Article in the Register Guard (link here) about PUBLIC Streetwear, published August 22, 2019:
“I am an artist, an owner of a downtown business and I am interested how business and creativity can serve each other.
I think a successful city is anchored by a healthy downtown. I also believe when everyone is included in making a neighborhood better it is harder to feel “us vs. them.” One of the newest creative signatures to our downtown is my neighbor, owner of Public Streetwear, Kate Reid.
For their first appearance as a stop on the Eugene Art Walk, Public Streetwear showcased the work of Eugene artist Valentina Gonzalez (VRGNZ). VRGNZ not only has brought a body of work to display, but live screen-printed T-shirts on location and, at the opening, talked about the mural that covers the back wall of the shop. VRGNZ paintings are bold portraits in spray paint, ink, marker and acrylic, that loom larger than category or class, give volume to and are of voices not often heard in the mainstream.
Owner Kate Reid and VRGNZ found affinity in an inclusive vision of community that translates to a well-curated contemporary retail space. Both agree the intersection of art and fashion should be a safe space for exploration and self expression. The shop’s all-embracing sense of style is noticeable in Kate’s decision to introduce gender neutral fashion, pushing the boundaries of societal norms. This openness of identity leaves plenty of room for dialogue about art, community and what streetwear can be.
Streetwear generally refers to casual and graphic clothing, like hoodies and T’s, that are produced in small runs, aimed toward young subcultures. Brands are often found and followed online, so Public Streetwear is one of the few places in the state, and the only place in Eugene, to have a hands-on experience with many of the labels they represent. The fact that the shop, like streetwear itself, is getting its start downtown is just the beginning of Kate’s story.
“A year ago, I didn’t know I was going to open a business downtown, ” Kate says. She has worked in many different facets of the community including nonprofit and public agencies after attending the UO, and was more recently honed when she was appointed to the Lane Transit District board of directors.
It was then she started to think about how people move within a community and to wonder what makes a healthy downtown.
For her, the place to make things better was from within. Kate took a business plan she made with the Small Business Development Center at Lane Community College, found early investors and a business partner, and later secured a loan from the city’s CDBG funds. Because of her work within the community for over a decade, she was more prepared and able to make the connections that made it possible to open her store.
“The most encouraging thing,” Kate says, “is that everything I’m doing and everything I’m talking about, the city has been behind. I’ve been very specific I’m not interested in (just) normal, I want (all) people to come in and be able to express themselves.”
Already in the works after her ribbon cutting with the chamber of commerce, Public Streetwear will host a fashion show with the recently rebranded Graduate hotel.
As more doors open, Kate says,” anything is possible.””
By Benjamin Terrell
for the Register Guard
Artist Benjamin Terrell is owner of the music and video game store, Epic Seconds. His work can be currently seen at his shop and at the Washburne Cafe in Springfield.