Forest Grove Community Advantage Magazine June 2024

12 13 14 15 19 20 21 22 26 27 28 29

Thoughtful Gifts in a Flash

Forest Grove’s one-stop gift shop

By Justin Woomer, Contributing Writer

Willow & Ash is a family/veteran-owned boutique and gift shop, full of carefully curated one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone in your family. If that person needs corgi pizza socks? They have you covered.

Located along Main Street in Forest Grove’s historic downtown sits a small unassuming shop with tall ceilings and century-old brick walls that is packed full of unique gifts, from toys and trinkets to candles and the highest quality bath and body products locally and regionally sourced and hand-picked by Willow & Ash’s owner Heather Rhoade. She and her husband Harry opened Willow & Ash in October of 2022. The shop was once known as Daniela’s Gifts on Main and was at risk of closing, so Heather and Harry stepped up to give new life to this community staple. They purchased the remaining inventory from Daniela Powell’s family and added lots more inventory. Growing from this seed came Willow & Ash.

When asked what inspired her to open this shop, Heather said, “I had never considered taking on this endeavor — but it was increasingly looking like the store, Daniela’s, was going to close, and something new or different would reopen in the space. And I, along with many other community members, would be so sad to

see such a great space change so much. It is so fantastic to have a store in this space and community members love it.”

When asked “What’s new at Willow & Ash?” Heather said, “While we do still carry some of the same products as the previous store, we have added quite a few new product lines. We have shifted a little bit to more fun, snarky and unique gifts and merchandise, often things that you can’t find everywhere else.”

At Willow & Ash there are many locally-sourced products as well as creations from all over the United States and other countries, bringing items that are new and interesting into the community. Heather personally checks that every item is made from quality materials and ensures that only the best, safest and most effective ingredients are used in all the bath and body lines. Products are consistently revolving through the store, meaning that something new always awaits you.

Heather and Harry strongly believe in giving back and have modeled their business around the idea of helping others. From the vendors that are carried in the shop to the other businesses in the community they partner with to give back, the goal at the end of the day is to make the world better through good deeds, community involvement and sasquatch socks. Willow & Ash has partnered with Dauntless Wine Co. and consistently carry products that donate portions of the proceeds to the Dauntless Veteran foundation.

Willow & Ash Gift Shop is located at 2036 Main St A in Forest Grove. Give them a call at (503) 992-2422 or visit their website at www. willowashoregon.com. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for new products and community events. Discounts for veterans, Pacific University students and FGSD employees. Come support this veteran/ family-owned shop and leave with something special!

BATH REMODEL FOR LESS

1-2 DAY

INSTALL

BATHTUBS SHOWERS BATH CONVERSIONS WALK-IN TUBS

With the custom bathtub selection from Miller Home Renovations, you’ll enjoy a lifetime of luxurious bathing.

Save space in any size bathroom by having our expert team install a beautiful shower customized to your needs

Upgrade your bathroom in no time with the no-mess, affordable bath conversion from Miller Home Renovations

Walk-in tubs offer superior safety options and stylish features that let you regain your bathing independence.

Serving Those Who Serve

Nonprofit holds care-package fundraiser

By Edward Novak, Contributing Writer

With a presidential election on the horizon, it’s easy to get caught up in the political drama of which we’re all constantly bombarded. The stakes feel higher than ever, as they have for every single election of the last couple of decades. Arguments will break out over family dinners and shocking news stories will be shared on social media. America will seem more divided than it ever has been. And yet, if there is any single subject on which everyone, left, right and center can agree, it’s that our military veterans and active service members deserve our respect and care.

Blue Star Mothers of America is dedicated to making that happen. Made up of mothers, grandmothers and legal guardians with children serving in the armed forces, Blue Star Mothers is a national organization with

more than 200 chapters and 6,000 members across the United States. Founded in 1946 during World War II, the group has worked for more than a century to provide support for our armed forces via various volunteer efforts aimed at serving active service members and veterans. They take their name from the flags that were originally displayed in the windows of soldiers’ families during World War I, with each blue star representing a member of the household currently serving.

Blue Star Mothers remains as active as ever, fundraising throughout the year to raise money and support the troops. In fact, their Oregon chapter is planning to hold an event in late June to raise funds for care packages to be sent to sixty local soldiers who will soon be sent out on their first deployments.

Blue Star Mothers’ Oregon chapter has worked frequently in the past with other groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and several local churches to raise money for these care packages, which they send twice a year: once during the summer and another around Christmas. They’ve previously held fundraising events at Columbia Presbyterian Church in Vancouver, Washington, and Pomeroy Living History Farm in Yacolt; they are still finalizing where this summer’s fundraising event will take place.

The fundraiser will be open to the public, and volunteers are welcome. If you have a loved one serving in the military, Blue Star Mothers would be happy to have you. Even if you don’t, the organization is happy to take on associate members. With three to four thousand soldiers from the tri-state area alone expected to be deployed during 2024, Blue Star Mothers is grateful for all the help it can get in making sure local troops are cared for and supported from home.

If you’d like to learn more about Blue Star Mothers, you can find their website at bluestarmothers.org. If you’re interested in learning more about the Oregon chapter or their upcoming fundraising events, you can contact Vice President Geri Stuart at one4maus@gmail.com.

Pioneering Legacy

Linn County’s first Black resident

By Oregon Black Pioneers

The first Black resident of Linn County, Oregon was a woman then known only as Cora Ann. She was born into slavery in Virginia between 1822 and 1833, and by 1837 was living in New Orleans, where she was purchased by 32-year-old Emeline Carey Sellick. In 1850, Emeline and Cora moved to Missouri, where Emeline married Samuel Johnson. That same year, the couple moved to Oregon, and Cora traveled with them on the Oregon Trail as an enslaved overland pioneer.

When the Johnson party reached Oregon in the fall of 1850, Cora became one of just 55 Black people in the Oregon Territory. African Americans – free or enslaved – had been legally barred from coming to Oregon since 1849. However, legislation targeting Black people often went unenforced within Oregon’s disparate farming communities. This allowed a handful of Black Americans to remain in Oregon despite their legal exclusion, but it also allowed slavery to continue long after the practice was prohibited. Oregon’s Supreme Court outlawed slavery in 1853; Cora, however, would continue to be held as Emeline’s slave until the 1860s.

Samuel Johnson claimed a 640 acre homestead near Brownsville in Linn County, and built a home which he and his wife shared with Cora. The Johnsons had no children. Samuel Johnson drowned in the Calapooia River in January 1858, leaving Emeline and Cora alone.

In December 1858, Cora married John Cox, a Black farm laborer. Theirs is the earliest recorded marriage of two Black people in Oregon. John Cox worked for Jefferson Huff, a white widowed father of two from Tennessee who was likely John’s former owner. Two months later, Emeline and Jefferson Huff were married, and all began sharing the same home.

Cora and John had a daughter named Adeline in 1860. In that year’s census, Cora and Adeline were listed as slaves, while John was listed as free. A second daughter, Angeline, was born in 1864. Cora was emancipated in or before 1864 as well. That year, Emeline sold her “former servant” Cora 36.3 acres of land from her homestead with Samuel Johnson for just $10.00, in recognition of “faithful services rendered.” This purchase made Cora one of the earliest Black landowners

in Oregon history. John Cox built a home for his family on this land that same year.

Cora remained close to Emeline even after receiving her freedom. In 1866, Cora testified in Emeline’s divorce trial against Jefferson Huff. The testimony of a Black woman was extremely rare in 19th century Oregon.

Cora was well known throughout the Willamette Valley; she and her husband were affectionately called “Aunt Cora” and “Uncle John” by their friends and neighbors. She was wellconnected within the region’s small Black community. Cora attended Oregon’s earliest-known Emancipation Day celebration in Salem in 1867, alongside fellow Black pioneers like Ben Johnson and Amanda Gardner.

John Cox died in 1875, but Cora remained in her home until 1886. She sold the house and land that year for $600 and moved to Brownsville. Cora lived comfortably from the sale of her property for the rest of her life. Sources say Cora even made a monetary gift to Willamette University Women’s College in her will. Cora Cox passed away in 1892. The house she lived in from 1864-1886 still stands today, making it one of Oregon’s oldest homes.

Oregon Black Pioneers is Oregon’s only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans statewide. To learn more, and to support this nonprofit, visit oregonblackpioneers.org.

Oregon Black Pioneers, 2024

Cora Cox home courtesy of Linn County Historical Museum

Step into Your Dream

Where beauty and safety converge

office team that does all of our customer care,” comments Vorster, noting that once the remodel is complete a team member as well as a design specialist will reach out to follow up and answer any questions.

By Patti Jo Brooks, Contributing Writer

Re-Bath of Portland. Now there’s a business name that conveys a clear message. As the largest complete bathroom remodeler in the U.S., Re-Bath has contracted more than 1.3 million bathrooms nationwide. A locally-owned and -operated franchise, ReBath of Portland serves an area that includes Clackamas, Clark, Clatsop, Columbia, Cowlitz, Hood River, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Skamania, Tillamook, Wahkiakum, Washington and Yamhill counties.

Experts in the field, Megan Vorster, Sales Manager of the Portland franchise relates, “We do pretty much everything within the footprint of the bathroom.” Free consultation, free in-home design and quote are offered at no obligation. What are you waiting for? Give them a call today!

In just four easy steps, Re-Bath will transform your bathroom from “design to done.” Beginning with an initial in-home consultation with a design specialist to building a custom design package employing a traditional, transitional, rustic or contemporary design style, to removal and preparation, and lastly, finishing up with the professional installation of your “new” bathroom. “We have an amazing

Popular Re-Bath projects include shower conversions for aging and accessibility solutions. To make bathing safer for those individuals, Re-Bath will remove the tub and install a walk-in shower in its place with a low threshold configuration. Other remodels focus on updating a shower or tub design for those who want to enjoy something luxurious and beautiful. In addition, flooring, cabinetry and countertops are available. “We love to hear from people and help them create the bathroom of their dreams,” relates Vorster.

Owners Spencer Shaw and Evan Wyke opened Re-Bath of Portland in 2019 as their third franchise location. The original franchise opened in Boise in 2005, followed by Spokane. Since Portland, they have added a Seattle location. Shaw and Wyke, who love the Northwest, are happy with their four locations. Moving forward, they

just plan on taking care of their clientele and supporting their regional service areas. “It’s a family-friendly, family-run business – that’s why I like it here,” remarks Vorster, who joined the team in January 2021.

Each year Re-Bath of Portland donates a free tub or shower remodel to a charity organization. This year they’re planning on donating to a women’s shelter. Always on the lookout for a recipient, Re-Bath of Portland encourages anyone with a suggestion to get in touch with them.

Visit the showroom at 19300 S.W. 118th Ave. in Tualatin. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday–Friday, and Saturday by appointment. Call 503-746-8522 or email rbportland@rebathnw.com. Please visit rebath.com to view the photo gallery, get more information and to get started on your remodel today!

SThe Perfect Fit

Custom closets and storage

By Patti Jo Brooks, Contributing Writer

Photos by Carly Carpenter

pring has sprung! And so have the organizing plans that were put on hold this winter. Whether a custom closet, home office, pantry, craft room, laundry or mud room, Closets by Design can solve your most difficult space and storage challenges. Designed to fit your needs, “Quality, Beauty and Commitment are Built In.” Closets by Design also features media centers as well as hobby rooms or garages complete with flooring. Employing local suppliers and custom construction in a local Beaverton shop, Portland’s Closets by Design is truly the perfect fit!

“We focus on functionality first to get the storage issues addressed,” relates Niran Bates, owner of Portland’s Closets by Design franchise. “But if somebody has a dream closet, something they’ve seen on Pinterest, Instagram or in a magazine, we can usually take care of that,” he points out. “Everything is custom made right here in our shop,” Niran says, adding, “We try to use local materials where we can.” As an example, he cites that their sheets of melamine are produced in Eugene. “Everything we make is unique,” he expresses. “We’re not stamping out certain pieces and making them fit. We provide a true custom-built closet.”

accessories needed for a fun-filled season of swimming and poolside entertainment.

Closets by Design’s parent company, one of the largest closet companies across the U.S. and Canada, was founded in 1982 and holds a reputation within the industry for integrity and leadership in customer service and satisfaction.

This time of the year also draws attention to the garage and other areas where gear is stored for outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, kayaking and more. Additionally, it’s a great time to organize the pool house. Add extra storage to safely hold all the necessary supplies as well as all the

Niran Bates, together with his wife, Linda, are in their third year as Closets by Design franchise owners. The couple have lived in the Portland area for 26 years and employ approximately 20 local staff members that include designers, office personnel, a shop production team and installers. Every aspect of Portland’s Closets by Design custom-built products is handled in-house by one of these highly skilled individuals — no part of any job is outsourced. From the initial noobligation consultation to the custom designs and quality construction, Closets by Design offers the best value in the industry.

For specials and promotions or additional information, visit your local Closets by Design website at portland.closetsbydesign.com or call (503) 966-8021.

Niran & Linda Bates

Still Oozing with Color, Just in a Different Form

Baker falls back in love with pottery

By Kelly Romo, Contributing Writer

The world is full of stories about people who start their journey on one path only to find themselves on another. When Maggie Pike sold her successful bakery, Maggie’s Buns, she thought she would be bored. But instead, she fell back in love with pottery, a craft she had dabbled in thirty-two years earlier. Now, she makes vibrant creations that are not only utilitarian but also beautiful works of art.

When asked what drew her to pottery, Maggie admits she used to be terrible at it, but had always enjoyed it. After selling her bakery, she longed for something creative to do, so she dug out her old potter’s wheel and gave it a spin. To Maggie’s surprise, she got it right on the first try, and that was all it took to reignite her passion.

The colors Maggie discovers on her travels inspire the forms and textures of her pottery. She sifts through photos from her latest trip, selects about ten colors, and starts creating. Her glazing process involves up to seventeen hand-painted layers, each adding depth and personality to her creations. Even Maggie doesn’t always know what the final product will look like, but the unexpected results are part of the fun.

The process of creation holds its own magic for Maggie. Unveiling a new design from her kiln, fondly named “Calvin,” is always thrilling. Nearly 30% of pottery is lost in the kiln due to various factors, so she feels an indescribable sense of accomplishment when a piece turns out exactly as she dreamed. Despite years of experience, she never quite knows how a piece will look after it’s glazed, so it’s

nothing short of magical when her vision comes to life.

Maggie found an intimate connection between her love for food and creating practical and visually appealing creations. Her work is a tribute to the moments that often go unnoticed yet hold profound significance, like sipping hot coffee from a beautifully crafted mug or enjoying a homecooked meal in a hand-thrown bowl. This is her way of spreading joy, and she finds inspiration in the thought that her creations might make someone’s day a little brighter. She hopes this cycle of inspiration — where the excitement of her audience fuels her creative energy — continues to thrive, enabling her to create art that brings smiles and warmth to people’s lives. If you eat off something every day, it might as well be a work of art!

Valley Arts Association has profoundly impacted Maggie’s artistic journey. The familiar faces and warm appreciation of the local community foster confidence and inspire her to experiment with her artistic style. Valley Art’s vibrant culture and lively environment have also provided ample opportunities for networking and collaboration. Moreover, Valley Art’s website serves as a hub for upcoming events, allowing her to stay connected to the local art scene, discover new inspiration, and showcase her creations.

Maggie’s journey to becoming a potter was unexpected, but it has led to some truly stunning work. Her use of color and hand glazing has made Maggie’s pieces into unique and beautiful works of art that people can enjoy. If you’re looking for something functional and artistic to add to your home, you can’t go wrong with one of Maggie’s creations.

To see more of Maggie’s work, check out her Facebook pages under ‘Maggie Pike’ or ‘Passport to Color.’ You can also see her creations at Valley Art at 2022 Main Street in Forest Grove, (503) 357-3703 or on their website at: www.valleyart.org

Vampire Facial (PRP)

$699 Includes Face & Neck

PRP Under Eye Treatment

3 Treatments - $1649

Co2 Fractional Laser

Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing is one of the most effective way to treat fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, loose or sagging skin, as well as scars. In addition to treating the face, we can treat the neck, chest and even hands.

$1,199 one area

Opus Plasma Fractional Laser

Opus Plasma represents the next generation of fractional skin resurfacing treatments for women and men of most skin types who want to minimize wrinkles and reverse damage caused by the sun and the natural aging process.

$799 Incl. Face, Neck & Décolleté

Nova PDO Thread

NovaThreads is the Face-Lift alternative! It can fill wrinkles and slightly lift the skin. Additionally, as a result of the PDO being absorbed, the skin naturally produces collagen.

$135 per thread

Agnes Precision

Microneedling

Agnes RF is a non-surgical radio frequency device that treats eye bags, tightens and removes fat from the neck and jawline area. Cystic acne is treated by removing the sebaceous gland.

$825 one area

Secret RF

Microneedling

The Secret RF Micro-needling System is a powerful new technology that is ideal for facial rejuvenation, improving scars, cellulite, and plumping and tightening loose skin.

$725 Incl. Face, Neck & Décolleté

IPL

Remove sun spots. age spots, acne spots and any other skin pigmentation.

NIR

Light therapy that removes the appearance of sagging skin, wrinkles and fine lines.

Laser Genesis

Improves fine lines, skin tone & increases collagen production.

Clear Lift

Lifts sun damage, pigmentation & dark and red scars including Melasma.

PCA Chemical Peel

Increase the skin’s cell turnover rate, bring new skin cells to the surface, diminish dark spots, reduce fine lines & wrinkles, clear breakouts as well as restore youthful and radiant appearance.

3 - Small Areas $199 (Under arms, Upper lip, Sideburns, Chin)

3 - Medium Areas $399

(French bikini, lower arms, lower legs, lower back, lower abdomen)

3 - Large Areas $699

(full Brazillian, full leg, full abdomen, full back, full arms