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MHCC honor student opens up about his struggle to succeed
February 10, 2012
Small businesses in Gresham thrive in a troubled economy
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Image Makers Club debuts first annual fashion show
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Volume 47, Issue 16
HOOD RISING
www.Advocate-Online.net
Photos contributed by Jeff Hinds
Saints men’s basketball continues their reign over the Southern Region With five games left in the regular season, the Saints are the heavy favorites to take the Southern Region title
#5-Sophomore PG/Co-Capt.
Saints’ second highest scorer. “I developed a passion for the game at a very young age.”
by Chanel Hill The Advocate
One game at a time, unanticipated and seemingly unnoticed, the Saints men’s basketball team racked up an eight-game win streak, going nine for ten before falling to the Chemeketa Storm on the road. Following the loss, the Saints have won three of their last three games against Southern Region teams and have won 11 of their last 12 games. But beyond the wins are a group of friends,
#23-Sophomore Forward
the saints’ second leading scorer with 221 points and leads the team with 21 blocks.
Mt. Hood Community College
each of whom speaks to the extreme closeness of the team, “Everyone has everyone else’s back” said sophomore guard Cutis Papenfuss earlier in the season. The Saints, who were the only Southern Region team to be ranked in the Feb. 1 Alaska Airlines Coaches Poll, (tied for 7th place with Big Bend), currently lead the NWAACC in three-point percentage (42%) and share the lead with Tacoma in shooting with 50 percent. The team, under third-year head Coach
#22-Sophomore guard
“One of the biggest things coach has helped me with is believing in me.”
Geoff Gibor and assistant coaches Corey Nielson, Kamiron Jackson and Justin Speer, have put in the hard work and are the heavy favorite to take the Southern Region Title. All of the pieces are in place, the team is ready, the coaches are ready, combined with talent and hard-to-match team chemistry. The Saints are making a statement this season. So take a moment and pay attention, before you miss it.
#40-Sophomore power Forward
team rebound leader, 5th in nwaaccs with 176 rebounds, teams leading scorer with 226 season points.
See Bball on page 10
#1-Sophomore PG/Co-Capt.
Team assist leader, 4th in nwaaccs with 99 assists, team leader for steals posting 38 this season.
Gresham, Oregon
2 opinion
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February 10, 2012
Editorial
Student money goes towards the co-curricular budget for campus activities
With finance council meetings running this term to decide upon the 2012-13 budget, not to mention a sum of over $1,000,000 on the line, students should keep their eyes peeled these next couple weeks as the co-curricular groups and athletic department attempt to juggle with the heap of money. Why should you care? You should care because $757,000 of that pool of money is directly taken from student fee revenue, meaning taken from your hard earned money. To be exact, the total amount of student fee revenue used is $757,190, in addition to $228,483, which is carry over from the remnants of last year’s budget. As such, when you are attending MHCC, you’re essentially paying for all events run by the Student Activities Board, as well as costs associated to the MHCC athletic teams. But the main reason students should be watching closely is because the finance council itself is made up of roughly 12 students themselves, taken from various co-curricular campus groups, such as ASG, KMHD, Forensics, etc, and from the athletic department, including members of the track and field team, softball, etc. The purpose of these finance councils is to establish how much goes to which groups, which all depends on how much is requested by each sub-group within co-curricular and the athletic department and how
much funds are available. Thus far, the athletic programs have requested a total of $540,505, which is an increase of over $100,000 from last year’s $430,800, which can be attributed to new hires within the department, and various other small changes. Co-curricular programs requested $477,277, an increase of about $10,000 from last year’s $463,180. Both programs have been meeting on a weekly basis to discuss how to distribute the over $1,000,000. After the finance council votes to pass the budget, it goes onto the student forum, which year after year has seen very few students participate. With $1,000,000 on the line, and the vast majority of it being taken pretty much straight from student pockets, it is a bit shocking that there is a lack of interest from students to be aware of where this sum of money goes, especially when they have some control over where it might go, if not to simply voice where they think it should go. Students that should be paying attention even more so than others are those that are actually a part of these various programs. Whether you’re on the softball team or forensics or any other group affiliated with the co-curricular or athletic department, in these next couple weeks, fund cutting may happen without your knowledge, which means you might be forced to do less of the things you love, and if you won’t speak up for your program, who do you expect will?
Downtown area is home to a quiet community of entrepreneurs by Shelby Schwartz The Advocate
I am a frequenter of the streets of downtown Gresham—yes for those of you who access Gresham only for school, we have a downtown and at this point in time— though I cannot say it has always been, the
area is thriving. I frequent the area, because I enjoy the small town feel of it; it is cozier and has less of a commercial feel, in contrast to the rest of the town. This is due to the small businesses lining the streets in abundance, some in old houses, some in older buildings and some in newer buildings. There aren’t any Taco Bells or Burger Kings lining these streets. Instead, I can enjoy the coffee shops, frozen yogurt, and the variety of food that I have to choose from including some of the best pizza, Thai, Italian, Lebanese food and even bagels that I have tasted. No, maybe I’m not adventurous enough with my food options but I enjoy the offerings of the area and the comfort of seeing old classmates and teachers, sharing a nice conversation with the barista and just chilling out. When the rest of Gresham is bustling and noisy, I enjoy the peacefulness that my favorite part of town offers me. Besides the great offerings to cure my hunger, the area has an assortment of used clothing stores, cute boutiques and not to mention antique stores and salons
Photo by Shelby Schwartz/ The Advocate
Main street in Downtown Gresham is home to many small businesses and various restaurants.
in abundance. Also lining the streets are knitting nooks, and even board game and movie stores, a brewery and a candy shop. One reason I love the area is that local residents own almost all of these places, and I like the idea of giving back to my community instead of throwing my money at Starbucks or another chain of copycat stores. I enjoy the idea of helping my neighbors out. Most of the downtown area seems to have a sense of community, seeming to really enjoy helping each other out. Giving back to our local businesses helps our local
economy and going to Starbucks for your double tall macchiato with extra whip, does nothing for anyone. Except you have four less dollars in your pocket and a crappy cup of caffeine to get you through the day. Instead try stopping by one of these locally owned places to grab your morning cup of Joe. Giving back and becoming a patron of small businesses helps these people in their small business ventures and is also a way of showing support. Currently we are in a recession and because of that a lot of people are out of work. I think that because of that fact, the small businesses I love so much are popping up in abundance, because people need to work and have a way to provide for themselves even if that means taking a risk in a business venture that may or may not work out. But on a positive outlook, even in a time when our econo-
my is lacking and people are losing their jobs, and large stores and companies like Blockbuster, Marie Callender’s, and even Borders have closed, most would think it’s a bad idea to open a small business. Still, small businesses are popping up faster than you can say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” So I commend all of the individuals in Gresham for taking a risk and starting a business because you are passionate about it. There are too many people who hate their jobs and it is nice to see people truly enjoy what they do and want to share it with others. For that reason, I am glad to see less and less empty storefronts. Almost any time I am in downtown Gresham I notice a new business has moved in or is in the process of opening or expanding. Especially since it was just a few years ago when it seemed like many businesses went under, I saw many an empty window display and the area seemed sparse and depressing. Now, I enjoy strolling down the streets looking in the new shops and enjoying the fact that these underdogs are making a go of it.
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February 10, 2012
Honor student with troubled past shares his path to success A member of both TRIO and Rho Theta tells how he overcame personal trials to excel academically by Jeff Hannig The Advocate
Few students in school will fall in the category that Thomas Rozier does. Rozier is one part Rho Theta member – the international honor society that promotes academic achievement among community college students – and one part student TRIO student. TRIO Student Support System is a program designed to provide academic and ancillary support to low-income students, first generation college students, and students with disabilities. Rozier’s road to success is similar to his daily commute. “I spend four hours a day on the MAX, reading or doing math homework. It’s probably one of the reasons why I have such good grades,” said Rozier. Rozier’s road started in South Carolina. But because his father passed away before he was six and his mother struggled with alcoholism, he and his sister moved around a lot. “You could smell New Jersey,” Rozier later said, describing the location of his second home in Orange County, N.Y. “I went to eight different schools during my 10 years of public school. Most of that time I spent scared of other kids or being worried about being called on in class,” due to a rather marked stutter, said Rozier. Rozier completed seventh and eighth grade in the same Oregon middle school and continued to Aloha High School in Beaverton. “I went to the first week of sophomore year and then dropped out,” said Rozier. “I fell in with the wrong crowd.” Rozier applied for the job core and completed his G.E.D. At the time, Rozier said, he may not have cared about how he did in school, but he made sure his 6-year-old his sister made it to class on time. By this time in his life, his mom’s alcoholism had escalated to the point where she was now out of the picture, he said. “She left my sister and I a few weeks before Christmas,” said Rozier, “So I
started to wake up a couple hours early and make sure she (his sister) was ready and got her to school before I had to go to work,” doing what 16 year old do, Rozier said. “My sister’s teacher noticed how early we were getting to school and started to help out.” Soon after that Margy, his sister’s teacher, adopted her. A few years later Rozier attended classes at Portland State University, where he said he finally caught a break. He said he was invited to become an intern at an art gallery in San Francisco. After two years of what he called grunt work, Rozier said he was working at a “persnickety, high end art-gallery in San Francisco.” Charles Gaylord and Co. sold highend art and antiques. “I would go to lunch with rich, married woman and convince them to buy expensive things,” said Rozier. He said while working there he flew to Paris to buy art. He ate at expensive brunches, had a nice car, was in a great relationship and had a great job. However, as he later explained, his success relied on his ability to know when to jump ship. “The bubble was about to burst,” said Rozier, referring to the dotcom bubble. Rozier said the dot-com bubble refers to a surge in the Internet that made a lot of people wealthy. He said the bubble had provided his primary clientele and was about to burst. As a result, Rozier’s ability to keep up appearances was proving more difficult. “The money went fast.” Eventually he left San Francisco and
moved to Alaska. After spending some time in Anchorage, Rozier latched on to a new profession. “I met a realtor and thought I could duplicate his success,” said Rozier. Rozier moved to Portland to become a property appraiser, after three months back in Portland, the company he worked for went out of business. Rozier now has a part-time job working in a raw food kitchen, is a Rho Theta member studying alternative energies and is training for the AIDS LifeCycle, a 600 mile ride that takes place over six days from San Francisco to Los Angeles. “It’ll be my first time back to San Francisco in eight years,” said Rozier. Rozier said he doesn’t know if he would change anything about his past. “That’s a tough question,” said Rozier. Although he did admit to being apprehensive about giving school another chance. “I took a light load my first quarter, I think it was writing 119, a P.E. class and a print-
making class,” said Rozier. He said it wasn’t until the end of his first term that he decided to ask TRIO for help. “TRIO has helped me to access services that before I didn’t know existed. In the past I have struggled with college, but with the support of the TRIO staff, I have been able to turn all that around. Today I am an honor student. It helps to know they are in my corner.” To apply for TRIO services, or receive more information, pick up an application and handout from the TRIO-SSS office (Room 51, lower level of College Center), download an application from www.mhcc.edutriosss or contact the program’s director Eric Juenemann, 503491-6083, Eric.Juenemann@mhcc.edu. Services include academic, career and personal advising, transfer information, study and life skills attainment, calculator, laptop and textbook loans, oneon-one tutoring, scholarship information/guidance and campus visits to fouryear colleges/Universities.
“I went to the first week of sophomore year and then dropped out. I fell in with the wrong crowd.” Thomas Rozier MHCC Student
Photo by Jeff Hannig\The Advocate
Rozier working on scholarship packets Thursday in the new Grant Funded area, located downstairs from the College Center.
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4 news
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February 10, 2012
MHCC student’s death leads to snow safety awareness by John Tkebuchava The Advocate
Skiing and snowboarding can be fun. Unfortunately, they can also be deadly. Last month, MHCC student and ASG member, Taylur Dewolf, died in a snowboarding accident at Mt. Hood Skibowl after colliding with a tree. Dewolf was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering from severe trauma to her head and chest, said Clackamas Country Sheriff’s Department. She was wearing a helmet. Every year, approximately 38 visitors to snow parks die from skiing and snowboarding accidents, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). In addition to the 38 fatalities, 39 others were reported to have suffered serious injuries. Among the fatalities, 25 were skiers and 13 were snowboarders. Amongst those fatalities, 19 were reported to be wearing helmets. On average there are 3.8 fatalities in one million visitors to ski/snowboard locations.
A study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that each year 11 skiing and snowboarding-related deaths could be prevented and 7,700 head injuries could be prevented or the severity of the accidents reduced. In another study by the British Medical Journal, the leading cause in death in snowboarding/skiing accidents is due to in-
coach of the MHCC Alpine Racing Club, broke down it down into 10 points. 1. Always ski/ride in control -- this means that you can easily stop quickly at anytime. 2. Slow down when the visibility is reduced (snowing or foggy) -- just like you would do when you’re driving. 3. Ski/ride well away from other skiers/riders, the edge of the trail, rocks, lift towers, and structures. 4. Use the very best equipment you can possibly afford, and have an expert adjust your release bindings (bindings that are too loose are just as bad as bindings that are too tight). 5. Stay warm and either take a break or stop for the day when you start to get tired. 6. Always wear a helmet. 7. Check back uphill for other skiers/riders coming down from above you before you cut across a slope or trail. 8. If you’re going to stop, do it near the edge of the trail and not in the middle. 9. Do not violate out-of-
bounds signs that the ski patrol has posted, because these are usually dangerous places. 10. Know how to read trail signs and avoid the slopes that
are too steep for your ability. For more safety information and statistics, go to http://www. nsaa.org/nsaa/press/facts-skisnbd-safety.asp
“...the leading cause of death in snowboarding accidents is due to injuries sustained to the brain and spinal cord.”
British Medical Journal
juries sustained to the brain and spinal cord. The research also says that wearing a helmet can cut the risk of serious brain injuries by between 22% and 60%. In regards to skiing and snowboarding safety, Tom McCormack, a faculty advisor and
Studies show that wearing a helmet when snowboarding/skiing can reduce the risk of serious brain injuries between 22% and 60%.
Board moves to approve automotive program by John Tkebuchava The Advocate
The district board moved to approve the Automotive Light Repair & Maintenance Program at Wednesday night’s board meeting. The program is meant to instruct students on basic “light” repairs on vehicles including learning to replace light bulbs, coolant pumps, wheel bearings, engine sensors, spark plugs, etc. The program is to be launched at the start of winter term 2013. It will consist of 39 credits of lecture and laboratory classes over the period of three terms and students will receive a certificate upon completion of the program. The program is expected to generate an average annual increase in revenue over the Associate of Applied Science automotive degrees of approximately $1,800. The board also recognized the outstanding support staff award recipients at the meeting, awarding them with a plaque and a $500 check. The recipients include Anita Tucker-McFarland, a workforce development specialist, Eric Manarang, the lead custodian on campus, and Paula Wilson, an administrative assistant at the
Bruning Center. After the support staff awards, Dick Byers, MHCC facilities director, made a JohnsonControls Incorporated (JCI) energy report summary presentation. MHCC entered into a contract with JCI, is an energy savings group, in summer of 2009. With the contract, JCI extensively upgraded all energy and water consuming equipment on campus. MHCC is expected to save $17,699,059 over the next 17 years as a result of the contract with JCI and equipment upgrades, according to the report. The energy savings for the first year total $769,631. Lastly, a presentation on MHCC’s distance learning program, which runs the school’s online classes, was made, revealing that 8,594 students took an online or hybrid course last year and approximately 150 full-time and part-time teachers teach online and hybrid classes. As far as revenues are concerned, the distance learning program collected $518,200 in the 2010-11 year, an increase of over $100,000 from $293,735 generated in the 2009-10 year. The next board meeting will be on March 14, at 6 p.m. in the board meeting room.
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February 10, 2012
Your weekly reason to stand up and hit the streets
Feb. 13
Artwork by Yuca Kosugi/The Advocate
Portland Center for the Performing Arts presents the PCPN Noontime Showcase: Portland Opera “Hansel and Gretel.” The free presentation is centered towards kids and the performers interact with the audience. The show is from noon to 1 p.m. in the Antoinette Hatfield Hall Rotunda Lobby, 1111 SW Broadway at Main, Portland.
Feb. 14 “Romance Day” in the Vista Dining hall features activities and music. From 11 a.m. to noon there will be free cookies and cupcakes, drinks and crafts. Singer/songwriter Dominic Camany will perform from noon to 1 p.m.
Feb. 16 Portland band Lawn Boy will perform a tribute to the psychadellic-rock band Phish at the Goodfoot Lounge, 2845 SE Stark Street, Portland. The 21 and over show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $5 at the door.
Feb. 17-19
Enjoy an edible garden, garden seminars and demonstrations as the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Blvd., Portland, hosts the “Yard, Garden & Patio Show” presented by Dennis’ 7 Dees from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Ticket are $12 for adults and free for children 12 years-old and younger. Tickets can be purchased in advance at ticketswest.com.
Check out a review of Tennis’ upcoming release “Young and Old”
A new possibility changes everything. WARNERPACIFIC.EDU PORTLAND, OR
Lights, cameras, Peanuts Part-time theater instructor to put ‘Snoopy!!!’ in the spotlight much more like the actual cartoon. He said you very rarely see dull boring colors in cartoons. The other challenge he mentioned is to make the onWith a full time faculty staff of only one, the stage characters and set appear as flat as possible. theater department has to rely heavily on part-time He said in the cartoon everything is 2-D and there employees. are certain techniques that can make it appear more Matt Pavik works part-time as the Assistant flat, including use of set and costume designs. Technical Director for the Mt. Hood Community Pavik said the lighting is generally the last College theater department. He graduated from thing to be finalized after set and costume design MHCC and went on to study theater arts at Port- because he takes his cues from the director. He and land State University, graduating with a bachelor’s “Snoopy!!!” director and theater arts instructor Jendegree in Theater Arts in December 2010. He was nifer Hunter have been working very closely with hired at MHCC in 2011. each other, he said. Pavik said Daryle Pavik added that beHarrison-Carson, theatre fore he started any actechnical director and intual lighting work he structor, hired him because spent ten hours with being department chair Hunter to find out means she needs to attend what type of feeling meetings three days out of she wanted the lightthe week. ing to give the show. Asked what his job He said, “The duties and hours are like things I need from Pavik said, “I’m here noon the director is what to 5p.m. Monday, Wedneswill emphasize what day, Thursday, and Frithey want to emphaday.” He said, “I take care size, then I need feedof all the shop work and back that tells me if I’m here to supervise the I’m doing it right or students and make sure if I’m taking away they’re working safely.” from what they want. After his MHCC work Hopefully I can add hours Pavik said he is cursomething to the show rently acting in a producPhoto by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate that the director hasn’t tion called “Lake Holly- Assistant Tech Director, Matt Pavik, working on a moonlight thought of.” wood ”at Profile Theater in box for “Snoopy!!!” backstage Thursday. “I also have to conPortland. sider what the other Pavik has been assigned as the lighting designer designers want, I don’t want to light a play in a for the upcoming spring musical “Snoopy!!!” way that will make the costume designer want to Asked if he has experience outside of class work kill me,” Pavik said. Pavik said, “I’ve been doing lighting for 15 years. I He said his biggest challenge in this show is did lighting for a meta-theatrical, murder mystery, the space limitations. He said, “There’s a lot more musical comedy called ‘Fight Call,’ that was pretty places I would like to put lights than is physically different from ‘Snoopy!!!,’ because in ‘Fight Call’ I possible.” had to highlight all of the on stage action but what Pavik said his favorite part of this play is the was going on backstage was part of the production. music, “All of the singers are talented, which is not The lighting is so different behind stage, it’s so dark usually the case in college musicals.” and blue compared to onstage which is always “Snoopy!!!” opens Feb. 24 and runs through bright and colorful.” March 4. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for chilHe said for this show the main focus has been dren 12 and under. Tickets and show times are to make everything appear cartoonish. Pavik said available at tickets@mhcc.edu. Tickets can also be using very bright colors will make things appear purchased over the phone at 503-491-7154. by Jill-Marie Gavin The Advocate
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February 10, 2012
w ne e m co be to ve ha s ay w al t n’ es do What is old
iCandy
As new businesses move into downtown Gresham they are welcomed the cornerstones of commerce on the block
by Mike Mata The Advocate
As the national economy has taken a turn for the worst since late 2007, the local small business community has been forced to revitalize the way they conduct business in order to stay alive. As Main Street after Main Street takes a beating, some in downtown Gresham’s Main Street have shown they’re staying, and even growing in power. One look at downtown Gresham reveals a vibrant and expanding business community, one that is growing more connected and more aware of itself as time marches on. While new stores, such as a yarn store and a candy shop, have sprouted up and are giving new life to downtown Gresham, they share the block with the old guard; these small business have been holding down the fort for several years now and have earned their small business badges of honor.
Sunny Han’s
Sunny Han’s Wok & Grill, has anchored the corner of 3rd and Main streets for nearly 20 years under the same owners; the aforementioned Sunny, and his wife Judy Han, who said business is good. “It’s better than 2010. It’s come up. It’s stabilized, Sunny would say it’s stabilized,” said Han. When asked what their worst year was, Han said that the year following the Sept.
Café Delirium
Across the intersection from Sunny Han’s stands Café Delirium, or Café D to the local yokels. Owner Cody Clark, who has been the owner for nine of its 10 and half years of existence, said that business has “actually never been better.” “Last year (2011) was our best year for sure. I’ve been told the same thing from others and it’s encouraging,” said Clark, who also added that the café hasn’t experience the same kind of financial hardships during the recession that other businesses have. “I think the difference between us is that coffee isn’t a high ticket item,” said Clark
See Downtown on page 12
Banaka & Browns
Local couple band with Stumptown to remake the old into new
11 attacks was their worst. “It was a turning point. I think the reason for that is, for a year people sat home, they were shocked and they sat watched the towers fall for a year repeat, repeat, repeat. I think that was when the economy started to wane a little bit, started to slow down. People started to get nervous, they started hanging on,” said Han of their worst year adding that the 1990s were good to them, with business coming in from the opening of their doors. “We did have a location in Vancouver, but we closed it,” said Han, adding that it was closed based on the economy. Han also said that they would serve between 500 and 600 meals a day and then that number fell by a hundred a day after 9/11. “We’ve managed to hang on,” said Han, adding that she and Sunny get up every morning to check the price on petroleum as a gauge for business that day.
Above: The menu at Banaka & Browns, featuring Stumptown coffee. Left: The outside of the bakery.
ago and we decided we wanted to try and make a go of it on our own rather than relying on someone else to provide for us, we decided to do it ourselves. We always wanted to own a bakery and coffee house and have a place where people can come and be Photos by Shelby Schwartz/The Advocate by Shelby Schwartz comfortable, sit and relax and have a quite place to sit and drink The Advocate coffee; and this place became open and we opened it,” Phil Wich said. The Wich’s opened the bakery out of passion, rather than experience in the Quietly nestled on Main Street in downtown Gresham sits a 110-year-old house industry. that is home to Gresham’s newest bakery. “This is our first business, our first business venture at all, first time ever workOwners, Gresham residents and husband and wife duo, Phil and Cindy Wich, ing for ourselves, we just have always liked dealing with people,” Phil Wich said, opened Banaka and Browns Artisan Bakery and Coffee House in Mid-October. “And what we really wanted was to have a place that was like your grandmothers Located next to the MAX tracks, it is just a short walk from Gresham High house after thanksgiving, you could sit down after your meal and relax and have School as well as the rest of the downtown area. a cup of coffee and have a nice, quiet place to be.” “We got to a point in our lives where my wife had lost her job a couple years Banaka and Browns is a full service bakery offering freshly baked breads, cook-
See Bakery on Page 8
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February 10, 2012
New candy store draws sweet-toothed patrons
by Yuca Kosugi The Advocate
Photos by Mike Mata/The Advocate
Above: Employee Linda Garvin, Eggers’ mother, mixes a fresh bath of caramel corn on Saturday afternoon. Their caramel corn draws in 80 percent of customers.
Right: iCandy’s sign joins those downtown on display on the intersection of 3rd and Main streets.
The bright pink addition to Main Street in Downtown Gresham, iCandy, has been open for about half a year and business has been thriving, according to co-owner Debbie Eggers. The candy and gift shop located between Café Delirium and a soon-to-be organic burger restaurant, is filled with the sweet aroma of caramel corn. They offer chocolate from the Candy Basket and ice cream from Umpqua among other gift items and an assortment of candies and fresh popcorn. iCandy is founded and owned by Eggers and Janelle Mikula. About 80 percent of the customers buy the caramel corn, said Egger. The corn is popped and mixed right in front of the customers. “There’s nothing like this here,” said Eggers of the type of business in the Historic Downtown Gresham area. “We decided to take a risk,” said Eggers,
about opening a business in the midst of a sluggish economy. “It was a scary decision.” But according to Eggers, business has not slowed down even after the expected busy holiday season. Eggers and Mikula both work full time jobs in the medical field, with Eggers at Kaiser and Mikula at a chiropractic office. They met five years ago when their children were classmates. Both have two girls, who helped map out the business plan and put together what they thought would be good for the business. The owners also took business classes at the MHCC Small Business Center (BizCenter) because neither had a background in business. The center helped them write up the business plan and learn QuickBooks for accounting. Law services are also offered at the BizCenter, said Eggers. iCandy is one of a handful of new businesses that has popped up near Main Street in Downtown Gresham within the last few years.``
‘Independent yarn artists’ work on display amidst knitters at new yarn shop
Andersen Fiber Works
by Kylie Rogers The Advocate
For those in Gresham who enjoy working with their hands, Andersen Fiber Works has emerged to serve the Gresham community’s knitting niche. Anderson Fiber works, owned by Jen and Tyler Andersen, opened shop on June 3, 2011 in a 4000 sq. ft. store on 3rd and Main St. in Historic Downtown Gresham. This isn’t the first business venture for Jen. She originally began a yarn business on Mt. Hood with a friend. After about 6 months of working together they wanted to go different directions, said Jen Andersen. “I had gotten a lot into the spinning and the fiber side of things and we just decided to split ways and she continued on and kept the shop,” said Jen Andersen “I just felt like things were unfinished after doing that shop. I still wanted to have a [craft] store so it finally happened in 2011.” The Anderson’s picked the Gresham location for their store because working on Mt. Hood would’ve put them in competition with their former shop in Welches, said Jen Andersen. “I had done the Gresham Market 3 years prior and I just loved this area and town. I stumbled across this place and it’s really not too bad of a
commute… we kept getting drawn back to this building and we just had to be here,” said Jen. Tyler Andersen added about the store’s location, “We’re really attracted to this downtown historic Gresham as well. This is a really good feel. This whole hub right here is real nice, it’s a nice place to be.” The Andersens are aware they opened up during the recession but didn’t worry about it negatively affecting business, according to Jen Andersen. It’s not a cheap hobby according to Jen Andersen. The store doesn’t carry acrylic or commercial yarns, instead it focuses on catering to independent artists. But Jen doesn’t think that’s enough to keep the business from being successful, she said. Tyler Andersen explained the differences in the variety of yarns, relating it to the range in differences between a Kia and a Mercedes. It’s not a comparison, it’s just what people want to get. If they’re looking for something synthetic and machine made or not 100% wool based, it’s going to be less expensive, he said. Jen and Tyler Andersen feel like they are providing a place where knitters can meet up and share a hobby, “there’s quite a community. A lot of spinners like to come together and work on their projects and share ideas,” said Jen Andersen.
Photo by Kylie Rogers/The Advocate
Patron Natasha Hayden knits on a sweater during an in-store knit-along on Saturday afternoon.
See Yarn continued on Page 8
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Photo by Shelby Schwartz/The Advocate
Banaka & Browns, a new bakery in downtown Gresham, collaborates with Stumptown Coffee Roasters.
Bakery: Continued from page 6
ies, scones, pecan sticky rolls, meat and cheese pockets, pear and cream cheese tarts, muffins, savory galettes and even a soup of the day. “We make everything here, we have our pastry chef, Monica Neffendorf. She graduated from a culinary school in downtown Portland and has been with us from the start. We make everything from scratch, everything is all local ingredients,” Phil Wich said. The Bakery is one of the only Gresham area places where
Yarn: Continued from page 7 “It’s a lot of getting together. It’s kind of a ‘stitch and bitch’ idea,” she continued. “Knitting is my passion. I had to do this,” said Jen Andersen. “I felt crafting, knitting- getting back to those basics was on the up and up. You can see trends in knitting where it goes up and down. When you decide that you’re going to knit or spin or get into something like that, the economy isn’t going to make a difference.” “We’re also really passionate about what we do. This is her (Jen’s) work, we’re not just buying something and reselling it,” Tyler Andersen added.
one can buy a cup of local Stumptown coffee, without venturing into Portland. “We both like Stumptown coffee and we wanted to support a local business. And, we knew that people that love Stumptown are very committed to their coffee and we wanted that type of relationship with people, that if they wanted to find Stumptown they would come and be dedicated clients and that’s what we’re looking for,” Phil Wich said. Wife Cindy Wich said, “Because there was no place (in the area), we’d be approached by other people when we talked about this place and asked what kind of coffees we were going to serve and we had (brought) up Stumptown and everybody got excited about it.” “And plus the relationship with the company is wonderful, they don’t consider you a customer, they consider you a partner, so there’s a lot of training that goes on with it and education,” Cindy said. Phil Wich said, “they had to pick us, we wanted to become a vendor of theirs and they had to look at our business model, look at our location and see if we were a fit for them... The food we serve, the business we’re in, the building we’re in and the coffee, it all goes together very well, it all fits and so they decided they would be partnered with us.” “We like the downtown feel, we love it down here, we like going to the Saturday market, we like the small businesses that are down here, we love the people. And for a long time downtown Gresham was in decline, there wasn’t an awful lot of new businesses coming in,” Phil said. The couple is from Gresham and raised their children in the area. Jen Andersen expressed receiving great support from Gresham. “We’re still a brand new business, it’s not easy by any means but we have gotten huge support from the community and it’s growing. I feel very optimistic and excited. It can only go up from here,” she said. “At the end of the day this is definitely a labor of love, this is definitely a passion,” Jen Andersen said. Andersen Fiber Works is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. On Thursday the store is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Gresham’s One Hell of a Knitting Group meets on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Knit-nights are free and wine is available for $3 a glass.
New store sells used games, DVDs and CDs by Jeff Hannig The Advocate
A decade since he first had the idea of opening a store that sells used video games, DVDs and CDs, a local salesman has opened Mister Media Mover. Owner Eric Thomas is optimistic concerning the negatives you might think would come with opening a DVD/video game store in a recession that has notoriously wiped out big name giants like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. “A sluggish economy caters to second hand stores,” said Thomas, adding that “a small percentage of the population is actually downloading media; where as, the majority is still buying from big stores like Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer.” “I started on Craigslist and Ebay, tracking people down. Now that I have a storefront people come to me,” said Thomas. A physical location is an added bonus, said Thomas, gesturing to the wall-to-wall media of his little shop nestled between Café Delirium and iCandy. He explained that the store is a more practical way of seeking out used media than driving all over town. Thomas spent five months building up an inventory of video games, DVDs and CDs and finding a location before deciding on Gresham. After exploring the greater Portland Metro area, Thomas came to a conclusion, “nothing compares to this.” So far, everything in Thomas’ experience of Gresham’s historic shopping area has been positive, said Thomas, including the ease of moving in, the foot traffic, the sense of community among shop owners and especially the high school students who provide a majority of his customers.
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On Campus
From left: Jade Simms models the look of Winter Fantasy Fashion Show’s 2nd place winner Melanie Palomo. Models gather onstage during the Jan. 28th fashion show in the college center. A model shows off the look of Ramsey Yin in the Cosmetology studio.
Photos by Kayla Tatum/The Advocate
by Kayla Tatum The Advocate
T
hree MHCC students made a fashion statement January 28th at the College Center when MHCC’s Image Makers Club held its 1st annual Winter Fantasy Fashion Show. The 1st place winner, second year MHCC student Marc Crosse, was unavailable for an interview. He won a new pair of sheers as well as a load of other prizes. The 2nd place winner was Melanie Palomo. Palomo, from Portland, is a 2nd year student at MHCC. The Winter Fantasy Fashion Show is Palomo’s first competition. “I was never interested in Cosmetology at first,” said Palomo. But, she says that she’s now interested in cosmetology because, “I like to be creative and working in Cosmetology is flexible.” Days before the runway show Palomo said, “I was nervous.” Palomo had an idea of what she wanted her model to look like on the runway. The day before the fashion show Palomo dyed her model’s hair. Palomo
“Originally the orb was supposed to be gold, but it turned out pink” -Melanie Palomo Second-year Cosmetology student
wanted to incorporate an orb to put in her models hair, but an accident occurred; “Originally the orb was supposed to be gold, but it turned out to be pink.” Even with the accident Palomo’s overall look stood out and she earned the 2nd place position. When asked about how she felt when the judges called her number Palomo says, “I was shocked. My friend was like, ‘they called your number!’ And I was shocked and excited!” She said her inspiration for style is Lady Gaga. Palomo incorporated the unique sense of style that Lady Gaga flaunts into her models’ look. “I wanted the look to be different, but toned down.” She adds, “I also get inspired by vintage hair styles.” The day of the runway show Palomo worked on her models’ hair and overall look from 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., half and hour before the event started. The black dress that was worn by the model was bought from the store Redlight on Hawthorne. “It was black and sleek,” she said, but Palomo wanted to add something to it, to make it stand out on the runway. So, Palomo creatively attached some fabric that was found in the closet; it became the train of the dress. “I thought that it would look good on the runway.” Palomo says. In the future, Palomo wants to be in more competitions; she also wants to do runway shows, photo shoots, editorials and work in a salon; but she first wants to get an apprenticeship to improve on her craft. The 3rd place winner is Ramsey Yin. Yin is a first year student at MHCC and is from Cambodia. She has loved doing hair and makeup since she was a little girl. In high-school, she competed in competitions and won first place in Kansas for her nail designs. She says that her sisters like to do hair and makeup as well, with her older sister modeling the night of the show. It took Yin eight hours to complete her look.
She got the dress, and the look, from her sister’s closet. “I told her I wanted something with a train, because I thought it would look nice on the runway,” said Yin. Yin’s look was inspired by the theme, Winter Fantasy. “I love glitters, white and shiny stuff.” The nails and makeup were supposed to be, “like a queen.” They were “edgy and sweet at the same time.” The nails took Yin the longest to do, but it was Yin’s favorite part. The nails were long and had chains attached which portrayed the “edgy” part of the look, while the makeup was sparkly with silver and blue hues portraying the “sweet” part of the look. The dress pulled everything together, as well as the shoes, “The shoes were mine. I love shoes!” Yin said. About the day of the runway show she said, “I wasn’t nervous at all to do the nails, hair and makeup. I felt good.” Moments before the judges announced the winners, Yin was talking to her friends and didn’t realize that the judges called her number. She said, “when my friends told me that they called my number I was shocked--surprised!” When the judges made their decision for Yin to take 3rd place, Yin said, “I was proud of myself, I also want to know what can I do better to improve.” Yin says that she would, “love to do it again, if they had it (the fashion show) again.” In the future, Yin says that she would like to open up her own salon; hopefully working with her two older sisters; who also share an interest in cosmetology. The event was well attended, with the College Center full of people 30 minutes prior to the event’s start time. At 7 p.m., when the event started, the College Center was filled with so many people, that there were no more seats available. Half of the proceeds from the event went to Kiwanis Children’s Cancer Program.
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“They shot well and played unselfish and the crowd embraced it,” Geoff Gibor Saints head basketball coach
Bball: Continued from page 1
Saints mens basketball, keeping the wins coming were also the only Southern Region team to be ranked in the Feb. The Advocate 1 Alaska Airlines Coaches poll (tied in 7th place with Big Bend). It came with a little more than Wednesday’s win follows the four minutes left on the clock in Saturday Feb 4, 86-73 victory for regulation, freshman guard Evan the Saints on the road against the Orth knocked down a three-point Lane Titans, making the Saints 2-0 shot, causing an eruption from against the Titans who currently the Saints men’s basketball bench hold a 3-5 record in the South. and fans in attendance who yelled But, despite the excitement out, “Bieber!!!” a nickname given that comes along with consecutive to Orth because of his physical wins, the Saints have to refocus resemblance to pop sensation Justheir energy on upcoming games. tin Bieber. The shot from outside Saturday the Saints will play the the arc was followed by another Umpqua Riverhawks on the road. consecutive shot by Orth, which The last time the two teams met caused an even louder burst of was Jan. 14, when the Saints bestapplause from onlookers breaked the Riverhawks 108-68 on home ing the period of silence that had court. plagued the gymnasium. The Riverhawks who currently The Saints men’s basketball sit second to last in the South with team defeated the PCC Panthers a 2-7 record, may not present a 93-35 at home, Wednesday night. problem for the Saints on paper The team, who have now won 11 but at this point in the season no Photo by Riley Hinds/The Advocate of 12 and sit in the number one pogames are being taken lightly. sition in the Southern Region with Saints players and assistant coach Justin Speer cheer on their team from the sidelines Wednesday against the PCC Panthers at “We need to do the same things, an 8-1 record, were the clear favor- home. stay patient, get easy baskets,” said ite to win over the Panthers who Gibor, “we have a mindset, we are sit at the bottom of the Southern out to prove a point.” was a difficult game to coach,” said Gibor, home crowd, throwing up lobs for dunks Region with a 0-9 record. The Saints will play the Riverhawks “You don’t want to run up the scoreboard, and tossing no-look passes. “They shot Coach Geoff Gibor, who watched his you want to be respectful to the other well and played unselfish and the crowd on the road with a game start time of 6 team come out hard against the Panthers, team and their program. But, it was good, embraced it,” said Gibor Thursday. p.m. going on a 22-0 run at one point in the it gave everyone a chance to play,” Gibor Wednesday Feb. 15, the Saints will The Saints, who are tied with the Tafirst half, was less vocal in coaching from added. coma Titans for the highest field goal play Rival Clackamas Cougars at home the sidelines than in previous games, “It Still, they put on a bit of a show for the percentage in the league with 50 percent, with a game start time of 7:30 p.m. by Chanel Hill
#11 sophomore/gf Pre-game ritual eating pb&j sandwhiches and listening to pump up music.
#10 sophomore/guard Leads the Saints in field goal percentage with 60%
#32 sophomore/ fwd Season motto: “Just win baby”
#21 Sophomore/gf “I have never been on a team with this much chemistry”
#3 Freshman/pg one of the Saints leaders in 3-point field goal shooting percentage with 50%
#4 Freshman/ Guard nickname given by teammates, “bieber” after singer Justin bieber
A little about your Saint’s Ladies man: Robby Rivers Songs played before the game: Jay Z & Kanye West “Ni**a’s In Paris” Drew Johnson “The Second Coming” Juelz Santana- Robby Rivers
Season goals:
Team jokester: Marcus Moore
“First goal is to win the NWAACC Championship. On teammates: I want to hang a banner in our dome” “We’re all good guys and we get - Marcus Moore along great on and off the court.” “To win the NWAACC” -Spencer Clayton - Curtis Pappenfuss
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Last second shot gives Saints win over PCC panthers Women’s basketball bounces back from 79-46 loss to the Lane Titans, beating the PCC panthers 66-64 at home The victory serves as a boost for the Saints, who had a chip on their shoulder following their Feb. 4, 79-46 loss to the Lane Titans on the The setting was straight out of a movie, road, “My team didn’t show up. It was one of with seconds on the clock the Saints women’s three games in the season where we actually basketball team was down two points when got worse as the game went on,” said McInfreshman point guard Taylor Grote passed the tire. ball to sophomore Emily Burch, who drove Still, one of the team’s strongest attributes through the lane to is their resilience. put up the gameThe team, who winning shot. The has set a goal to Saints edged out win the Southern the PCC Panthers Region and make “PCC is a tought team, that 66-64 on the home it to NWAACCS, court Wednesday is picking up wins was a game we should have night. down the stretch, “We got off to working their and needed to win.” a slow start, we way back to comwere down 5-0 off pete for a playoff Jocelyn McIntire the bat,” said head spot. coach Jocelyn Mc“PCC is a Intire, “But we ran tough team, that a full-court press was a game we which definitely should have and paid off,” added needed to win,” McIntire. said McIntire who The Saints, who currently hold a 3-5 record added, “I have to give them props.” in the South, are starting to play the style of The Saints will head to Umpqua Riverball that coach McIntire has wanted to see hawks Saturday, where they plan in getting a from them, “It was nice to see the girls stay win on the road. even-keeled,” said McIntire who has spoken to The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start. her team’s mental breakdowns during games Wednesday Feb. 15, the Saints will play at in the past, “I was extremely happy with the home where they will rival Clackamas Couway we stayed in the game mentally.” gars with a game start time of 5:30 p.m. by Chanel Hill The Advocate
Head coach
Photo contributed by Jeff Hinds
Above: Freshman pointguard Taylor Grote helped pull Wednesday’s game together to beat PCC in a nail-biter.
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Downtown: Continued from page 6 Small businesses in downtown Gresham grow “I think the difference between us is that coffee isn’t a high ticket item,” said Clark of his fortune to miss the financial misfortunes of many other businesses. Bocelli’s Ristorante Across from Café Delirium lies Boccelli’s Ristorante, another anchor business, which has offered a fine dining presence for about 12 years. Steven Hull, the general man-
ager who has been with the restaurant for 10 years, said 20082009 was their low point during the recession. “We were still busy… we never expected a loss of profit because we’re pretty high profile with a large customer base. We would’ve just expected lower sales by a percentage,” which is what happened, according to Hull, adding that many customers eat daily or weekly.
However, 2011 was Boccelli’s best year, entering record setting sales. Part of this is due to the introduction of a create-your-ownpasta lunch special for $4.99 – it is now up to $6.49 – in order to boost lunch sales, according to Hull. Wall Street Pizza Another anchor in the downtown business sector is Wall Street Pizza, the oldest of the old guard at the Main and Second
Hoppy Brewer Supply, iCandy, and Mister Media Mover opened on Main Street within the last year, and now The Local Cow, an organic burger shop, is under construction and will open February 2012. Photo by Shelby Schwartz/The Advocate
street intersection, where they have been in continual business in the same location for 24 years. While the other old guards have recently seen an upswing in sales, Wall Street manager Cary Leggett has said they that have, at best, maintained and ridden out the recession. However, in contrast to the other businesses, 2007, the start of the recession was actually Wall Street’s best year, said Leggett. “The economy hadn’t totally tanked yet and people were buying a little more pizza,” said Leggett who has been general manager for seven years. He added that the business is currently “hanging in there.” Wall Street is also well-known as a supporter of the community, sponsoring local kids sports teams, schools in Gresham, Damascus and Sandy as well as charities. MHCC “Biz Center” A hallmark of the news businesses entering the fray in downtown Gresham is the involvement and support of the MHCC branch of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), located one street east of Main Street. Antonio Paez, the Director of the SBDC, said, “SBDC services are available to anyone who owns or operates — or is considering starting — a small business in Oregon. Business owners who seek SBDC services are found everywhere. They comprise a complete spectrum of business stages, from start-up to mature companies.” New ventures in downtown Gresham, such as iCandy, have utilized the SBDC resources to help start up and maintain their businesses. “We are a support team for your business. SBDCs use a client-centered approach to deliver counseling (at no cost), training, information and technical assistance in all aspects of small business management,” said Paez. Gresham Art Walk One of the ways the more established businesses have survived the recession is in part due to the business and exposure
brought on by the Gresham Art Walk, which is the third Saturday in July. The Art Walk was in part started by Han as a way to highlight local artists from Oregon and Southwest Washington and drew 12 thousand people to last year’s event , Han. An underlying theme from the old guard businesses is their involvement with the Art Walk: Han is one of the founders and coordinators, Wall Street sponsors a booth, Boccelli’s sets up a beer garden and Clark says that Café Delirium employees will usually volunteer. In tandem with the Art Walk, the Donna Hand Memorial Scholarship was set up by Han and others on the Art Walk committee to help art students at MHCC. When asked what factors might have attributed to new stores coming to downtown Gresham, MHCC business faculty Mike Brayson, Andy Wong and Dave Garlington said, “Small businesses are being supported because of the potential employment growth that can occur when small businesses prosper. Unemployed are giving up trying to find a job and creating their own through self-employment,” adding that downtown Gresham has a lot of vacant property that, with the right owners, can help launch new businesses. “Actually, it seems like right now is the best business environment we have ever seen for startups in our professional career, with regard to educational and development opportunities along with a myriad of funding resources,” the instructors said. Another theme of the old guard is that, besides getting involved with the community and the downtown business block, providing friendly and personal customer service and products that customers have come to trust and enjoy. The new businesses on the block may have something to learn from these anchors of the local business community. Decades of success doesn’t lie.