
long hobby of arranging bou­
q u e ts fo r h e r fam ily and
friends, so to learn about the
aspects o f business, she dipped
her fingers into the floral in­
dustry for a year. She sought
advice from a few local small
business organizations, bring­
ing detailed plans to meetings.
For other aspiring entrepre­
neurs M annings suggested to
“ju st go out and get as much
in fo r m a tio n as you c a n .
T h ere's a lot of stuff online.
Get a m entor. W hat I did was
just follow my heart and soul.”
Initially, her house was the
hub of The Bungalow Rose.
But in August, Mannings was
able to rent a little shop she’d
had her eye on for years at
North Prescott between 78lh
and 79"' Streets, being drawn to
the building’s antique, welcom­
ing style. Luckily, the owners
were also gardeners who shared
her artistic flair and vision of
turning a historic barbershop into
a hub of bouquets and gifts.
“They were very thrilled
with the idea,” she said.
The shop’s popularity is
slowly growing via local ad­
v e rtise m e n ts and w ord o f
mouth, sending out complimen­
tary bouquets to show poten­
tial clients her beautiful work.
“You just take each day at a
time if it’s something that feels
right. Everything has come to
me by trials and tribulations or
has been handed to me, so I
know I’m on the right track,”
she said.
One thing that helped her get
on her feet, she said, was having
inspiration from herbrothers and
a close friend, Terri W ickliff -
all business owners. Although
W ickliff passed away recently,
Mannings carried on with her
encouraging messages.
“She would always say, ‘Go
fo r it! Y ou can do i t ! ’”
M annings said.
She sits well with her role in
customer service. Flowers have
a universal appeal for a variety
of life events, so it allows her to
play not just the role of a florist,
but of an understanding friend.
“This is about people and
Debbie Mannings,
owner o f The
Bungalow Rose on
7817 N. Prescott
St., opened her
neighborhood shop
in August out o f a
passion for flower
arranging.
photo by M ark
W ashington /
T he P ortland
O bserver
the things they go through -
their happy tim es, their sad
times. I want to share that
with them, be there for them,
and bring com fort and happi­
ness,” she said.
Like many new businessown-
ers, she hopes to expand The
Bungalow Rose eventually.
“ Even though I absolutely
love this place, I would love to
outgrow it,” she said. “I do
wish to stay in the area. I’ve
been here a long time and I
like the people. I really like the
neighborhood feel.”
For more inform ation or to
place an order, call 503-255-
6221.
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Finding Success in Construction
<
7 *u
Trust
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skin, locks, hinges and the way it
swings). She also makes sure they
are delivered on time and are in-
continued
on page B8
Put us to work. Call I -866-E.NTPUST (368-7878)
o f O regon, Inc.
or log onto w w w .en ergytru st.org
Energy Trust programs serve Oregon customers o f Pacific Power, Portland General Electric and NW Natural.
( I lie City o f Portland, M etro and
M ultnom ah C ounty acknowledge
and honor the financial contributions of
MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
to our state economy and wish them continued
growth and success in the years ahead.
Tracy Onchi has run her own company, T.A. Onchi LLC, for more
than seven years.
‘Door Lady’ hired for PCC expansion
Tracy Onchi literally opens the dreds of doors for other Cascade
door for thousands and thousands projects like Jackson Hall, the Pub­
o f people.
lic Services Education Building, the
“Some people call me the door Physical Education Building and
lady," she said. “T hat’s okay. I like the Technology Education Build­
to make people happy.”
ing. She is also responsible for the
Her northwest Portland door doors for Building 9 at Rock Creek
supply business, T.A. Onchi LLC, and the Technology Classroom
is the supplier of the 60 to 80 wood Building at Sylvania.
doors for the Daniel F. Moriarty
A former PCC student herself.
Arts and Humanities building on Onchi has been in the door busi­
the Cascade Campus of Portland ness for 12 years and has run her
Community College in north Port­ own company for more than seven.
land.
The Korean-born owner began in
The $7.5 million,42,200-square- the construction industry working
foot facility is schedu led for a grand for Acme Industries in southeast
opening from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Portland before heading out on her
W ednesday, Oct. 12. The two-story own.
building will house the professional
Her company designs the doors
music, multimedia, distance educa­ and ensures that the fabrication
tion and arts programs.
meets the specifications that the
Onchi has also supplied hun­ customer needs (i.e. height, width,
Enrique M. Arias, Emergencyhorse Films
Lillian Tsai, TsaiComms LLC
n e rrv of
P ortland
omet nt
T ransportation
M
etro
P t O P U P lA C fS
O f f N S P A C fS
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Multnomah County
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