Sagittarius Bar + Restaurant
My creative path has been decidedly non-linear. Yep, I used to own a bar where I was the boss! In 2005, I conceived, designed, built, owned, and operated a cocktail bar/restaurant in North Portland, just a few blocks from our house. Described as a ‘postmodern ski-lodge/bordello for hipsters’, SAGITTARIUS was a crazy cool labor of love, liquor, and laughs for 5 years until we sold it so that we could take some days off.
Neighborhood Hangout
My husband and I (pictured here) converted an old Dry Cleaner business into what we hoped would be ‘the DOTS of North Portland’. We ran it together and soon realized that it was the best way to get to know all of our neighbors. We made bonds and relationships well beyond daily commerce. We met some of our best friends today while working there!
Type Love
In addition to the interior design, signage, menu development, advertising, and vibe-mastering, I painted this typography mural on the east wall of the bar. It was a gas.
Bomb Employees
When you have the best crew in town, you’d better feature them in the bi-monthly ads that you place in the Portland Mercury! Snapping a phone pic and creating these quickly became one of my favorite tasks and helped me realize that I needed to face the fact that designing stuff for the bar was way more fun than running it.
Star Sign
I découpaged three collages of accomplished Sagittarians that hung on the wall adjacent the mural. Sagittarius is a sign known for wild luck, gregarious creativity, and huge appetites. Customers loved picking out their favorites.
Happy Hands
As an owner/operator, my fingers were on every decision and every task that needed to be done to keep the place humming. While everyone loves honest work, my best hours were when I could create these displays, tinker with the phrasing of an ad, or crack a visual joke on a handmade sign, These may not look like much to me now, but they got me on the right path, and they kept up the old hand skills.
I like Food. Food is Good.
The core menu at Sagittarius was comfort food with a few fancy twists. It was deeply good, it was happening, and we made sure it stayed that way during a time when North Portland (lower Killingsworth, specifically) was a desolate place for food lovers.