Community Business Spotlight: Tabor Bread
Tabor Bread, Serving the Community of Mt. Tabor / Hawthorne
Chatting With Our Neighbors at Tabor Bread
In this series, Urban Nest sits down with local PDX business owners to talk shop about what makes their store or business fit so well with Portland. Learn about new neighborhoods, new businesses, PDX community and more!
Tabor Bread Owner Tissa Stein
A cornerstone of the Mt. Tabor neighborhood, Tabor Bread is a charming and cozy café and bakery that feels like home the moment you enter. We sat down with owner and visionary Tissa Stein to learn more about the bakery and it’s surrounding community.
UN: How long have you been in business?
Tabor Bread has been open for 3 years and 9 months.
UN: How would you describe the community that surrounds your business?
We have the good fortune to be located right on the boundary between two neighborhoods. Mt Tabor, which is made up of older homes with a relatively quiet mix of retired people and young families and a smattering of those in between, and then the Hawthorne district, which tends to be a bit younger and hipper. (Though some of us older folks are pretty damned hip, I might say :))
Also, fortunately for us, they are generally interested in good quality food and also appreciate the quiet, welcoming atmosphere at the bakery whether for a ladies luncheon, a business meeting, or to sit and read or do homework.
One of the things I take most pleasure in about our business is it's appeal to a wide age range.
UN: What do you think makes your shop a great fit for Portland?
Obviously PDX appreciates food. What makes this town a good fit for our business is that it responds to innovation and it values sound basic principles. Folks here like to know where their food is coming from, and they want it to be fresh, nutritious and - very importantly - fabulous tasting, and we deliver all of that.
Our model is particularly appealing because no one else is doing it here yet. We dropped into a niché that was pretty much immediately recognized as unique and serving a solid purpose for people who wanted bread that could really be called the staff of life. It's also a product that some people with gluten sensitivities can tolerate, maybe because of our practice of fermenting the doughs overnight before baking, and/or the freshness and integrity of our house milled, organic, locally grown, heirloom wheats.
Whatever the reason - I am delighted to say that we have brought many of our neighbors "back to bread"!
UN: What is your favorite thing about Portland, and why?
I think my favorite thing about Portland is the geography here. I just love the northwest for its natural beauty and climate - love the water! The almost rain forest feel here west of the Cascades. I love that in 15 minutes, I can be out of the city and on my way down the gorge with its waterfalls and massive river and great hikes. All that matters a great deal to me.
I also appreciate this city for the amazing pool of young people who have found their way to being employed at the bakery. Portland has attracted them. They contribute so much to what we have to offer, both in our product and in the atmosphere people feel when they walk in. Mostly there is a good, relaxed sense of well being among staff at the bakery. Sometimes even a palpable joy that is generated by those at work here. I feel it. I think others at work feel it and I believe our customers feel it too. Pretty nice to be around!
UN: Which part of town do you live in, and what do you love about it most?
I live in Mt. Tabor neighborhood just a half block from the bakery. I love the mountain. I love being able to walk my dog into the park every day. I love the quiet streets and beautiful trees and gardens. The neighborliness. It is a joy to be here.
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Learn more about Tabor Bread on their website.