Paper Moon

I've driven by this store dozens of times but never stopped in until I found that they carry Webkinz toys - which my kids LOVE. Their selection of Webkinz was okay - not great, but decent. They had a special - buy one at regular price and get "Webkinz of the Month" for half price - which applied to both the current months toy and last months toy.

I'm not a scrap booker, but they had lots and lots of scrap book stuff. It looked like they had a room in the back where you could work on scrap book projects. I've seen ads in the local paper where they have free classes for kids in the summer time.

The owner was friendly and helpful and didn't mind at all that my 6 year old was with me.

Rocky Meadow Orchard & Nursery

Gardens Alive is a mail order business offering an extensive selection of organic gardening products - including fertilizers, pest control products and organic seeds (though not a lot). I've ordered a number of products from them over the years. They are a bit expensive on some things, but then again a lot of their products are unique and difficult to find in your local hardware store. They frequently send coupons with their catalogues to help cut down the costs a bit. They also seem more directed to the small home gardener. We have 2 1/2 acres and to buy their products for a larger property is just to expensive. So I buy a little here and there for specific needs on our property - but I don't try to cover a half acre lawn with their lawn products.

Territorial Seed

I've used this company for a couple of years now and just getting ready to put my next order in. They offer a large variety of seeds including many organic offerings. They ship promptly. One of the best things about them is their catalogue which has color photos and extensive descriptions of the products and how to grow them. The catalogue itself is great reference for gardening. I've been told they are a little more expensive than some other companies - but come on, seeds are still cheap for what you are getting and to me it's worth it to support a local company that does such a fantastic job rather than to buy seeds at Wal-Mart.

Karvonen Sand & Gravel Inc

We had several contractors "stop by" our house over the years to quote paving our driveway "because they were in the neighborhood and had some extra asphalt to unload". I would check on their license and sometimes find complaints against them. They would sometimes give us a verbal quote, sometimes written - but they didn't spend much time with us or give us many details. I got the name of Karvonen from a neighbor who had their driveway done by them 10+ years ago and are still happy with it. When the rep came out to give us a quote he probably spent 30-45 minutes talking to me and going over issues I never would have thought of that were really important. They were not the cheapest - or even close, but the rep gave me such confidence - plus knowing my neighbors were still happy with their work after 10+ years. So we had them pave our then dirt driveway with asphalt. They did a beautiful job. The job was postponed a bit due to weather as doing the job right was more important than doing the job "now". Their workers were very courteous and professional. We were mailed an invoice which was due within 30 days I think. We have been very happy with the work they did and very impressed with the company. I would highly recommend them and would definitely use them again.

Haggerty Mary Ann Dvm - Alder Creek Veterinary Clinic

Both my family and my in-laws use this vet for our cats and dogs. My MIL loves them. My early experiences with this vet were sort of hit and miss. I'd see someone different every time I went in. I never had a problem with them, but they never stood out as exceptional.

Recently however, my dog was seen for a lump which turned out to be cancer. The vet, Dr. Tegarden, was outstanding. They got me in on short notice (not knowing the dog had cancer at this point) and told me at the appt. that it definitely was cancer. Surgery was done the following morning. On my follow up appt., I showed up an hour late (I got the time wrong) and they still fit me in. I called on a Saturday afternoon as the dogs bandage was falling off - they saw me immediately to help me out.

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Tegarden and their office staff seems to have come a long way as far as customer service since my early days of visiting them. Their new facility is beautiful. Although not impressed with this firm at first, I have since changed my mind and would highly recommend them - especially Dr. Tegarden. They have certainly gone the extra mile for me and my dog.

Carafe

I'm writing this on behalf of my husband, who LOVES this restaurant. I ate there once with him and thought it was okay. He used to work in the office building where Carafe is located so he ate (and drank) there frequently. Because he was such a regular, he probably got better service than otherwise, but even when I walked in and no one knew me, I was treated very well. He especially loved their house salads with a poached egg on the top - or their burgers with a poached egg on them.

Their house wine was always very good and reasonably priced. Parking is in the parking garage located right next to the restaurant or you can use their valet service. I believe the restaurant can validate parking but I'm not 100% sure on that.

My husband swears this is the best French restaurant in Portland. I'm not a huge fan of French food, so for me it was okay. They did have some really good happy hour deals on both food and drink.

Dick Hannah Honda

We have used Dick Hannah Honda for the past 3 1/2 years ever since we moved to the northwest. Last year we traded in our 95 Accord for a new mini-van. We have been equally happy with the sales experience as we have with their service. The sales process is a bit slow, so plan on a full afternoon or evening if you're buying a car. A lot of this has to do with financing and all the paper work that has to be completed. I think they have one person to handle the paper work for every 10 sales reps - but I suspect most dealers operate this way. Still, they are very friendly and helpful. Their service department works very hard to accommodate your schedule and get you in/out quickly.

BIGGS INS SERVICES - Progressive Insurance

When we moved to the northwest from Phoenix, AZ, we were referred to this agency by several different and independent sources. They were prompt to get us a quote and handled all the insurance issues we had with buying a home up here quickly and professionally. Over the past several years as we have changed vehicles, obtained alternate quotes for different coverages and limits and modified our existing policy, they have always responded quickly and efficiently. We are very happy to have our coverages handled by this agency.

Doug's Custom Farming

We have used Doug for 3 years now, ever since we moved to our current property. Our back field is about an acre or so and he mows it a couple of times during the summer. He also mows our 2 neighbors that have property adjacent to ours, often all in one afternoon. He is very accommodating about scheduling and very friendly.

Mobile Lawnmower Doctor

Our neighbor referred this business to us. We have used their service once. We have a riding lawn mower and it was soooo much easier to have someone come to the house rather than load the mower on the trailer and haul it to the repair shop. It was a rather long problem to fix (on our mower) and my husband was glad he didn't have to do it himself! The rep did a good job and charged us a fair and reasonable price. We would definitely use this company again for any type of lawn mower repair work.