Mochas and mortgages
Anthony Roberts / Sherwood Gazette
Shane and Jennifer Bridges outside of Bridges Financial and Kate and Harry's Coffee House; a private shop for their clients.
Jen Bridges remembers the exact moment when she decided it was time she and her husband Shane needed to move their real estate business out of their home.
"I was sitting on the edge of my tub, talking to a client," she laughed.
The couple is opening Bridges Financial & Realty and Kate & Harry's Coffee House in an Old Town home in July. Before that, their company - 15 people total - had been working out of their Tualatin home. Shane was working out of the basement and real estate agents were set up in the kitchen.
They've carried that casual atmosphere over into their new digs, which is hardly a conventional office. The house at 15922 SW 2nd St. is devoid of the typical office décor - cubicles, pale walls and thin carpet. Instead, the Bridges gutted the house, which they already owned and were renting out, and installed wood floors, stone accents on the walls, new lighting, a flat screen television, a small coffee bar and a number of other special touches. About all that's left of the old building are a few walls.
The space is designed to keep their formerly cramped employees, and clients, at ease.
"You're often meeting clients at a Starbucks anyway," Shane noted. Now, the office is a place to grab a cup of coffee. In fact, there are few desks in the Old Town office. The layout is more or less the same as a café, with tables and chairs spaced out across the main room where Bridges' agents will be able to meet with clients.
Merging a coffee shop with a real estate office is certainly unconventional, but the Bridges are unique business people. They've done well for themselves - the agency will move $30 million in real estate this year - but what truly makes them happy, Jen said, is helping others do well.
"We really believe in this, we felt called to do it," Jen said. "What's important to us is to work hard, be part of a team and help other people get ahead."
If their charitable contributions are any indication, that's not just lip service. The Bridges donate to 15 different nonprofits, many of them faith-based. And they apply the same scrutiny to donations that they do to investing in properties, reviewing which charities do the most with a donor's dollar. They donate to Teen Challenge International's Pacific Northwest Center, a rehabilitation center; The House of Ruth, which helps young mothers and their children; and Bowls of Grace, which helps feed the hungry, among others.
They also travel around the world with different ministries -- but they don't go alone. Jen and Shane plan on taking two such trips this fall, and on each, they'll take one of their employees and his or her family along.
Bridges also prides themselves on helping clients for years down the road, not just for one sale. They hold monthly meetings for clients to get together and share stories about investment properties - more relaxed then a seminar, and free, Jen noted - and share tips. The group is so committed to helping its clients, Jen Bridges said she actually gave up a sale once, because she knew it made more sense for her client to keep her home as a rental, and buy another house.
The company also recently started a branch for construction and renovation called House Lift Repair, putting itself in a position to help clients through all stages of the real estate process. Shane said they can help someone through each step in the purchasing process; finding an investment property, finding tenants, and making the improvements to the property. The couple said their tight-knit staff and their ability to offer a range of services under one roof allows them to work toward the needs of a variety of different customers, some who never thought they'd be able to afford multiple homes.
"Say you want to buy a house, that's your goal. We're going to help you figure out how to get there, Jen said, "We're not pushy people. We're going to help you come up with a plan to get there."
The inspiration for the coffee house came partially from the Bridges two children, Katelyn and Harrison. Jen joked that a lot of people think the couple is "stuffy," before they actually get to know them, so they're having a little fun with that perception, since their two children actually always go by their full names. The café will be a private coffee house, open to clients of Bridges, and will be open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to midnight Friday, and 8 a.m. to midnight Saturday. The office is closed Sundays.