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.

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.

Image source

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.

Image source

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.

Image Source

Carl Pruett is the owner and education consultant of Tutor Doctor of Portland. For 15 plus years, Tutor Doctor has provided affordable one to one in-home tutoring for students of any age. Tutor Doctor of Portland is a franchise that employs 128 tutors as independent contractors today. Carl participated in the 10-month 2015 Small Business Management program. 

Yarnia is Portland’s only DIY yarn store. It’s tucked away underneath some plaza stairs on SE Division and 41st in Portland. When you walk inside you’re surrounded by brilliant colors of coned yarn stacked to the ceiling. There is a cozy nook with comfy chairs just yearning to be sat in to knit something. And there is a modern, antique looking machine that fills the room with a humming sound as it makes custom yarn.

Walking into Bombshells Salon, you are immediately swept away by the class and elegance of the little converted house turned boutique salon in downtown Beaverton. April Orme and DaLynne McIntyre are good friends and hair stylists who had dreamed of opening up their own salon for years. In fact, they had their business name registered for two years before they decided to jump in. Finally, on March 1, 2010 they opened up their checking account, found a place on Craigslist, and six weeks later opened for business. They called in every favor from family, friends, and clients, and worked around the clock to make it happen – all without any outside money.