Page 37 - Portrait 2011.qxd

They work their own hours “I was always working, so I didn’t have time to spend any money,” joked Thompson, who’s kept her bottom line healthy by renting space to other stylists and a masseuse in the intervening years. “I was either doing hair or I was painting or working on the space,” which occupies 1,600 square feet on Southwest Washington Street.

At first, Thompson used newspaper advertising or ads in theYellow Pages to attract new clients. When budgets tightened, she turned to the Internet — and has stayed there ever since.

“I think it’s the best way to get your message out there, bar none,” said Thompson, who managed a website, eclecticenergiessalon.com, before developing her Facebook page 10 months ago. “The possibili-ties are endless with the Internet. It doesn’t cost you anything except time and your own imagination.”

Thompson also promotes in-store specials, advertises parties at her business, offers simple health tips and posts photos of “awesome” hairstyles created at Eclectic Energies. “I feel like we’re still in the beginning phases of really tapping into the full potential of the online stuff,” she noted.

There’s another reasonThompson works the Facebook angle: expo-sure. “I offer incentives to my clients if they give me a review online,” she said. “It looks good, and it also puts me up near the top when peo-ple Google my salon.”

Some businesses, such as the nonprofit Love INC of Greater Beaverton, consider themselves beginners when it comes to using social media to get the word out. But clearinghouse coordinator Joyce Maier is eager to learn more about the online phenomenon that seems to be reinventing the way modern companies connect to their target markets.

“What we do is help churches help people in their communities,” said Maier, a resident of Aloha. Known as a central hub for “gap” min-istries, Love INC works with school counselors, police departments and the Washington County Department of Human Services to identi-fy faith communities that are actively collecting items for needy indi-viduals and families — from linens to furniture to clothing, toothpaste and soap — and link them with those people.

Since 2010, Love INC (Love In the Name of Christ) has assisted 3,700 people on its master list, according to Maier, who coordinates volunteers and works with Executive Director Ed Proulx to do the work they believe is critical to the area’s social service network. With a fledgling Facebook page to its credit, Love INC is looking to expand its mission of serving as a broker between its 30 affiliate churches and those who want their services.

“Many of the clients we serve don’t have Internet, so that’s a chal-lenge,” said Maier, who volunteered for the organization before join-ing its staff. “But most of the churches are on Facebook, so we can see the value there. As events come up for us, I’ll post them on our page — and we’ll see where it goes.”

Back in her office on Southwest Cascade Avenue, Rachel Lenz is constantly on the lookout for the next cutting-edge way to work the Web to her company’s advantage. Because Beaverton Motorcycles runs a full service department and sells parts and clothing in addition to bikes and watercraft equipment, Lenz sees no end to the possibili-ties.

“If we weren’t doing Facebook and Twitter as well as updating our website, I think it would put us behind, because we wouldn’t be keep-ing up with the pace of peoples’ lives,” she said. “The end result is more face-to-face contact with people who can benefit from what we have to offer.”

Beaverton Motorcycles — 503-718-6670, or facebook.com/beaver-tonmotorcycles

Eclectic Energies — 503-925-0382, or facebook.com/eclectic-ener-gies-salon

Love INC — 503-336-5946, or facebook.com/loveincbeaverton

aya Budrevich didn’t want to miss a minute with her new baby. After years as a high-tech software engineer, she yearned to work from her Tigard home. Could she contribute to the fam-ily income by following her passion for homemade craftsmanship? Like many of today’s young moms, she found the answer. Yes!

Online knit-based business is booming. Just check out web malls like etsy.com or hyenacart.com. Today’s emphasis on handmade, eco-friendly products means big opportu-nities for small arti-sans. And, virtual communities like ravelry.com bring worldwide access to targeted markets. Budrevich started

Blissful Knits & Dyeworks (blissfulknits.com) with the wool diaper covers, or “soakers,” her new baby needed every day.

“Fitted diapers require a cover to prevent leaks,” she said. The colorful woolen clothes she knits do the job and look enchanting. “Wool is a natural, breathable fiber that creates a moisture barrier. Nobody calls them pants within the wool young mother community. They call them longies.” Since the beginning, business has expanded to include children’s clothes, hand-dyed yarn and more. “Ravelry (ravelry.com) has great resources for the self-employed, like budding designers or indy-dyers,” she said. “And, I make custom clothes. People really like the rompers. Parents specify the measurements, style and specifics like ruffles. I’m always expanding. I make the yarn, the patterns and the clothes. It’s great to start from nothing and have a finished product — all frommy own creativity.”

Donna Arney also finds satisfaction in her home-based business. Things started when she joined the Tigard Knitting Guild (tigardknitting-guild.org) and met pattern maker Chrissy Gardiner (gardineryarnworks.com). When the two teamed up, Arney handled marketing. She learned how the knitting business works.

“I got a good understanding of the channel — how people buy,” Arney said. “The knitting indus-try is made up of independent shops that are not part of a chain. It’s a small world. I have to know

my customers and the sales reps.”

Then, like many businesses that start when someone can’t find what they need, Arney’s began while birthday shopping for friends.

“I wanted to buy shawl pins and didn’t like the selection I found in the stores,” she said, referring to pins that prevent shawls and scarves from slip-ping off women’s heads and shoulders. “They were

heavy, cutesy or very expensive. I complained about it to my husband. He thought he could make them, and our shawl pins got start-ed. He worked at a jewelry company in Eugene for years so he understood the supply chain and the channel.”

Today Plover Design, (ploverde-signs.com) sells handcrafted shawl pins made from sil-ver, copper or alu-minum. They are sculptural and look like delicate jewelry. They also sell the durable and snag-free stitch pins that knitters use for keeping count.

“We sell throughout the United States and in Canada,” Arney said. “I have a flexible schedule, make my own decisions and live with the conse-quences. I volunteer at school one day a week, and if a child is sick, we work around it. I get to deal with the stress, but I also deal with the rewards.”

Like Arney and Budrevich, Rebecca Harmon specializes in handmade, original products. Her repertoire includes weaving, felting, braiding and beadwork as well as knitting and crochet. She works from her Tualatin home and attends craft fairs throughout the area. She also sells from her online shop Mountain Mist Fiberworks (mountain-mist.com).

Business grew out of volunteer work. Her spin-ning demonstrations at the Pomeroy Living History Farm in Yacolt, Wash., led to marketing hand-spun yarn. Now she sells handmade hats, scarves, lace doilies and more. Like many artisans, she finds Christmas the busiest season.

“My grandmother taught me to knit and crochet when I was in high school,” she said. “She knew a lot of needlework techniques. After I married, I started designing patterns. I’m always picking up something new . . . brioche knitting, Irish crochet, reversible techniques. I love color, texture and pat-tern. My favorite thing is whatever I’m putting together.”