Laura Whipple and Austin Whipple started Pinball Publishing in 2002. Looking for new products and to expand the business, Pinball Publishing introduced Scout Books in 2009.

Inspired by his experience in theater design and his love for bicycling, Curtis Williams founded North St. Bags in 2009. North St. Bags designs and produces a remarkable line of all-weather bike commuter bags. His bags are well-received in the marketplace, but when he came to the PCC SBDC in March 2013 he was struggling to earn sufficient profits to sustain the business.

Press release originally posted on SBA Portland District Office website.

As a small business owner, you're sure to know that your storefront is important. But do you realize just how important it is? Everyone's heard the adage, "don't judge a book by it's cover," but the truth is, customers make judgments about what they're interested in or what seems most likely to meet their needs in the first 15 seconds. Your storefront is the first impression you can make on a customer, and depending on their reaction, you may not get another chance to capture them.

Mike Budd works in International Sales at Triad Speakers Incorporated and completed the 2014 International Trade Small Business Management program at SBDC.

Updated June 22, 2022.

David Jensen is past President at Acumed LLC . He has been a PCC SBDC business advisor and has also been a client of the PCC SBDC. 

Santiago Estrada, is the International Account Executive at Warco Products Incorporated. Santiago has participated in the 2014 International Trade Small Business Management program and has taken the CGBP Exam Prep Training course.

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Katy Kippen is the owner and designer of Grayling Jewelry. Grayling Jewelry is made entirely by hand in the USA in their Portland, Oregon studio. Katy was in the 2015 Portland Business Alliance sponsored Advanced Business Management program. She opened up to us at the ‘Growing your Business’ symposium about getting started as a business owner and the role the PCC SBDC played in her company’s success.

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Ali Wykhuis and Angie Heiney own Frock Boutique. Frock Boutique was established in 2003 and strives to carry the most eccentric, eclectic, affordable and whimsical fashions available from locally designed and produced items. Today Frock Boutique has five employees and two locations, one in Portland’s Alberta district and a recently opened second store in Seattle. They have completed both the Retail Small Business Management Program and the Small Business Management Program.

Even in the modern age of global telecommuting, the importance of your physical storefront can't be understated. The internet didn't kill retail stores and maybe it never will, especially when you consider the importance of the customer experience. The fact that the retail store still thrives doesn't mean that the role of the retail store hasn't changed though. In today's post, we'll discuss the importance of your physical storefront, as well as touch on what the consumer expects in an integrated, synchronized consumer world.