Records from 296 B.C. in Ancient Greece tell of a place where men would gather to get their hair and beards trimmed, and of course, debate political and philosophical subjects while they were at it. In reality, the practice of barbering—or cutting men’s hair—goes back even further, as nearly every culture throughout history had some sort of standard for men’s grooming. While the methods of cutting hair, products used and styled appearances have changed over time, barbershops are still considered gathering places for men to sit back, take care of themselves and perhaps even gossip a bit. Across the country, these businesses that traditionally cater to men can be identified by the swirling red, white and blue streaks of a barber pole outside their front doors. In Bend, when someone walks into a barbershop, they are often greeted with a local beer or whiskey to sip while waiting for a turn in the barber’s chair.
In Deschutes County there are 141 people licensed as barbers, practicing a career that has traditionally been for those who want to be their own boss. According to many barbershop owners in Bend, the trend in Bend and throughout the country isn’t to employ barbers, but instead to rent out chairs for barbers to practice their craft. In this way, most barbers are self-employed—they dictate their own schedule and many of them have their own loyal following of clientele that is somewhat separate from the overall shop’s roster.
For many owners and barbers such as Debbie Bennett, current owner of L & K Barber Shop which has been open in downtown Bend since 1968, this method of employment has significantly more pros than cons. Bennett said that barbers can oftentimes make more money in self-employment. Beau and KayLea Beach, the husband and wife owners of Esther Salon and 4.fourteen Gentlemen’s Grooming, both located within the Widgi Creek Resort, said that there are two sides to the chair-rental form of employment. “The flexibility of self-employment is nice, but some stylists and barbers are going to want the stability that a nine-to-five income brings,” said KayLea. Beau echoed the statement by adding that some barbers appreciate a more hands-off approach when it comes to scheduling, booking clients, advertising and handling finances. “Self-employment can work out really well if you’re the kind of person who wants that control and independence,” he said.
At the West Side Barber Shop, owner and barber Travis Maxwell asserts that the biggest pro to being your own boss is that it allows you to truly be yourself. “I’ve always wanted to be a barber,” he said. “I’ve always had an interest in it because it’s an old-school practice that lets people still be people.” In his barbershop, Maxwell is able to be himself. He is heavily tattooed in the American traditional style and spends his free time fixing up hot rods. He believes that the very nature of self-employment attracts people like him to barbering.
When asked about the biggest challenge they faced while running their businesses, each owner echoed the same point: the pandemic shutdowns were difficult to survive, but barbering is an ongoing practice because grooming is consistent when hair grows at a rate, for most, at a half an inch per month. Today, many shop owners are happy to say that their books are almost always full, keeping their respective businesses steady and profitable. A challenge facing the industry today is the lack of young barbers, creating a somewhat hot labor market with a high turnover rate.
Ryan Burnhart of Metropolitan Barber
Barbershop Culture
Socially speaking, barbershops have traditionally played an important role in society. Beau and KayLea agree that barbershops have been one of the only socially acceptable places for men to make time for self care and talk about their personal lives. “Historically speaking, and especially with older generations, many men haven’t had an outlet to talk about themselves or treat themselves to something nice,” KayLea said. “Barbershops have always stood out because they allow men to do just that.” At each barbershop, the owner has an opportunity to create their own type of environment. Beach and Maxwell, for example, help their clients relax by serving them a complimentary beer or whiskey and are television-free to keep channels open for communication, they said. Bennett considers her shop more traditional with a television to watch during a wait for a haircut, but no beer is served.
Keeping up traditions
No matter how they approach cutting hair, each owner emphasizes one thing: tradition. From the way that Beau trims long hair with a straight razor using what is considered an old-fashioned technique to how Bennett rejects serving beer, tradition is something that is very important to barbers. While techniques and aesthetics change in the future, just as they have in the past, the industry of barbering will not go away: hair will need to be cut, and the barbershop as a gathering place for men to relax and accept pampering will remain in some form. Today, the tradition is visible with the welcoming signal of a whirling barber’s pole.
Bend has certainly changed during the past few decades. The number of roundabouts and breweries has exponentially increased. The home prices have gone through the roof. The proliferation of familiar business names—from Starbucks to Sephora—has become commonplace. However, some things haven’t changed. Chief among them, longtime local businesses that have not just survived, but thrived. Meet several familiar faces of businesses that have stood the test of time.
If you grew up in Bend, there’s a good chance you got your first bike at Sunnyside Sports. It’s equally likely that since then, you’ve bought your kids—maybe your grandkids—their first bike there, too. Jim Desmet and Gary Fowles opened Sunnyside Sports in 1972 on Irving Avenue. Over the years it moved and changed owners a few times before settling in a little house on Newport Avenue in 1990. The current owners, Susan Conner and Mike Schindler, bought the business in 2013, but that’s certainly not when their relationship to Sunnyside started. Schindler started working at the shop in 2000, and Conner has been there since 1988; she was the first woman they hired. Before Sunnyside moved in, the building housed a taxidermy business, and when Schindler started in 2000, the lot across the street—now housing Spork and other businesses—held a used car dealership. “There was nothing on Newport,” Conner said. “We owe (former owner Don Leet) a ton for that vision. One of the appraisers, when we were going through the design, said we should put garage doors in it so that when we went out of business it could be an auto shop or something.”
The bike business continues to change. More and more big bike companies are buying shops to control how their merchandise is marketed and sold. The proliferation of e-bikes, and technology and software complicates the industry. Nevertheless, Schindler said, “It’s still hard to get away from some of the things that make bikes beautiful. Even though chains are messy and they break, and derailers are not elegant-looking, [they are] still efficient.” It doesn’t hurt that Sunnyside’s pros often are still able to work on the bike someone bought from them in 1975 and still offer free checkups for those old bikes—as well as for their newest e-bike. “Bikes always need service,” Conner said. “You’re always going to need a person with a wrench who knows what they’re doing.”
Sunnyside specializes in bikes, but it also sells and rents Nordic ski gear. While other bike shops have popped up and dropped away, fifty years in, Conner and Schindler agree that what has kept Sunnyside going is the personality behind it. “Our people are the gold. Mike and I work for them,” Conner said. “You can buy bikes anywhere. And so to keep the staff and keep our people long term…I think to me that’s it, that’s all we have really in the end.” Mike believes a small business’s success is the result of a committee—it’s not one person who has an idea and rules with an iron fist. “Sunnyside’s a big ship, and it’s been around for awhile and it’s had multiple owners, and we’re taking the helm, but it’s almost its own energy and vibe, and we happen to fit that vibe and our staff and customers do, too,” Schindler said, and Conner agreed. “It’s its own thing, and we’re stewarding Sunnyside right now, and then hopefully someone else will be groomed to steward it through,” Conner said. “It’s not ours. We’re almost in service to the store. We work for Sunnyside.”
When we think of Bend’s growth, much of it has transformed the city’s west side. Amidst that growth is a garden center that opened in 1970 and continues to prosper today. Each year at the start of April, Galveston Gardens’ gates open, signaling to the community that it’s time to prepare for spring and get some plants in the ground. “We sell shovels. We don’t sell gold. We sell shovels,” said owner Dino Cloward. “What we’re really doing is helping green the earth again.” Cloward’s family has owned the property on Galveston Avenue for 100 years, and they live there still. When Cloward was about 10 years old, his parents, Giovanna and Richard Cloward, began considering a business they could continue long into old age. Galveston Gardens was born. This is the ultimate family business—started by Cloward’s parents. On a recent weekday Dino Cloward’s daughter Luciana was moving pots in the hot sun and preparing for the next day’s hoards of customers.
Luciana, Maria and Dino Cloward are the future generations of Galveston Gardens.
It’s not an easy business. Being open between April and September means that’s the only time the business earns money, and the other six months are spent preparing for that busy season. The work itself is physical—dragging hoses, moving heavy pots and bags of soil. When it’s tough, Cloward returns to his family’s Italian roots: “Get Mama! Get the dog! Get everybody involved and get all our neighbors! And we get in…We just pile in and go for it.” Galveston Gardens has seen plenty of change over the years, but where growth may have hurt other businesses, it’s only helped the garden center. “When we first started, there were 30,000 or 40,000 people living here,” Cloward remembered. “I don’t even know the number today, and it doesn’t matter to me. It’s just a lot. Growth, growth, growth.”Today, people drive from Seattle and San Francisco to pick up their flower baskets.
The region’s growing zones have changed, too. Where once Bend was a Zone 3-4 (meaning some plants simply wouldn’t grow successfully here), Cloward said it’s morphing to a Zone 6-7. “Bad for planet Earth, great for gardening,” he said. The garden center now sells lemon and olive trees, as well as plants that use less water and produce more blossoms. At the end of the day, Cloward and Galveston Gardens seek to be a beacon in the community, a place that gives back and helps Bend be its best self. “We have a responsibility—politically, financially, physically and in our neighborhoods,” he said. “Show up, have your heart here and make a difference.”
Downtown Bend has been at the forefront of our changing city, and Pegasus Books of Bend has succeeded through much of that change. Pegasus was founded by Mike Richardson, who launched Dark Horse Comics in Portland. Pegasus opened in 1980 and Duncan McGeary worked there from the beginning, before buying it in 1984. “In 1980 [downtown] was a disaster,” McGeary said. “That’s something people don’t realize about Bend is that the ’80s were not great, the mills were having trouble, the lumber industry was having trouble and they had built two malls which had emptied out downtown. The irony being that they’re both gone and downtown Bend is thriving.”
Duncan McGeary of Pegasus Books of Bend
Pegasus was part of a group of small businesses that moved into downtown Bend and made it interesting. His store remains, while many have closed up over the years. For McGeary, the foot traffic in downtown Bend has always made the rent worth it—and he said his landlord has always been fair. Longtime Bendites think of comic books and games when they think of Pegasus, but over time it’s grown to much more. The store also has new and used books, graphic novels, sports cards, toys and lots of pop culture stuff, including a nice selection of anime and manga. While he may not be able to change the locals’ perception, he’s proud to have stuck around through good times and bad. “I’m stubborn,” he said of sticking around through ups and downs over the years. “I don’t quit.” Bend is better for that stubbornness. On a recent weekend, McGeary greeted a very steady stream of customers—some browsing, some knowing exactly what they were looking for, and nearly all leaving with a book or a game in hand. McGeary marked the purchases down with a pen on a clipboard. You won’t find elaborate window displays at Pegasus–McGeary admits that he rarely changes them out. Instead, he believes it’s the product that keeps his business going. “To me the main job is to get good books, good comics, good games,” he said. “If you’re doing that job right you don’t have time to do anything else.”
McGeary doesn’t believe that books and bookstores are dying. “I actually think that there’s a lot of room for indie bookstores,” he said. “People are coming around. I know that in downtown it works. … COVID actually helped bookstores. [People] couldn’t spend money on dinner and the movies.” Lucky for McGeary and Pegasus, many turned to books, and while Bend’s rapid growth has turned some longtime residents off, McGeary is a proponent. “I don’t object to the rents, I don’t object to the tourists, I don’t object to the growth,” he said. “It’s funny, because I am a [Bend] native…I could not have made a living in the downtown Bend that I grew up in.”
One sign that your business is an official Bend institution? You have collaborated with Deschutes Brewery on a beer and it’s named after your store. That’s right, there’s a Patient Angler Pale Ale. The Patient Angler Fly Shop, a fly-fishing equipment shop, opened in 1984. It was originally founded by John Harken who started the store out of his home. Peter Bowers—whose background was in mechanical engineering and who worked as a bartender and then managed a tire shop—was a frequent customer who bought the store twenty-five years ago. Bowers’ Bend story is one we’ve heard before. He fell in love with Bend during a weeklong visit, and within weeks had packed up his life in Arizona and moved here. Fly fishing quickly became Bowers’ “ultimate goal and passion.” While a lifelong hunter and fisherman, Bower found that Bend sparked his love of fly fishing, and he sat in the shop on the weekends soaking up knowledge.
Peter Bowers of The Patient Angler Fly Shop
Twenty years ago, he moved the shop to its current SE Third Street location—previously the site of a film-developing business. The traffic has been a boon for business. “This shop has always been a local’s favorite,” Bowers said. “Everybody says ‘Location, location, location,’ which I didn’t really realize until I moved it over here because I had 27,000 cars a day going back and forth and seeing the sign that says ‘Fly Shop.’”
Bendites who know fishing, Bowers said, know to visit The Patient Angler. What makes his shop the best? “Me,” he said, laughing. “It’s professionalism, it’s customer service, it’s knowledge of product.
I know more about every product in this shop than every other shop put together,” he said. There are a lot of places to go these days for both equipment and information—the internet, sure, but also big-box stores like REI. Bowers firmly believes there is such a thing as too much information out there, and he’s happy to educate customers properly. “It really comes down to service in the long run. I can’t tell you how many times people bring me stuff from a big box store,” he said. “And it’s the wrong stuff, and then I have to educate them on why.” Bowers hasn’t spent money on advertising since the Yellow Pages. He employs full-time salespeople, and doesn’t focus on selling the most expensive rod, but instead on selling the right equipment.
It’s his high level of knowledge that makes a store like this stick around. There are repeat customers, of course, but The Patient Angler also sees tons of out-of-towners and new fly fishing enthusiasts. His success, and the sport’s increasing popularity, is a double-edged sword. On a day off, Bowers sometimes shows up to his favorite fly-fishing spot only to find someone already there, holding a map and using a fly Bowers sold him. Still, it’s a double-edged sword he can live with for a long time to come. The only change he expects to see going forward? He’s hoping Deschutes will start canning Patient Angler Pale Ale so he can sell branded coolers full of his namesake beer.
As a helicopter pilot with Leading Edge Aviation in Bend, Nicole Orlich relies on high-tech weather forecasting every day. Aviation-specific platforms provide crucial atmospheric details for safe flying: she checks HEMS (helicopter and emergency medical services) to view low-level conditions in small areas, and Foreflight, an aviation app, to get weather briefings for her planned routes.
But Orlich’s advice to others for predicting storms is simpler, requiring no fancy technology: “Go outside and look up,” she said. “Weather apps and radars are important, but they’re not enough. Pay attention to how weather systems look and feel.” In that way, Orlich has developed a necessary instinct for weather that can change midflight.
While Nicole seeks out the calmest flight path between storms, her brother also keeps watch on the skies—in search of snow. Andrew Orlich flies closer to the ground than his sister, skiing in the backcountry or at Mt. Bachelor, where he is well known for his aerial maneuvers. Growing up in Central Oregon’s rugged climate taught them both to anticipate blustery weather, even on bluebird days.
Andrew bases his ski plans on weather cues from the jet stream, pressure systems and snow accumulation.
“Winds from the north bring cold air; wind direction tells me which slopes might load with snow. Low pressure systems bring precipitation, and temperature projections tell me how to layer for the day. Then I make an educated guess about how conditions might change, so I can pivot if needed and still have an awesome experience,” said Andrew.
Andrew Orlich
Few Bend locals delve into meteorology as deeply as the Orlich siblings, yet life in Bend revolves around the weather, from the tourist economy to the water supply to whether we ski on velvet or crust. Working behind the scenes are skilled experts who track the storms, interpret the data and layer science with gut instinct. These are the storm forecasters—the unsung heroes of winter.
LOCAL FORECASTING IN BEND
Many forecasters are life-long weather enthusiasts. For Katie Zuñiga, meteorology is a recently discovered passion. As a KTVZ journalist, she’s moved from producing to anchoring the news, but working with local legend Bob Shaw on weather reports was the spark that ignited her love of meteorology. “I get energized by learning the science behind the storms—how high-and low-pressure systems translate into snow and wind. I love sharing that science with others,” said Zuñiga.
“Weather reporting is unique because it’s unscripted. We never use a prompter for the forecast,” said Zuñiga. On a typical day, she studies the weather synopsis from the National Weather Service (NWS) station in Pendleton. Then she’ll compare multiple forecast models and review satellite and radar images, pulling significant elements from each layer of information. “Sometimes models don’t agree. Identifying the most likely outcome comes from deductive reasoning and experience,” said Zuñiga.
Storm forecasting in Bend holds two unique challenges, Zuñiga explained, and both are related to the geography of Central Oregon. The first challenge is a lack of radar information. The NWS operates weather radars in Portland, Medford and Pendleton. The radars send waves upward at an angle. By the time the radio waves reach Bend, they are miles overhead. “We get high-level radar information, but a lot happens between the ground and the radar image,” said Zuñiga.
Katie Zuñiga
The second major challenge is caused by the ground itself—that is, the changing elevation and ground angles. “Mountain regions have so many microclimates. Creating one forecast is a struggle,” said Zuñiga. Despite the variability, all KTVZ forecasts rely on data from the Redmond Airport, the nearest NWS certified weather station. “When I predict a two-inch snowfall, I know some spots will get a dusting and some way more. Precipitation and temperatures vary wildly from Warm Springs to LaPine—even across town. But we are committed to using only measurements verified by the NWS,” said Zuñiga.
PENDLETON TO BEND: THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
Meteorologists normally fall into two camps, according to Ed Townsend. There are forecasters who interpret and communicate current weather events, and there are researchers who develop new forecasting tools and technology. As the Science and Operations Officer at NWS Pendleton, Townsend gets to do both. He keeps one foot in operations—developing and defining forecasts—and the other foot in emerging science, leveraging new research into their daily work.
Pendleton may be more than 200 miles from Bend, but information from this office forms the foundation of every local forecast. Remote tracking of winter storms is more accurate than ever, according to Townsend, thanks to the latest generation of radar and satellites. “The advancements are staggering. High-resolution satellite snapshots map the movement of atmospheric rivers like the Pineapple Express, and our upgraded radars distinguish precipitation as rain, snow, or something in between,” said Townsend. Satellite images are especially important in places like Bend, where radar coverage is weak.
The recipe for Cascade winter storms involves three ingredients: a surge of moist air, mountain topography to lift the air, and freezing temperatures to support crystal formation. Add some atmospheric instability and voila! Bendites are in for fresh snow. Predicting whether the storms show up as howling blizzards or snow-globe-style powder dumps—that is where digital analysis and human instinct intersect, said Townsend. “Ultimately, our human strengths lie in recognizing patterns and extracting the critical pieces from big data,” he added.
Do the NWS models predict a ski-friendly winter season this year? Townsend is moderately optimistic.
“There are no guarantees, but the odds are tilted toward a weak La Niña pattern,” said Townsend.
Annual snowfall in the Cascades averages over 400 inches during a La Niña cycle. A bountiful snowpack impacts more than winter recreation: it’s critical for replenishing ground water and reservoirs throughout Central Oregon. After several years of below-average snowfall, much of the Cascades’ eastern slopes are experiencing serious drought.
As Townsend explained, climate change and meteorology are related sciences, but distinctly different in their scale and timeframes. The NWS Pendleton team stays focused on their core mission: analyzing current weather events and trends from the Cascades to the Wallowas, and providing solid forecasting data to support weather-related decisions made at a local level.
photo richard bacon
WINTER EXTREMES ONA VOLCANO
Understanding winter storms at Mt. Bachelor ski resort means adding a few key terms to the weather vocabulary: tree wells, wind slabs, freezing rime and storm recovery.
Dustin Balderach, Snow Safety Supervisor and head forecaster at Mt. Bachelor, keeps those terms in mind as he monitors storm events and snowfall throughout the ski season. Along with the ski patrol and management team, Balderach is constantly translating the forecast into potential impact on operations: Which lifts can run? What areas can open? Where are the avalanche risks?
“This 9000-foot volcano is the first obstacle to interrupt weather systems coming from the Pacific, so we get the full force of those winds. Combine that with our northern latitude, perfect for supercooling moist air into freezing rime, and you get gnarly, challenging mountain conditions,” said Balderach.
In addition to their own weather stations, Mt. Bachelor contracts with a private forecasting company for daily reports. They also rely on the University of Washington School of Atmospheric Sciences for models that predict snowfall intensity, and charts that graphically intersect freezing level with windspeed and direction.
Yet according to Balderach, nothing replaces real-time reports from ski patrollers with seasons of experience on the mountain. Mt. Bachelor storms follow predictable patterns. Each chairlift has a microclimate: Northwest experiences the brunt of incoming storms, with the harshest winds and rime. The intensity softens as storms wrap eastward around the mountain. Ski runs accessed by the easternmost chairlift, Cloudchaser, often feel protected on storm days…until the lift pops above the tree line, fully exposed to gale force winds. And Summit? “There are days the anemometer is frozen solid. And days it’s like skiing inside a ping pong ball, no visibility. But when we can open it, Summit is the most special place, with amazing views and ski runs in every direction,” said Balderach.
Along with the thrill of fresh powder, multi-day snowstorms bring hazards for skiers. Ski patrollers check for unsafe cornices, wind slabs that could collapse and slopes with avalanche danger. Tree wells are more difficult to mitigate. These hazards form when the lower branches of pine trees prevent snow from packing around the trunk. Skiers can easily fall into the pockets of loose snow and become stuck. Skiing with a partner and avoiding tree well areas are the best ways to stay safe.
FORECASTING FOR BACKCOUNTRY ADVENTURES
Backcountry skiers like Andrew Orlich, who forgo the ease of a chairlift, need to understand both weather and avalanche risks before they venture into backcountry terrain. The Central Oregon Avalanche Center (COAC) is dedicated to educating the backcountry community about how to stay safe.
Aaron Hartz works as a forecaster for COAC, in addition to teaching avalanche safety classes and managing his business, Hartz Science Explorations. For Hartz, the snowpack tells a story; the snow layers reveal the history of that season’s weather events. One rainy day can create an unstable layer that lasts for months. Avalanche forecasting requires awareness of the entire snow season. Building the forecasts is like solving a puzzle, fitting together weather information to create a full picture.
Central Oregon’s freeze-thaw cycles reduce avalanche danger by creating snow layers that stick together, but avalanches do happen. “Any snowstorm dropping ten inches or more is concerning, as are strong winds that push snow into huge slabs or cornices,” said Hartz.
The COAC weather station on Moon Mountain sends basic-but-important measurements to their website by modem. Any backcountry adventurer can check real-time temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and air pressure before they venture out. Hartz advises that weather analysis shouldn’t stop there.
“Keep asking yourself throughout the day if conditions are what you prepared for,” he said. “Is visibility or snowfall changing? Do I need to adjust my route or timeframe?”
Peter Murphy
WEATHER ON THE ROAD
Monitoring the weather is always partially about safety, maybe in no area more than when it comes to car travel. “We are in the business of keeping roads open. That’s why we’re here. If a road is closed, know that there is a good reason why,” said Peter Murphy, Public Information Officer for Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in Central Oregon. Murphy is responsible for sending out emergency road alerts to first responders, news stations and county road managers.
Murphy’s team bases decisions on NWS Pendleton’s daily conference call, and stays in close contact with plow drivers and emergency responders. Because Bend is a travel destination, they monitor both sides of the Cascades, plus weather along the Columbia gorge, explained Murphy. “Certain spots on roads to and from Bend are known for a classic combo of high winds and ice buildup, like the gorge or mountain passes,” he said.
The best way to avoid winter road hazards is to use ODOT’s TripCheck.com, an online resource for road conditions and closures. Taking a moment before hitting the road lets drivers preview road conditions through live webcams and check the interactive state map for road closures and snow hazards where traction tires are needed.
This winter, when you think about the weather, perhaps you’ll think a little bit more like a scientist—or at least remember to thank a scientist for the forecast you consider. When in doubt, simply go outside and look up.
Dustin Balderach, Snow Safety Supervisor and head forecaster at Mt. Bachelor, keeps those terms in mind as he monitors storm events and snowfall throughout the ski season. Along with the ski patrol and management team, Balderach is constantly translating the forecast into potential impact on operations: Which lifts can run? What areas can open? Where are the avalanche risks?
