[portlandiana] Your One-Stop Tom Peterson's Shop

1572. Yesterday or the day before, a very generous habitué to the OLive forum boards posted a link to an old entry I'd done about that Portland advertising legend, the great Tom Peterson.

My admiration of Tom is real. From everyone I talk to about him I hear stories about what a sweet and pleasant fellow he was to work with and for, and have warm memories about his prolific TV adverts (including the Portland Wrestling sponsorship and the famous/infamous "Wake Up!" sale ads. And the higher they fly, the harder they fall ... the Stereo Super Stores acquisition and subsequent corporate meltdown are stuff of local business legend.

Along the way he had his face stencilled all over town and acted for Gus Van Sant. Tom isn't just of Portland, Tom is Portland!

It occurred to me that I have enough hits actually looking for TP that it might be useful to have an omnibus post linking it all together. Hence this:

1. Tom Peterson Logo Love, 14 Dec 2005. I lurves me some Tom Peterson logo; here's my love letter. Includes photos of the latter-day building at SE 82nd and Foster.


2. Tom Say "Wake Up", 14 Aug 2006. A plaintive appeal for fileage.


3. The Tom Peterson Alarm Clock "Wake Up" Sound, 16 Aug 2006. A mere two days later, Judy of Persistent Illusion digitzed the TP alarm and sends it hither (get yours here!).


4. A 1986 Tom Peterson's Commerical, 17 Sep 2007. His 1986 Price Expo! Complete with 19-inch Big Screen TV ... WITH Remote! A YouTube Clip sent by a secret admirer. Must-see TV!


5. The Old Tom Peterson's Building ... Going, Going ... 7 Nov 2007. Pictures of the gutting of the legendary 82nd and Foster former location of Tom's flagship store. It's been remodeled and is now a strip retail space.

That's the lot. Anyone wanting me to post even more Tom goodness is welcome to send it along. I kinda mocked Tom when he was big, but you know, I'd give anything to have all that back the way it was.

Tom is one of a kind. I miss his 82nd and Foster empire.

Tags: Tom Peterson's, pdx_history, portlandiana

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