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Vendor Profiles

Over 70 active vendors buy and resell Street Roots in the Portland metropolitan area. In each edition of Street Roots highlights a vendor selling the newspaper.

Vendor Profile: All optimism, no regrets, keep vendor’s sales pitch genuine

by Street Roots Staff | 22 May 2013

By Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer

Glen Hansen sees himself as somewhat of a nomadic person, having lived all over the US, Canada and Europe (he is fluent in Danish) before settling in Portland last August.

“I don’t grow roots well, so I migrate a lot,” says Glen, whose travels have taken him far from his hometown of Detroit.

“I grew up listening to Motown, disco and KISS,” he says. Glen admits he has found it hard to settle in one place, but he regrets nothing.

Vendor Profile: Finding a new path, and partner in life

by Street Roots Staff | 6 May 2013

By Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer

Eileen Vizenor’s life changed completely last December when she lost her home and all of her possessions in the span of a few weeks. The experiences were devastating, but none more than losing her two beloved cattle dogs after she couldn’t take care of them anymore.

Vendor Profile: Classic service from a long time vendor

by Street Roots Staff | 25 Apr 2013

By Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer

On any given day at the Red and Black Café, an anarchist, worker-owned vegan restaurant at the corner of Southeast 12th Avenue and Oak Street, you can find people from all walks of life enjoying good food and a laid back atmosphere.

Vendor Profile: Portlander likes her vantage to a changing city

by Street Roots Staff | 27 Mar 2013

By Ann Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer

If ever you walk past the OnPoint bank at Northeast Ninth Avenue and Broadway, you may notice a grinning woman set apart from the crowd by her sizeable, fluffy, blond mullet. That woman’s name is Sherri Banning and she has been wearing her hair in a mullet for over 20 years. “I’ve always had a mullet, so that’s how people know me by,” she says.

Vendor Profile: A big smile and big goals ahead

by Street Roots Staff | 14 Mar 2013

By Ann Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer

Michelle Sapp has bright eyes and an open face that smile easily. She is an adept conversationalist who speaks with a bouncy Texas lilt, who loves to talk to new people, who loves to read. Who loves to joke around, relax, have people sign, write and draw in a notebook she calls her yearbook. Who has a genuine, contagious energy and enthusiasm for life. She radiates all of this positivity and goodwill even when she is exhausted from a long night without sleep and a long day waiting in various lines for access to the most

Vendor Profile: Swing by for a paper and a bit of metta for the road

by Street Roots Staff | 27 Feb 2013

By Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer

The Starbucks at Southwest Fourth Avenue and Oak Street attracts all kinds. Teenage boys fooling around with a video camera; in the corner two men with thick glasses and slick hair discuss television; a man in a dirty sweat suit comes in an out repeatedly; a couple cling to each other on a bench next to a window; someone outside carries a sleeping bulldog in a stroller.

Which ones are experiencing homelessness? Which one is the Street Roots vendor I have an appointment with today?

Vendor Profile: Spreading the word in Southeast

by Street Roots Staff | 12 Feb 2013

By Ann-Derrick Gaillot
Contributing Writer

Watching him sell Street Roots outside of the Hawthorne New Seasons, one can easily understand how Abraham V. became the top Street Roots vendor of December 2012. With a jacket and hat as his only guard against the winter chill, he generates a positive energy and maintains body heat by staying in constant motion.


Shifting his weight from foot to foot, rocking back and forth between street and curb, Abraham warmly greets passing shoppers, thanking them whether they buy a copy of the paper or not.

Vendor Profile: Finding inspiration among new friends

by Street Roots Staff | 29 Jan 2013

By Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer

It is not hard to find Johnny Williams and Paula Ramirez at their spot across the street from City Hall. Johnny joyfully calls out greetings and jokes to passersby beside his partner Paula.

We sit inside the Starbucks just off of Southwest Fifth Avenue and Main Street, across from City Hall as Johnny and Paula share their experiences of losing their homes, being without shelter in Portland, selling Street Roots, and looking for employment.

Vendor profile: Finding solid ground after the big move

by Street Roots Staff | 17 Jan 2013

By Erin Fenner, Contributing Writer

Chris Kunzler, 33, and Mirna Abraham, 43, met each other at Sisters of the Road when both were new to Portland. Chris had just moved down from Alaska and Mirna had recently escaped an abusive relationship. Mirna didn’t know anything about the city and her English was still not perfect. While she was successful in Mexico, looking for work and adapting to Portland on her own was not easy.

“When I come here, I come blind,” Mirna said.

“My first present to Mirna was a map,” Chris said.

Vendor Profile: Vendor sends the happiest of holiday wishes to customers

by Street Roots Staff | 22 Dec 2012

By Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Contributing Writer

One of the first things Wayne Moore tells me upon our meeting is how pleasant his vendor spot is in front of the Starbucks at Northwest 21st Avenue and Lovejoy. “It’s got outdoor heaters and an overhang for when it rains. It’s nice.” Despite these features, Wayne is still warmly dressed, prepared for cold winds, rain showers or both. He is bundled up in layers and his white hair curls out from underneath a dark beanie covered by a waterproof hat. Being a Portland native, Wayne is used to the unpredictable weather.

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