AI-assisted summary Eugene businesses demonstrate unique approaches and personality.

Local entrepreneurs prioritize community connection and cater to local needs.

Several businesses have opened in response to a demand for in-person experiences and tangible goods.

One of my favorite things about being a journalist is that no two days on the job are exactly the same. As The Register-Guard’s growth and development reporter, I can confidently say the businesses in Eugene provide a unique approach and inject personality into their ventures in a way that keeps things exciting day after day.

I’ve met dozens of business owners who call this valley home and each one brings charisma and passion to their work. From movie stars-turned-leather-makers, to former tech workers opening boutiques and long-time staples of the community, Eugene’s business owners provide wares to shoppers along with a side of storytelling.

Take The Hippie Closet, for example. Nathaniel and Aundrea Jones moved to Eugene from Colorado and sought to fill a gap in the local tie-dye scene. They saw a sea of brightly colored clothes, but nowhere for folks to craft their own. Thus, the Color Lab at The Hippie Closet was born, where blank items and everything to dye them with are readily available for an interactive experience. Our interview was backed with a stellar soundtrack — lots of classic rock fitting of the store’s hippie vibes — and the opportunity to see the Jones family create some of their own tie-dyed items.

At Flux Crystals, Owner Jenelle Pearson welcomed me into her shop to discuss how spirituality and business operate hand-in-hand in Eugene with stores dedicated to crystals, meditation tools and educational materials on how to connect with one’s highest self. We talked about cosmic callings, intuition and the desire to hold space for divinely feminine energies across the community.

Between the warmly scented incense burning at the counter and the calming music playing over the speaker, Pearson curated a space to find and build community. While I don’t keep crystals myself, Pearson’s connection to them sparked my curiosity about the practice.

Businesses in Eugene also find ways to tap into what the community truly wants. Elizabeth Bookey started Moon & Moss Co. earlier this year and launched her event production business with a speed friending event hosted at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House. Sitting at a high-top table in the 5th Street Alley, she told me about her move to Eugene from Seattle in 2013 and how she found it hard to make friends. Her experience isn’t unique. The “Seattle Freeze,” a term coined by the Seattle Times, exists for a reason, as the Pacific Northwest is known for a cold social climate.

Bookey’s answer to this problem, and her business’s introduction to the community, was to host a speed friending event. After the gathering, she let me know the event had been a success with sold-out tickets and great conversations happening all evening.

The desire for in-person connections has been a recurring theme for many of the business owners I’ve spoken to. Coverage about Lane County’s bookstore boom brought me to Tsunami Books in Eugene, Vinyl and Pine in Springfield and Cottage Groove in Cottage Grove to discuss a trend these bookstore owners have been seeing — a return to physical media and the intentional resurgence of bookstores as community hubs.

Scott Landfield, worker-owner at Tsunami Books, walked me through the store’s long history of grassroots gatherings and event hosting. Sara Dubick, co-owner of Vinyl and Pine, shared how her dream to own a record store fell into place when she realized the community was seeking out tangible media. An extra perk was Vinyl and Pine’s ability to provide Springfield with a local bookstore, something the area previously lacked. Greg and Lisa Ingold, owners of Cottage Groove, shared their experience turning the former Kalapuya Books location into a space where books and music co-exist.

Most recently, I got to revisit The Hybrid Gallery for the opening of a new record store in the Whiteaker neighborhood, Brown Hornet Records. Owner Okon Udosenata welcomed me into this space in the spring of 2024, when he moved his business, Equiano Coffee Roasters, into the building. A little over a year later, with a Ghostface Killah record spinning in the background, we got to reconnect and discuss how his long-time loves of music and fostering community coalesced into the management of his two businesses.

The joys of this job far outweigh the stress of regular deadlines. Whether I’m chatting with owners about their dreams to expand operations or diving into conversations about what entrepreneurs in Eugene need to be able to thrive, I can’t help but be grateful for the opportunity to share the quirks and happenings of local businesses with our readers.

Hannarose McGuinness is The Register-Guard’s growth and development reporter. You can reach her athmcguinness@registerguard.com.