Teague Hatfield

downtown business owner of Birkenstock/Bend Shoe Co.

Currently a DBBA Board Member: NO

Have you ever been on the DBBA Board? NO

Do you currently sit on any other boards? YES

ABOUT

I've been fortunate to be a retailer Downtown since May of 1995, when I opened FootZone. I've since moved FootZone and opened OutsideIN (2013). I sold OutsideIN to Angela Salido in 2016, purchased Birkenstock/Bend Shoe Co in 2017, and sold FootZone in February of 2020. Currently, I own Birkenstock/Bend Shoe Co and Bend Shoe Co on the Eastside with my business partner, Tori Oshel. I've been a 50% partner in the former FootZone, current OutsideIN building since 2009. My wife and I just celebrated 30 years of marriage and 30 years in Bend. We have a 21-year-old son who just graduated from college and an 18-year-old who will be attending OSU Corvallis in the fall.

WHAT ARE DOWNTOWN’S THREE GREATEST ASSETS?

I'm not sure I can narrow it down to three, but Downtown is truly the heart of Bend and connects our community both physically and culturally. It's a beautiful, functional downtown with a wide array of interesting retailers, coffee shops, restaurants and banks/services that serve our community and bring people out to shop, eat, and experience our town.

WHAT ARE DOWNTOWN’S THREE GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES?

1-Maintain and continue to improve the beauty of downtown.

2-Keep it safe but with enough character and charm to keep it interesting and engaging.

3-Hopefully, these will encourage an ongoing array of original businesses that add to the personality of our town and make downtown a draw for locals and tourists alike.

WHAT ARE DOWNTOWN’S THREE GREATEST CHALLENGES?

1-Continuing to feel original (hopefully we can keep a unique/local feel).

2-General accessibility (and yes, parking) as Bend surpasses 100K people and grows into a medium-sized city.

3-The issues of Bend and the West in general... cost of living, fire season, employee housing, homelessness (not all specific to downtown, but these are challenges in our community and impact downtown as a result).

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE ON THE DBBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS?

Because I love Downtown Bend and appreciate what a great place it is to do business. It's been many years since I've engaged in the DBBA and would love to be involved again.