Pase4
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Minority & Small Business Week________________ October2.2013
Fashion Boutique
a Go-to Shop
for Women
Portland native
opens business
K ayla T atum
Portland’s first exclusive shoe
boutique “Thirty27” celebrated
its grand opening this August.
“On the day of my opening I
felt a deep feeling of happiness,”
says Christina White, the Port
land native and owner of the
shop located at 3519 N. W. M ar
tin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
White said she was motivated
to open a boutique that carried
shoes, dresses, and accessories
that women had great difficulty
finding in Portland.
Many would describe her as a
“fashionista,” but growing up she
described herself as a “tomboy”
involved in a variety of sports.
“The only girly thing that I
actually did as a child was ice
skate. I ice skated for about 7 or
by
Christina White
health, but felt the need to go a
different route.
“In my free time I was always
very creative. In college, I made
my own clothes by hand and
wore them. But I didn’t know
what I know about fashion now,”
Saluting Minority Business Week
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photo by D onovan M. S mith /T he P ortland O bserver
Thirty27 boutique owner Christina White gets helps from her
sister Theresa White (pictured), who manages the exclusive shop
for shoes, dresses and other fashion accessories at 3519 N.E.
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
8 years,” she said.
For her first year of college,
White attended Portland State
University. She later transferred
to Hampton University, a pri
vate historically black institution
in Virginia, and graduated with a
degree in psychology. But upon
moving back to Portland, she
struggled to find a job in her field.
Eventually she graduated with
a m aster’s degree in public
White said.
Over the course of approxi
mately two years, White had
been planning to start a business
but procrastinated about the idea,
“I just dragged my feet about it.
I kept telling m yself ‘I’ll get to
it.’ I just didn’t know where to
start.”
White admits that initially she
continued
on page 11