West Salem Community Advantage Magazine April 2023

COMMUNITY ADVANTAGE

THE VALLEY’S ONE-STOP

SHOPPE

FOR ALL YOUR LANDSCAPING NEEDS

Landscape Shoppe

THE place for all your landscape needs

And don’t worry about delivery. Landscape Shoppe will bring your supply order straight to your preferred location with reasonable rates and no minimum order. Delivery is available in Salem, McMinnville, Dallas, Independence, and even as far as the Oregon Coast. This is a huge perk as Landscape Shoppe stocks many unique products you can’t find just anywhere. “We have an excellent selection of landscaping stones, by far the best in this area, so that’s a niche for us,” says Tim. “Some people like to come in and place their orders personally just because they enjoy coming into the Shoppe. We have many interesting things, and with my background, they can find unusual pieces and parts for commercial landscaping equipment you can’t find at other stores.”

Landscape Shoppe operates from a new location, just a half mile from its previous store. The new facility is professionally designed and well-laid out for the shopper’s ease. Tim and his team love their customers and work hard to provide exemplary service and products, boasting a slew of regular commercial and residential clientele. “We enjoy seeing people come back every season,” says Tim. “We’ve grown each year because we do the best job we can, helping people with their projects and giving them that personal, one-on-one interaction.”

By Angie Helvey, Contributing Writer

Photos by Laurel Bice

Summer is coming, and it’s the perfect time to plan a landscape project. Whether you’re a professional looking for bulk materials and the latest products, or a homeowner planning your DIY dream backyard, Landscape Shoppe is here to meet all of your outdoor supply needs.

Tim Barnes has been running a commercial landscape business in Salem for more than 30 years. Nine years ago, he and his family decided to share their expertise with their community and open Landscape Shoppe, stocking and delivering an impressive selection of high-quality products, including bark, sand and gravel, soil and compost, decorative rock, flagstone, boulder, and concrete hardscape. They also offer many other project supplies, such as fabrics and tarps, hardscape, seed and fertilizer, irrigation, water pumps and pond accessories, and various equipment and tools. The business is family-owned and -operated, with Tim’s son, Luke, as “shoppe” manager and his wife, Denise, as the financial manager.

Tim and his knowledgeable staff are ready to help you choose the right products for your project, big or small. “People often call, and we’ll help them build a landscape package, help them with material orders and decide how much they need of a product. Because of my commercial background, I can advise on all types of projects,” Tim explains.

Whether planning a residential or commercial landscape project, contact Landscape Shoppe for expert advice and the best materials delivered straight to you. Or visit their new location and get creative inspiration to design your next outdoor DIY project. Tim and his friendly staff are excited to work with you.

The Landscape Shoppe is located at 5000 Salem Dallas Hwy in Salem. Visit their website at landscapeshoppe.com for more info and delivery rates, or give them a call at 503-710-9765.

From left: Luke Barnes (manager), Tim Barnes (owner) and Daniel Perez.

SETH’S WISH MAKE-A-WISH ® FOUNDATION

Come to MWNW and help Make-A-Wish® come true!

Celebrating 28 years in business, locally-owned and -operated Mattress World Northwest (MWNW) carries the largest selection that will fit your needs best, and the only store with the 4 major sleeping technologies: GelFlex Grid, TEMPUR® foam, Air, and Natural Latex. They carry major brands like: Tempur-Pedic®, Purple™, The Number Bed by Instant Comfort®, and Posh+Lavish™ Natural Latex. They’re all in-store, side-by-side, for your convenience! And they guarantee the lowest price and have a 90-night comfort guarantee, so you can take home a better night’s sleep with confidence. Their employees love working here and will always greet you with a smile, listen to your needs and concerns, and give you a great buying experience. On average, team members have worked here for 5+ years, and their management team 10+ years, so you know they are committed to this company and making their customers happy.

In April, all locations will be accepting donations in support of the MakeA-Wish Foundation whose goal is to fulfill life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, such as Seth, a passionate golfer, whose story you will read below. Studies have proven that the creation and realization of those wishes can engender strength, hope, and transformation in not only the children receiving the gifts, but also their communities. MWNW is gladly donating to this incredible cause while raising awareness by taking donations on their behalf. Please help raise funds by donating online or visiting a local store.

When he was just a few months old, Seth received his first set of golf clubs from his grandfather. He pulled them around the house everywhere as he crawled. He took his first golf lesson at age 4 and became a competitive golfer by age 13. During his senior year in high school, Seth finished the golf season as the top player for his school. But then, a devastating diagnosis threatened to take him off the greens.

“When my doctor told me I had leukemia, at first I thought it was a joke,” Seth said. “When I knew it was real, I instantly thought I was going to die and felt very sad and afraid.” Doctors told Seth the sooner

he could start treatment the better, so he was back the next morning to get going. During this challenging time, Seth found renewed hope through Make-AWish® Oregon.

“I was super excited when I learned I qualified for a wish and was really intrigued by it all,” Seth said. “It took my mind off of what was going on at home or at the hospital and gave me a reason to believe, gave me something to look forward to and hopefully achieve.” When Seth centered on what his wish should be, it was back to the game he loved. He wished to go to The Masters. It wasn’t just about golf–it was about experiencing the unparalleled beauty of the world-renowned grounds firsthand.

In April of 2022, Seth and his family arrived at Augusta National for the 86th edition of the Masters Tournament to watch his childhood heroes tee off. “I had one of the best experiences of my life,” said Seth. “It gave me so many memories that I will cherish for a lifetime and gave me valuable time and memories with my family that I may not get when I get older.”

Months after an unforgettable experience with golf’s most elite, Seth started at UNLV’s PGA Golf Management program. He says there is no doubt his wish journey transformed his life. “It showed me how to live in the moment,” said Seth. “The connections and love I have received from Make-A-Wish® have been incredible and lifechanging. Even after my wish was completed, I still received so much love and appreciation from Make-A-Wish® that is not comparable to anything out there.”

Family-owned and -operated, dedicated to providing customers with the best products at the lowest prices, and donating to and participating in their local communities – Mattress World Northwest exemplifies the very best of retail. Get a better night’s sleep and help support your community by visiting your local Mattress World Northwest location for more information, or you can order online at mattressworldnorthwest.com.

Seth and his family at The Masters

Seth, age 7, with the Campbell Cup trophy

Feeling Is Believing.

The Trading Place

Elite Buyers NW has what you want

that come to him from a variety of above-board sources. He gets continuous calls asking for items and never knows what’s going to walk through the door—a part of the business he loves. He also on occasion ends up with somewhat odd pieces, including a gun rack made up of deer hooves.

Today, he trades in what he says “are the things folks want, not the things they need.” He also finds that folks who are desperate make up a very small percentage of his customer base, as well as those who want to sell the literal shirt off their back.

By Olive Gallagher, Contributing Writer

Photos by Laurel Bice

When one hears the words “pawn shop,” many of us, conditioned for decades primarily by films, probably envision a dark out-of-the-way shop where folks, down on their luck or desperate, are forced to part with the last valuable thing they own in order to survive. Even in “It’s a Wonderful Life” there’s no pawn shop on the lovely main street in Bedford Falls; but in George Bailey’s nightmare, there’s the grim storefront of a seedy pawn shop on the main street in Pottersville.

Well, throw that perception out of the window and make a visit to Elite Buyers NW, owned by Bryan Fitzgerald. Now with two locations—one that opened in 2019 in West Salem and won a 2020 Best New Business Award, and another one in Lancaster—what you’ll find will be a pleasant surprise.

Entering either location, you’ll find a well-lit interior with good music playing in the background, and polite, helpful folks dedicated to providing quality service on a “first name” basis. And Bryan is always there, ready to make a good deal and buy, sell or trade pretty much anything from rare Pokemon cards to DVDs, jewelry, silverware or firearms. He also has on hand, in any given moment, brand new things 8 To Advertise With Us, Call 503.825.2111

Bryan was born in Salem into a small, close-knit family. From his childhood, he loved to collect baseball cards and go to garage sales. Raised primarily by a single mom, he earned a criminal justice associate degree and worked in juvenile corrections in Woodburn. He loved that work, having considered himself an “at risk” kid himself. Today, he’s married with two children, two dogs and five cats, and is dedicated to his family and his customers.

That background helped form the value systems that guide him today, particularly in the way he handles the purchase or selling of firearms. He works closely with the Salem Police and every item carries a serial number. Bryan also works within a software that tracks every transaction. Each sale or purchase is with someone with proper identification, and every night, reports go into the police department regarding each purchase or sale. Every purchase also has a two-week waiting period while the item is cross-checked with law enforcement.

Stop in for a great shopping experience at Elite Buyers NW.

For more information, please call the West Salem store at 503-339-7594, the Lancaster location at 503-689-1755, or visit elitebuyersnwpawnshop.com.

Enjoy the Outdoors No Matter the Weather!

By Colton Womack, Contributing Writer

Oregon is a state best known for its scenic landscape, and with it comes a thorough experience of the four seasons. It’s important to be able to enjoy the outdoors no matter the weather, and better yet if it’s from the comfort of your own patio – whether it be a family get-together, a barbecue, or simply a private retreat. This was a need felt strongly by the good people at Crown Patio Covers, a business locally owned by a husband and wife team born and raised in Oregon.

They graduated from Oregon State University in 2004. With a passion for business ownership, and wanting to have a positive impact on their local community, the patio cover business was a perfect fit. It also gave them the opportunity to show their two kids, ages 8 and 10, what it looks like to work hard and meet the needs of others. They built an all-star team from the best people in the industry, made up of folks with up to 15 years of experience, and sought to fill a niche that wasn’t being served in their community: high quality, affordable patio covers to expand outdoor living spaces.

What separates Crown Patio Covers is their culture and the quality of their products. Offering services from North Salem all the way up to Vancouver, they cover the wider Portland Metro area. Using aluminum framing, double-layered acrylic paneling, and with a hefty snow load, these patio covers won’t yellow, brittle or break –unlike the poly-carbonate of their competitors! With complete UV protection, and a variety of transparency options, the customer is able to tailor how much light comes through so they can enjoy the beauty of the open sky while still having shelter.

A design consultant will also advise customers on their services and options, even helping to develop custom designs to match their needs. With clear communication and reliable installation, they’ve made sure the process of purchasing with them is a breeze. It’s this customer-first approach that allows Crown Patio Covers to help people spend more time with friends and family in the backyard, and have fewer rainy days spoil the fun!

Give Crown Patio Covers a call at 503-406-9111, or check out their website crownpatiocovers.com for more information.

Ron Nevison Legendary

Music Producer and Sound Engineer

By Dennis McNabb, Contributing Writer

With a career spanning nearly 5 decades, he is one of the most distinguished record producers/audio engineers to ever spin the knobs. And he lives right here in the Pacific Northwest!

From a young age, Ron Nevison had an innate fascination with both music and electronics, a fortuitous combination he would soon learn. He was the kid in school who had his nose perpetually buried between the pages of Popular Electronics and was constantly frequenting Radio Shack for parts to build radios. While he initially sang in the school choir and a variety of doo-wop bands, hoping to break into the business as a performer, his first gig was with Festival Group Sound, traveling with bands on tour, driving truck, hauling gear, etc. Recognized for his strong work ethic, organizational skills, and extensive knowledge of electronics, however, he was quickly moved over to the arena of sound mixing where his strengths could be better utilized.

Over the course of just a few years, Ron earned a reputation for being one of the prominent “sound men” in the business, making some of the biggest acts of the time (Jefferson Airplane, Traffic, and Derek and the Dominos) sound absolutely incredible live. That said, while he was in high demand, his ultimate goal was to work in the studio. An auspicious meeting

with Chris Blackwell, founding owner of Island Records, secured an opportunity for him, and a month later Ron was living in London. His first job as a sound engineer was working on The Who’s seminal double album, “Quadrophenia”. It was a massive undertaking: a year-long project that required extensive use of sound effects (which all had to be collected manually at the time) and a trial-by-fire learning experience for Ron. But it was one of the most memorable of his career. Ron stated that Pete Townsend was a brilliant and generous man, and a real mentor for the fledgling engineer.

Over the next 4 decades, Ron earned his place among the upper echelon of recording engineers and producers by working with some of music’s most popular acts while putting out some of their best-selling albums. Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, The Rolling Stones, Heart, Chicago, Meat Loaf, Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, Europe; the list goes on and on. Highlights of his career include many of the record industry’s highest distinctions, including being recognized by Billboard Magazine as one of their “Top-5 Producers of the Year” four separate times, garnering countless Grammynominated and winning hit singles and albums, and producing a host of Multi-Platinum and Gold-selling albums.

And he’s still at it! These days Ron can still be hired to produce and engineer albums through SoundBetter, the world’s leading music production marketplace. Interested in working with one of the all-time greats for your next musical project? Hop on SoundBetter.com and check out Ron’s profile. He’s local. He’s one of the coolest, most low-key, easy-going guys you’ll ever meet, and he has a track record that’s hard to beat!

Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon and & Ron Nevison Rampart Studios, 1973

Ron Nevison

KISS “Crazy Nights”, 1987

The Who “Quadrophenia”, 1973 UFO “Strangers in the Night”, 1979

Ozzy Osbourne “The Ultimate Sin”, 1986

Easter History: Hares, Eggs, & Candy

By Donovan Darling, Staff Writer

Easter is about rebirth, renewal, and fertility. This is evident in symbols like the Easter bunny and Easter eggs, which eventually led to chocolate eggs, marshmallow Peeps, and the second best-selling candy holiday in America! Let’s take a quick look at how Easter has changed over the years.

Easter Bunny

According to legend, the Easter bunny first came to 1700s America with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and brought along their tradition of an egg-laying rabbit called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Children made outdoor nests so this curious creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the tradition spread across the country, and the fabled hare’s Easter morning goodies would eventually include chocolate, candy, and gifts, while colorful baskets would replace the nests. Much like milk and cookies left out for Santa, children would often leave out carrots in case the Easter bunny got hungry from all his hopping!

Easter Eggs

From a Christian perspective, eggs were handed out during Easter service in early Orthodox churches, with the hard shell representing the sealed tomb and the cracking of the egg representing the resurrection. One explanation is that eggs used to be forbidden during Lent, so Christians would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, then eat them on Easter as a celebration. The origin of dyeing Easter eggs is less clear, beginning anywhere from 13th century Europe or all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia. It’s rumored the early Christians of Mesopotamia dyed eggs using red to represent the blood shed on the cross. Later, missionaries may have painted biblical scenes on eggs and used them to explain the story of Easter to children.

Easter Candy

Fast forward to the 19th century, when European chocolatiers began making chocolate eggs to celebrate Easter. Nowadays, Easter is the second best-selling candy holiday in America a er Halloween. e largest Easter egg ever made was over 25 feet high and weighed over 8,000 pounds, made from chocolate and marshmallow, and supported by an internal steel frame. Another egg-shaped candy is the jelly bean, rst popular for Easter back in the 1930s. Over 16 billion jelly beans are made in the U.S. each year for Easter. Over the last decade, the marshmallow Peep has been the best-selling non-chocolate Easter candy. Created in the 1950s, the original Peeps were handmade, yellow marshmallow chicks, and other avors and shapes were introduced later, including chocolate mousse bunnies!

info from history.com