Half owner of Sid Stevens Jewelers uses his love for making jewelry to create beautiful and unique pieces for his customers at his shop, located at 140 W 1st Ave in downtown Albany. He has been a jeweler for 56 years, and spent 38 of them in this business. Sid says, “My dad and my grandfather had a store in downtown Salem called Steven and Sons Jewelers.” 

     Steven’s childhood was a big inspiration to his future goal of becoming a goldsmith. “I would go down with my mom to pick my dad up from work….she would sit up front with the sales people and talk, and I would go back into the back and watch the goldsmith work,” said Stevens.  

     Sometimes it’s not the lack of inspiration or desire to create something new, but the fear of failure or the fear of being unsuccessful that can get in the way of following personal aspirations. “Money is important, but liking your job is more important,’ Stevens says. ¨You’re going to spend most of your life working, [so] you’d better like what you do…if you don’t, you’re throwing your life away.” Stevens advises. 

     The Greyhound Tavern, a new business in the making, is planning to open on March 14th, 2024. Tyler Porter is one of the owners of this new business. Tyler and his friends originally owned the tap house named “The Garage,” before coming up with the idea of a greater business. Growing up, Porter would listen to a lot of music, and knew from an early age that he wanted to own a place that was great for bands to come in and play music. This started the shared dream of a live music venue, and the owners of the Tavern were happy to find this perfect opportunity when this building was up for grabs. We are most excited to bring something new to the community,” Porter said. 

     So far, they provide for Albany by throwing their yearly downtown block party. The party is on Labor Day weekend and involves a free, all ages event with kid zones, food trucks, and music artists. “We are taking that premise and going to work that into our business plan here,” Porter said. They hope to continue giving Albany their yearly tradition, with even better numbers with the addition of their Tavern.

      Porter’s favorite part about running a business is being able to integrate in the community and get to know people. 

     “Going through what we are going through has taught me that no matter what life throws at you, you can overcome it,” he said.