Singe Speed Cyclocross World Championships

As you may have read in an earlier post, our buddy Dennis @ Eclectic Home in Portland but a deal together for Maku to sponsor the Lounge area of the World Single Speed Cyclocross Championships.

What are the World Single Speed Cycloross Championships you ask? Well, mix a bunch of PBR which is one of my favorite beers by the way (my wife is gasping that I have actually admitted this in public forum... hahhaa!) a limitless supply of local Portland Micro Brew, 140 contestants, a tequila shortcut, a golden speedo, some muddy terrain, single speed bikes, and you have the making for a great contest!!

By the looks of it, I'm going have to start training for next years race and get in on the fun!!

Click here for a great recap of the races from Bicyclenorthwest.com and here for a full list of the winners from cycling news.

Congratulations to the winners!

Wendy Williams


Barry Wicks


All the crew celebrating a great day of single speed in the NW!


And of course no contest is complete with out a Kiss Fan!


All photos courtesy of Carson Blume. Here is a direct link to all the killer shots!

Eclectic Home - Portland

In any retail sector, there are going to be slow times because of the economy or maybe because it was a bad snow year (hearkening back to a few of Johnny's former employers). The smart retailers will always survive though and Maku likes to think we work with only smart retailers.

Have you ever heard of Eclectic Home (www.eclectichome.com) in Portland?


Dennis, EC's owner, is one of those guys that gets it. He doesn't just put an ad in the Portland Oregonian and hope people come buy furniture. Dennis thinks differently, he wants people to associate his offerings and store with a lifestyle and passion. Maybe you don't surf like Johnny does, but it doesn't mean you lack passion for life.

Dennis has done a lot lately to help his store and promote the Maku brand. Last month he setup the eco-lounge @ Portland Fashion Week (www.greenlivingonline.com/HomeGarden/lounging-in-style-at-portland-fashion-week).

This month he sponsored a single-speed bike event (http://eclectichome.blogspot.com/2007/11/single-speed-lounge.html), in addition to his new Web site.

Know what's even better? He's blogging about it all right here .

Just a couple extra hours a month in time (not everyone has to hire the over-paid BBPR (www.bbpublicrelations.com) like Maku does ;-) and Dennis is transforming Eclectic Home from a store to a community.

Even if you're not looking for home furnishings right now, just pop into Eclectic Home while you're cruising Portland. Dennis is a super friendly guy and his team there will make you feel at home. You won't need to purchase anything to feel good when you leave (although you may come back later to do just that).