Tag: 7110 NE Glisan

Community, Event, Food and Drink

Spring NE Glisan Block Parties May 31 and June 1

This weekend, Montavilla businesses will host two days of events along NE Glisan Street, featuring music, vendors, and activities. It starts on Saturday, May 31st, with the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association’s (METBA) 2025 Spring Block Party from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on NE 70th Avenue north of NE Glisan Street. Then, on Sunday, June 1st, Wildcard Barber and their adjacent businesses will host a Pride Month kickoff block party from noon to 5 p.m., with flash tattoos inked by Austin Fillmore and free gender-affirming hot towel face shaves.

A lively outdoor event scene featuring several vendor tents, people engaging in various activities, and colorful decorations. Families and children interact in a festive atmosphere.
The 2024 MEBA Spring Block Party booths

METBA’s event is part of its Spring Fling 2025 celebration and will create a mini street fair with three musicians scheduled by the street activation nonprofit Curbside Serenade. Seven vendors and activity booths will line the block party site, including many neighborhood establishments from around the district.

The May 31st music schedule starts at 10 a.m. with performer Jake Soffer, and then, at 11:15 p.m., Jet Black Pearl takes the stage area. Maeve Steir will close out the live performances with a set starting at 12:30 p.m. More information about the first block party can be found on the METBA.org page.

Promotional poster for a block party at Wildcard Barber, featuring colorful graphics, event details including date and time, and services offered like gender-affirming hot towel face shaves and flash tattoos.

Wildcard Barber and NightOwl Custom Apparel recently took tenancy within the building that hosts Hinterland Coffee at 7112 NE Glisan Street. The three businesses are collaborating on a June Pride Month party to celebrate the global recognition of LGBTQ+ culture and identity.

Austin Fillmore posts previews of the flash tattoo options at the artist’s website, awwwsin.com. These pre-designed permanent body art designs speed up the inking process, allowing for walk-in service. This vendor is a fitting event for Wildcard Barber to host, as it recently took over the former Highway Tattoo storefront at 7110 NE Glisan Street.

The business owners on NE Glisan invite people to attend their block parties this weekend, marking the cultural start of summer in Montavilla.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Event, New Business

Wildcard Barber Opens on NE Glisan

On Sunday, May 4th, Wildcard Barber will host a grand opening celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. with food, refreshments, and discount tooth gems. Montavilla’s newest barber shop recently took over the former Highway Tattoo space at 7110 NE Glisan Street. Owner Danielle St. Pierre shares the two-station shop with established Portland barber Erik “Gator” Heglund.

Inside Wildcard Barber, a woman with short hair and glasses sits at a styling station, smiling at the camera, while a man with long hair sits relaxed in the background, both in a modern barber shop environment.
Owner/barber Danielle St. Pierre and barber Erik “Gator” Heglund

St. Pierre is a Worcester, Massachusetts, native who relocated to Portland almost two years ago, bringing over a decade of barbering skills to the area. She has worked at many other locations across the city, feeling out the West Coast barber community and ensuring Portland was a good fit. “I was trying to figure out if this was a place I wanted to stay more long term,” recalled St. Pierre. “I’ve worked at collective salons where you’re just renting a chair and then at neighborhood barbershops. Neighborhood barbershops are my favorite. I like building a sense of community in a neighborhood area.” She heard that Hinterland had retail space available in its NE Glisan Street building and instantly appreciated the location as a place to create a people-focused barbershop. “I like that it’s very walkable. There are so many coffee shops, restaurants, and other small businesses that I’ve chatted with. It seems like they all work together on projects or little events, and I like the sense of community,” said St. Pierre.

Antique barber chair in a barbershop with a checkered floor and red accents.
Century old Koken barber chairs

Converting the space took appreciable effort, with the team repainting the shop themselves and then bringing in electricians and plumbers to create the hair washing and two cut stations. St. Pierre is a fan of classic barber finishes, installing antique barber chairs and an electric spiral-striped pole. “These two chairs are over 100-year-old Kokens, which are the original [hydraulic barber chair makers] from St. Louis. And the barber pole is a [William] Marvy pole. I definitely want to continue to fill the space with antique memorabilia because I enjoy old-school barber stuff,” remarked St. Pierre.

Interior view of Wildcard Barber showcasing an 'OPEN' neon sign and a vintage barber pole in the window, overlooking the street.

Although the space is slender –having once been the alleyway between the century-old commercial storefronts on this street before being enclosed– it is the right size for the two-person shop. “I enjoy the two-chair space a lot. I like that it’s a quiet environment. We always have music, but there is also the feeling that you can have a personal conversation with your client. I’ve worked in other big spaces that can be a little overwhelming. I like that [our location] is a low-key neighborhood shop,” said St. Pierre. She hopes everyone will feel welcome coming in to receive cuts and shaves. “I’m queer, and I think having a queer-owned, women-owned business in this neighborhood is going to be cool. I really enjoy the sense of having a community here and being able to build both his clientele and my clientele.” Gator and St. Pierre worked together at a previous location, and she brought him into the new shop. Since the soft opening on April 8th, his established client list has reliably shown up at the new location. “I would say he’s very booked; he’s killing it. We’re just trying to keep growing here in this new space,” explained St. Pierre.

A display shelf featuring various barber grooming products, including pomades, hair styling sprays, a cozy rubber duck, and a book about barbershops. A yellow flag reading 'Uppercut Deluxe' is hung above the shelf.
Wildcard Barber sells Uppercut Deluxe products

Although they priced haircuts for grown-ups, they can accommodate younger patrons if requested but anticipate mainly servicing teens and adults. Otherwise, they will see all types of customers, provided they need a style fitting their offerings. “It is a barbershop, definitely a little bit more androgynous as far as who we cut. It’s not necessarily short hair, but we lean shorter styles,” said St. Pierre. People can order haircuts, hot towel shaves, and beard services from the posted price list. They steer clear of coloring and other add-on services that are not traditionally part of a barbershop but have some restorative options. “We offer a shampoo and hot towel 10-minute service, a little relaxing thing, and we’ll do small cleanup stuff in between your bigger services. We wanted to keep it simple with our services and not get too expansive,” explained St. Pierre.

Barber shop price list featuring services and prices for haircuts, shaves, and add-ons, displayed next to a classic barber pole.

The name Wildcard Barber comes from a nickname St. Pierre received early on in her career for being good at switching between various styles –wildcards being a playing card that can substitute for any other card in a game. “I started in salons and would take all kinds of clients. It was just sort of the joke because I would cut all different people and types of hair, which I enjoy.”

A collection of framed artwork, memorabilia, and decorative items displayed on a wall in a barber shop, including colorful skateboards, retro signs, and banners.

Wildcard Barber is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Danielle St. Pierre and Gator invite people to attend the grand opening event on Sunday night. They anticipate serving pizza, soda, and some local pastries. They will sell logo merchandise and plan to have a raffle basket. Icy Fangs Tooth Gems will be at the shop from 6 to 8 p.m. during the opening to adhere some sparkle to people’s teeth at a discounted rate. If interested visitors miss the event, Danielle St. Pierre hopes to have regular events every other month, with the next one being a Pride Month event planned for June 1st. Follow the company’s Instagram page for more details.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion:Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Otter Wax, a neighborhood producer of small-batch specialty goods handcrafted in Portland. Using only natural ingredients, they make modern care products that are steeped in tradition. We thank them for their support.

Construction, New Business

Highway Tattoo Opening on NE Glisan

Next month, Highway Tattoo will open at 7110 NE Glisan Street next door to Hinterland. After ten years working for others in multi-chair tattoo parlors, tattoo artist Christina Platis is creating her own shop. The move will allow Platis an opportunity to embrace her artistic style and create a secluded tattoo experience for clients.

Platis began tattooing near her hometown, where it was easy to train in the field. However, building a career there was never her intention. “I had always wanted to move out of Southern California, where I grew up. But once I started tattooing down there, I felt kind of obligated to stay there and work, getting experience.” After honing her skills for several years, Platis moved to Oregon. “I wanted to try something new, and I came to Portland because I had friends here, and I wanted to stay on the West Coast but get out of a big city,” Platis explained.

Highway Tattoo owner Christina Platis. Photo by Kait De Angelis

Over the past four years, Platis worked at tattoo parlors in Saint Johns and Southeast Portland, building a sizable customer base. “I have some pretty loyal clients that will be following me, but I hope to expand into this neighborhood,” said Platis. The move to Montavilla brings her work close to home and establishes the new business in a supportive area. “I’m happy to be part of this community, especially on [Glisan]. There are quite a few women-owned businesses, so I’m sure that that will help expand my client base.”

Christina Platis will be the only artist working at the tattoo shop when it opens. At just 350 square feet, it is a smaller space than she first envisioned. Platis explained that she would work in the shop before contemplating a second tattoo area. “There might be room to expand with one more artist if once I get in there, I feel like there’s enough room, but I was just gonna start it off solo.”

As the only tattoo artist in the shop, Platis will have a deliberate and focused relationship with her customers. “People are just coming specifically to get tattooed by me, whereas a lot of shops I’ve worked in, it’s walk-ins where people just want to get a tattoo that day, and it doesn’t matter who they get tattooed by,” explained Platis. “My main focus is to create a space that’s welcoming and safe for my clients, and it’s going to be a small space, so it’ll just be a space where I get to have my creative freedom.”

With years of experience, Christina Platis can comfortably work on a wide range of clients and create the body art they desire. However, she is known best for a specific style of work. “I specialize in American traditional tattoos… color or black and gray, I like both, but a lot of people come to me for my color work,” said Platis. Beyond the art, customer experience is an essential part of her process. “My main goal is to provide a really comfortable and safe feeling space for my clients, ’cause that’s super important when you’re getting tattooed.”

Workers are preparing the shop for an expected April 1st opening date. They removed the dividing walls during the remodel, making one open room and maximizing the available floor space. Christina Platis will bring her flair to the interior, creating a fun and exciting location “a little bit different than the normal tattoo shop.” The location’s design will embrace the classic tattoo shop with a lot of flash on the walls. Platis describes the look as “retro with checkerboard floors and 70s colors, oranges and a lot of natural woods, so it’s just stuff that I enjoy.”

The shop will open by appointment only at launch, allowing Christina Platis to work through a backlog of appointments. She expects the shop will open some weekdays and weekends but has not finalized the hours yet. Keep an eye on the company’s website and Instagram for updates or email your inquiries to info@highwaytattoo.com.

By

Jacob Loeb

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