Smoke Signals
October 1992
Page 6
Owning Restaurant is
Worthwhile Commitment to
Eyvette and Loran Davidson
Eyvette and Loran Davidson, owners of Eyvette 's Brookside
Cafe, are October's Entrepreneurs of the Month. Here they
share some of their business ideals that have made their
restaurant successful and famous.
By Tracy Olson
There aren't many people living in the Grand
Ronde area who haven't had the pleasure of dining at
Eyvette's Brookside Cafe. Located seven miles west of
Grand Ronde, this quaint little restaurant produces some
of the best food for miles. It is owned by tribal member
Loran Davidson, and his wife, Eyvette, and was established
in 1986. The couple make running a restaurant look easy.
Eyvette, who has been in the business for over twenty years
says, "I was fortunate I turned my hobby of cooking into a
career. Businesses fail so often because the people who
own them don't know about their product, or they aren't
interested."
They both say the biggest challenge in the food
industry is keeping up with the latest food trends and
diversifying the menu. Those who have eaten at Eyvette's
Brookside Cafe will agree, they have a huge selection of
sandwiches, burgers, salads, and over sixty omelettes. All
the sandwiches and burgers are unique. They range from
vegetarian varieties to Tex-Mex. They also have a bakery
that features homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, and sticky
buns. They are famous for their red potatoes and beanless
chili. One other thing they are known for is their giant
portions. It takes a mighty big appetite to clear a plate.
"Order a sandwich on our homemade breadit'll
be huge!" said Loran.
Eyvette's sister, Sharene Justen, makes the fruit
spread used in the restaurant, and sells it there as well. Also
a main attraction, people come from miles around to select
jars of the 110 varieties to take home. Fruit spreads can be
purchased individually, or by the case.
The Davidsons just refinanced their loan from the
Bureau of Indian Affairs, and say that they are just now
getting to a point where they can relax a little and enjoy their
success. They have had three small children born fairly
close together, and still find time to maintain their business.
Their home is located behind the restaurant, and Eyvette
built and addition to the restaurant as the kid's playroom.
"We really want to enjoy our family, and not make
work our whole life," said Eyvette.
I asked them to give some advice to tribal members
interested in starting a business. Loran said, "You have to
be willing to go in with both feet. You have to make a
commitment."
It's obvious the Davidsons take their commitment
seriously, and can attribute much of their success to great
food and a friendly atmosphere.
ONABEN Program Helps
Tribal Members
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Eyvette and Loran Davidson: Owners of
Eyvette's Brookside Cafe
Members of ONABEN display a $150,000 grant
awarded by the Small Business Administration
If you are a tribal member interested in starting
your own business, some assistance may be in store for you.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is part of a
business organization known as ONABEN (Oregon Native
American Business Entrepreneurial Network) which
provides assistance to tribal members throughout Oregon.
ONABEN has received a grant from the Small Business
Administration (SBA) to help cover costs of business
classes and training for members of different Oregon
Tribes.
Grand Ronde, Warm Springs, Klamath, and Siletz
are the four main benefactors of this grant, which totals
$150,000 to be distributed over the next year and a half.
Mitch Conley, Chair of ONABEN, and Wes
Patterson, President, have spent the past year organizing
ONABEN, and working with tribal members. Many tribal
members have participated in Greenhouse classes, designed
to educate people on running a small business. Part of the
Greenhouse Program is one- to- one counseling. Patterson
has traveled over 1200 miles per week in order to keep all
of his counseling appointments around Oregon.
Legal work for ONABEN was done pro bono by
attorney David Clark of Perkins Coie in Portland. He said,
"Practicing law isn't always exciting, but working with
ONABEN is."
Perhaps ONABEN's biggest advocate is Pete
Homer, Director of Native American Affairs with the SBA
office in Washington D.C. He originally met with members
of the Oregon tribes in Seattle, and strongly encouraged
the SBA to help fund ONABEN.
"If this program works in Oregon, I would like to
expand it to include tribes in other states," he said. "It's very
exciting."
Economic Development News
VIDEOS AVAILABLE
Videos are now available for viewing in the
Economic Development Offices:
Creating a Winner: The Real Secrets of Successful
Marketing
How To Really Start Your Own Business
Raising Capital: How to Finance Your Business
How to Succeed in Home Business
All of the above videaos are produced by INC MAGAZINE
and offer information about starting and operating a
business. Each video not only covers the basic topic of
information, but also includes entreprenurs telling about
their experiences with the topic Videos can be viewed in
the Economic Development Offices by scheduling an
appointment with Debby at 879-5211.
GREENHOUSE CLASSES TO BEGIN
ONABEN's ten-week Business Development
Greenhouse program will hold its first session on
Wednesday, September 30. Those who miss the first
session may join the classess during the second session, if
there is room available. Classes will be held from 6:30 to
9:30 p.m. at the U.S. Bank, Ladd & Bush branch in Salem,
Oregon. Cost is $100, and the tribal van will be transporting
participants from Grand Ronde to Salem for each class
session. Any tribal members or enrolled Indians should
contact Debby in order to register.
FINANCE TRAINING CLASSES
The Economic Development Department will be
hosting monthly small businesspersonal finance training
classes beginning in October. The first class is "Small
Business Financing" and will be offered from 7:00 to 9:00
at the Community Center. Representatives from SBA,
several banks, the BIA, and other financing sourses will be
there to talk about their programs and answer questions.
The first class will be on October 20.
111792: Small Business Accounting and Recordkeeping
121592: Small Business Tax
011993: Personal Income Tax
If anyone has other areas of interest, please contact
Economic Development and we will see to incorporating
them into the monthly training schedule.
ARTS AND CRAFTS BUSINESS MEETING HELD
Tuesday, September 15, the Economic
Development Department hosted an Arts and Crafts and
Homebased Business Meeting. Mitch Conley, Division
Manager, gave participants news of current and future
happening within the department: ONABEN's ten-week
business development class beginning Sept. 30, the
departments request for $150,000 from Tribal Council to
establish a business loan program beginning in 1983, and
presented the outcome of the July 25th brainstorming
session.
Shelley Hanson then presented information on
forming and utilizing an arts and crafts cooperative. It is
our goal to develop a dynamic cooperative which allows
members the opportunity to produce and market high
quality arts and crafts, providing them with a tangible
source of income. Participants identified the following
goals for an arts and crafts cooperative:
An advertising program
A support group (to brainstorm ideas, etc.)
A retail outlet and source of wholesale supplies
Homebased business, which may include arts and
crafts, word processing, child care, and others is a viable
source of business for many individuals. Start-up costs for
many homebased businesses are generally lower than for
other businesses because you are utilizing resources you
already use and pay for-your home, utilities, etc. It is
important that homebased businesses be professional, use
appropriate technology for the industry, and price their
productsservices competitively. Homebased business is
an excellent opportunity for those of you looking into
business opportunities. Contact Shelley Hanson for more
information.
October 13 is the next homebased business and
arts and crafts meeting. It will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 at
the Community Center. Please brings samples of products
and crafts to the meeting.