Tag: Personal Beast

Community, Event, Food and Drink

Montavilla’s 2025 Fall Crawl and Trick or Treat Events

Starting October 17th, visitors to select Montavilla businesses can pick up a “Fall Crawl Passport” card from participating locations and collect stickers with purchases to earn a raffle entry. Completed passports are due back at Arbor Hall on SE Stark Street or Replicant/Mudd Works Cafe by the close of the event on October 31st. During the sticker collecting and business visiting event, the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA) will also host a Trick or Treat event on Sunday, October 26th. A printed map shows key participants, and the METBA site displays individual business hours for the candy giveaway.

METBA organized both events as part of its annual tradition to create a safe and fun celebration of Autumn. The idea of a Montavilla pub crawl grew in popularity in 2019 when Threshold opened the neighborhood’s second brewery in the historic SE Stark Street downtown area. The concept grew into a more formalized event as part of METBA’s Harvest Festival and now includes a variety of activities, including a week-long shopping event for a chance to win a prize. Additionally, bars, restaurants, and other participating businesses may offer special entertainment and discounts.

A decorated house at night with colorful green and red lights, featuring Halloween decorations, including skeletons, pumpkin lanterns, and a ghost figure.
Montavilla home decorated for Halloween

Burgerville at 8218 NE Glisan Street will offer a free coupon for a food item with purchase for passport holders. Kim’s Tae Kwon-Do at 9003 SE Stark Street will provide free classes for passport holders on Tuesday and Thursday during the event from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Montavilla Brew Works at 7805 SE Stark Street will host a special beer release on Halloween, celebrating its three new fall/winter seasonal brews. NightOwl Custom Apparel will offer free stickers and treats for those visiting the shop at 7114 NE Glisan Street in costume. The Glisan Fred Meyers branch of OnPoint Community Credit Union, located at 6615 NE Glisan Street, will feature a prize wheel on October 31st and offer candy on all other passport dates.

For October 26th specific activities, Beanstalk Children’s Resale at 8021 SE Stark Street will have “trick-or-treat goodies for the kiddos” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. DolFUN Dynamics will host a free Halloween party from 2 to 3 p.m. for children twelve years old and younger at 9260 SE Stark Street, along with a discount of $50 off the first month of classes for new enrollments. Personal Beast at 8119 SE Stark Street is offering a 25% discount on select dog and cat bulk treats from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Although not included on the map, Threshold Brewing & Blending, Academy Theater, and Flying Pie Pizza will participate in the Trick or Treat event.

A spooky Halloween-themed display featuring a creepy clown figure with glowing yellow eyes, holding a large lollipop, surrounded by colorful banners and festive decorations.
2023 Nightmare on Taylor Street haunted walkthrough animated creature

Many more locations will participate. An extensive list is available on the METBA Fall Events website page at metba.org. People trying to win the raffle can receive two stickers per purchase of $5 or more from participating locations, and every five stickers counts towards a raffle entry to increase the chances of winning. For a scarier, yet family-friendly event, consider “Nightmare on Taylor St,” featuring The Madhouse of MonstaVilla at 7926 SE Taylor Street. That October 31st event is a haunted walkthrough hosted by a resident who creates an elaborate experience for the neighborhood. As with most years, Montavilla plans to have an active fall celebration throughout the last half of October. Look for these events and more through the neighborhood.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Community, Crime

Montavilla Pet Supply Robbed at Gunpoint

In the early evening of January 2nd, a person brandishing a handgun robbed Personal Beast Pet Supply at 8119 SE Stark Street. The assailant reportedly struck the store employee across the face with the butt of his gun and discharged the firearm while grabbing the cash drawer. The suspect ran off after destroying the store’s Point of Sale (POS) system, gaining only a modest amount of cash kept in the store. The ricocheting bullet went through the front counter but fortunately failed to hit the people and animals inside the shop. Portland Police officers arrived within a minute of the 911 call, just missing the suspect. Police stayed onsite for several hours, processing the physical evidence left behind.

Portland police forensic sticker by bullet hole in Personal Beast’s sales counter.

Pet supply store owner Sara Philbrook is baffled by this first-of-a-kind crime at her business. The store has suffered extensive property damage in the past from a habitual window breaker and the occasional shoplifter or other non-threatening theft. Still, the store has remained a safe space for her employees and their animals. “We’ve had people come in and steal things, really minor shoplifting over the years,” recalled Philbrook. “Even when we had the vandalism, it was just vandalism. We’ve never felt physically threatened like this before.” Philbrook explained that this type of crime does not make sense because they do not deal in cash often, with nearly 90 percent of customers paying by credit card. The POS only has enough money to cover the occasional transaction. At a replacement cost of $2,000, the year-old cash register equipment destroyed in the robbery was worth nearly 20 times what Philbrook estimates the perpetrator stole.

The damaged POS equipment placed back on the counter after robbery

Since 2008, the pet supply store has served as Historic Montavilla Downtown’s closest storefront to SE 82nd Avenue. Sara Philbrook feels that could have contributed to why the assailant targeted the shop. The location generates less foot traffic than other stores on SE Stark Street, and it is next to a fast food parking lot that suffers from issues with drug use. “You could see him on the camera. He was scoping out the neighborhood for a while. He probably just saw us as the weakest link. We’re not super busy, not like a restaurant,” said Philbrook. “I feel like it was a fluke. I don’t think that it’s indicative of any sort of uptick in gun violence. I want to say that we just got unlucky.” She will adjust how they staff the store, requiring two people on shift at all times. All the store staff enjoy the neighborhood, and Philbrook appreciates her shop’s landlord but would consider relocating further west on the street to lessen their exposure to future crimes.

Personal Beast Pet Supply is back open on its regular schedule. The injured staff member will take time off to recuperate and process the traumatic events. People wanting to support the store can shop for pet supplies or visit to wish them well. Some customers have delivered plants and cards in a show of support. If pet owners do not need supplies but want to help counter Personal Beast’s losses, Sara Philbrook offers paid pet nutrition plan consultations. The store’s website details the service and scheduling options. The Personal Beast team appreciates Montavilla’s reaction to this event and is thankful they can recover from the injuries sustained. “I’m glad to be in this community regardless of the situations that happened,” said Philbrook. “Montavilla is pretty much the sweet spot. If this had happened in any other neighborhood, I don’t think we would get the sort of support and community outpouring we get here.”

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Community, Event

Pet Food Fundraiser for Storefront Repair

On April 13th and 14th, Personal Beast Pet Supply invites people to shop at the store to help fund significant storefront repairs after a person smashed most of their windows. Since January 2024, staff have had to progressively cover the storefront in plywood at 8119 SE Stark Street, replacing broken glass from the acts of a vandal. Artistic pet images decorate the wood panels, while a handwritten sign assures people that the boarded-up shop is open. The store’s owner, Sara Philbrook, is now working to restore the glass and protect it with expensive polycarbonate coverings. This project is more than the shop’s budget can cover, even with support from the building’s owner. So, they worked with local supporters and vendors to develop a fundraiser with multiple ways to participate.

Personal Beast works with family-owned pet food companies and other vendors who regularly support the independent stores selling their products. Some of those brands will donate to the storefront repair for each pound of food sold on April 13th and 14th. Other vendors and supporters have donated goods for baskets that people can try to win in a raffle. Those without a pet can buy pet food to donate to a charity partner or contribute through the GoFundMe campaign.

Many Montavilla businesses have suffered broken windows. Sometimes criminals smash glass during a burglary, but this recent string of damage comes from vandalism, and its frequency is a dramatic change from what the Personal Beast has endured during its fourteen years. “This is the first time we’ve felt the financial burden of vandalism. Specifically, our door was broken the first time last summer,” recalled Philbrook. Other businesses had the same experience in June 2023. Glazers came out and replaced the door glass, and business returned to normal. However, in January 2024, a person was seen on camera breaking the windows next to the door. Then, over the next few months, the person smashed two more windows and the door. Philbrook says the video shows what looks to be the same person throwing rocks. Not all the rocks break the windows on each attempt, and the person never enters the building after breaking the glass.

Personal Beast owner Sara Philbrook sitting in front of plywood covered windows

Although these attacks span months and seem focused, this is not the only store facing similar vandalism. “Unfortunately, I think it’s location. I don’t think that we’re being targeted. I don’t feel like there’s anything that we’ve specifically done that makes us more likely to get hit than another business. I think it’s just that we are in proximity to a major artery,” explained Philbrook. The store is one of the closest storefronts to SE 82nd Avenue and next to the McDonald’s parking lot. Philbrook said they have witnessed several drug-related crimes around the block and feel that their proximity to that behavior may contribute to the recent string of trouble.

Regardless of the issues, this pet store has served the community since 2008, and its owner is committed to remaining in Montavilla. “We’re really happy to be here regardless of what’s going on. As frustrating as it is, knowing that it’s just one person, it’s not like it’s something that we have to look forward to forever, and hopefully she can get some help,” said Philbrook. “Obviously, we’ll be pressing charges, but I understand that mental illness is a real crisis here, and my parents struggled with drug addiction. So, I have a lot of empathy for people who are in active addiction and can’t get services. I hope we can find a way to get her some help and move on from this situation.”

For Personal Beast, the first step in moving forward is replacing the glass panels. However, to protect the windows, they will install Riot Glass® on the outside of existing frames, creating a flexible barrier designed to take the impact of rocks without breaking. Other Portland stores have used this product, and it offers other benefits over cheaper solutions. “It’s one of the only polycarbonates that doesn’t yellow with direct sun exposure, which is why we chose it,” explained Philbrook. “We have this lovely southern exposure here, and any other polycarbonate would discolor so quickly that it wouldn’t be worth it.”

Sara Philbrook and the staff at Personal Beast have maintained a good attitude about the situation and hope the community’s support will help them restore the shop they love. People able to support the storefront improvements should shop there on April 13th and 14th, buy a raffle ticket, or contribute to the GoFundMe campaign. Personal Beast’s renowned shop cat will appreciate any help repairing the windows so they can return to watching over Stark Street again.

Correction: An earlier version of this article had an incorrect event date.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Bar, Entertainment, Event, Food and Drink, Montavilla

Montavilla’s Saturday Winter Celebration

Two events will attract visitors to Montavilla’s commercial corridors this Saturday evening. Winter Wassail along NE Glisan Street features festive beverages, snacks, carolers, and holiday lighting. Participating stores and restaurants between 82nd and 68th Avenues will remain open for last-minute holiday gifts and festivities. People are invited to Wassail (Go from location to location caroling and/or drinking in merriment) on Glisan from 4 to 8 p.m. this December 17th.

Promotional image provide by event coordinators

That same night, SE Stark Street businesses will host the Montavilla Soiree & Pub Crawl from 6 to 9 p.m. The Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA) organized this winter celebration in the historic downtown to support neighborhood businesses as they enjoy the best parts of the colder months.

Promotional image provide by event coordinators

Drinkers, shoppers, and anyone looking for a fun Saturday night can explore the collection of holiday-themed cocktails, food specials, live music, and late-night last-minute shopping in one big evening event. No matter where you reside, some part of Montavilla will have an activity to warm your spirit on a cold night.

These are some of the participating businesses on Glisan Street:

These are some of the participating businesses on Stark Street:

Rahabs Sisters will be collecting gloves, hats, jackets, blankets, and tents. Drop off locations will be Union Rose and Wink Vintage.

By

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author if this article serves on the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association (METBA) board. METBA sponsors some of these events.