Community Business Spotlight: Beam and Anchor
Talking Shop With Our Neighbors at Beam & Anchor
In this series, Urban Nest sits down with local PDX business owners to talk shop about what makes their store or business fit so well with Portland. Learn about new neighborhoods, new businesses, PDX community and more!
Exceptional Home Decor and Furnishings, Portland-Style
Walking into the shop on North Interstate, you're immediately transported to a wonderland of expert-curated items, any of which could be a major player in turning a house into a home. We talk with co-owners Jocelyn and Robert Rahm about their experience bringing their vision to life here in Portland:
UN: How long have you been in business?
It'll be 5 years in April.
UN: How would you describe the community that surrounds your business?
We are fortunate to be surrounded by the "maker" community in Portland that consists of craftsmen/women and artisans that create anything from furniture to jewelry to ceramics to textiles to leather goods. These are people that work alongside us in our building, people we've collaborated with locally and the vendors we work closely with that have their goods in our shop. In addition, a big percentage of our local customer base works within or is connected to the design community. The overall makeup of our community consists of a robust and thriving creative cohort of people doing really amazing work. It's a very exciting place to be, especially considering how open-minded people generally tend to be in this city.
UN: What do you think makes your shop a great fit for Portland?
We think our shop works for Portland because there's a large contingent of people in this town that place a lot of value on spending their money on things that will add meaning to their lives, and that genuinely care about how something was made. In addition, the city is full of designers and aesthetically inclined people that care about the spaces they live in and want to fill their spaces with well designed products that are beautiful and utilitarian. They know they can come to B&A and find well made things that will add beauty and texture to their spaces.
UN: What is your favorite thing about Portland?
There are so many places we love to go to and things we love to do here that make Portland so special to us but beyond the specifics is the vibe of the city that is really determined by the makeup of the people that inhabit the place. We have found that Portland is filled with people that care about each other, that recognize the impact we have on each other and there's a real palpable kindness and generosity that we've experienced in our more insular circles and within the broader circles of our community. Portland tends to draw people that are conscious about their choices and thoughtful about how they interact with the world, making it a very warm and hospitable place to live, raise kids and own a business.
UN: What part of town do you live in, and what do you love about it most?
North Portland. It's a little grittier than other parts of the city and we like that. One criticism we have of Portland is the homogeny and there's a little less of that in North Portland. Of course there's gentrification happening in our neighborhood, and that's painful to be witness to, but at least it forces us to have a conversation about it.
URBAN NEST PDX: WE KNOW PORTLAND!
Click here to learn more about working with us to find the PDX home of your dreams today.
Learn more about Beam & Anchor on their website.