www.portlandobserver.com
September 2 3.200 9
Page AS
The Cotton Club
Returns, Sort of
Making it in a
Man’s World
Minority
Contractors
Get an Edge
A slice o f old
north Portland
in east county
Trades group
helps women into
good paying jobs
Green Line small
business boost
See story, page A6
See story, page A7
See story, page A9
Small Business Owner Fills a Niche
Creates
fabulous
fashions for
real women
by A manda G rear
T he P ortland O bserver
ou m ight be sur
prised to know that
our community has
a fashion design business that
caters to the full figured and
fabulous women of Portland.
O p eratin g since 2003,
Betty Jean Couture is a high
fashion clothing boutique that
specializes in plus size fash­
ions 12-3x.
“At Betty Jean Couture,
skinny does not equal beauty.
It’s about wearing fashion
that flatters your form - fash­
ion that fits your shape, what­
ever that shape may be,”
said ow ner, K enneth
Doswell.
Doswell admits that de­
signing and manufacturing
A Betty Jean Couture suit combines classic style
clothing for plus-size women
and current elegance.
is a challenge, as women
carry their weight in differ­ are still lots of bias and ste­ Wear, Couture, and Urban
ent areas, but he is commit­ reotypes of what fashion apparel, and will soon begin
should look like. I believe the expanding their line to include
ted to this niche market.
custom wedding gowns. The
“No one is addressing their consumer should decide.”
The Betty Jean Couture fashion house has some of
need for high fashion cloth­
ing,” said Doswell. “There line consists of Ready to the best seamstresses in the
Y
Betty Jean Couture owner Kenneth Doswell oversees the production o f
superior quality fashions at his business located at 3537 N. Williams Ave.
northwest, and will custom­
ize any of their designs to fit
you perfectly.
“We’re going to build the
fashion industry here in Port­
land,” said Doswell.
And they are doing so in
strides.
BJC just wrapped up their
2009 fall fashion show, and
their evening wear pieces will
be featured in FUSE, an up­
coming fashion show and
fundraiser hosted by Port­
land Fashion Synergy, of
which Doswell sits on the
c o n t i n u e d o n page A18
Doubling Down
on Past Success
cess of his Ethiopian restau­
rant Queen of Sheba, he has
used that investment, and a
lot of hard work, to open
Afrique Bistro two blocks
away.
How does he manage two
by L ee P erlman
such enterprises at once? By
T he P ortland O bserver
R e stau ra te u r
Alem investing in his own family.
“I don’t really have much
Gebrehiwot is realizing the
American dream. Having in­
continued
on page A
vested in and made a suc­
Afrique Bistro
opens on
Russell Street
Gary and Amy Xie are the owners o f Gary's Bakery tucked inside a cluster o f Asian-oriented business at South­
east 86th Avenue and Division.
Melding Western and Eastern Tastes
Bakery serves
the familiar and
the exotic
J ake T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
by
Whenever school is in Gary's Bak
ery, in southeast Portland, is flooded
in the morning with students from
the nearby junior high school look­
ing to cram their faces with fresh
maple bars and cream cheese pock­
ets before starting their day. In the
afternoon they're back sipping on
bubble tea and smoothies.
But this isn’t like other outlets for
adolescents to get their sugar fixes.
Gary’s Bakery was founded by Gary
Xie, a Chinese immigrant who seeks
to meld western and eastern tastes.
“We use less sugar, less oil. It’s
healthy," said Xie, who explains that
Chinese palates aren’t accustomed
continued
on page A
Alem Gebrehiwot welcomes customers to his new
Afrique Bistro at 102 N.E. Russell St.
I