 In the realm of commercial pitchmen, Portland's own Tom Peterson was one of the best. Maybe very well THE best ever. Tom personified the Rose City: quirky, home-grown, and fun. Tom and his wife Gloria opened their first store in 1964 over on SE 82nd and Foster Rd. He was quite successful right out of the chute, selling appliances, electronics, and furniture to the Portland masses. By the 1980's, he was a millionaire and was a large part of Portland television, known for starring in his own commercials, which he also wrote. Tom was a long-time sponsor of Don Owen's Portland Wrestling. I vividly remember seeing him every Saturday night on KPTV-12, promoting his sales on the week items. There were times the pro wrestlers would come to his stores to take pictures and sign autographs with the fans. I even recall Tom and long-time Portland Wrestling villain, Buddy Rose, having a hockey shoot-off. I'm not sure where it happened though.  I believe his most famous set of commercials were his late-night sales ones, reminding viewers that his stores were open until 3am, with Tom knocking on your TV screen, demanding that you, "WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"....all with a smile on his face, of course. I don't know about you, but I really respect business owners that have the guts to star in their own commercials. It shows people that they are real and not out-of-touch with them. He eventually had three stores at 82nd and Foster, all within a block of one another. Tom Peterson was down-to-earth and always came across as just one of the guys. Local Portland pop radio station, Z-100, even produced a song called, "I Woke Up With A Tom Peterson Haircut." It was great fun and I've looked for a copy of it to this day with no luck. At that time, Tom was even distributing Tom Peterson alarm clocks, with his voice being the alarm, beckoning sleepy people everywhere to wake up. The clocks and his wristwatches are now a part of Portland history and quite the collector's items. Next time you're standing around the water cooler at work, you can spout off a bit of trivia that The front-man of Seattle's band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, wore a Tom Peterson wristwatch. Your co-workers will ooh and ahh over your vast knowledge. ;) | 
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by Samuel John Klein | Tom had regular giveaways of coloring books, T-shirts, cups and other personalized goodies. To celebrate the opening of his third store, he even had barbers come in and provide his notorious flat-top hair cuts to anyone wanting to sport one. That promotion went over so well that it became a weekly event. There were even Tom Peterson cut-out masks! haha. Someone suggested to Tom that they be remade into full masks, but he declined, stating that he didn't want to take the chance of someone holding up a bank with his face! ;) |
We all make mistakes. Tom's big mistake was buying Stereo Super Stores, another local retailer who had just filed bankruptcy, and turning it into his own. I always referred to them as Stereo Stupid Stores. His wife, Gloria, strongly suggested he not take them over, but Tom was determined to grab more real estate for his business. It was his downfall. In October of 1991, he filed for Chapter 11, protecting himself from a storm of debts. He also closed his original store in SE Portland.
After all the consolidating was done, with television ads still running and explaining to viewers that he and Gloria needed their help, the next year, the 82nd and Foster store was re-opened, this time as "Tom Peterson's and Gloria's Too." Eventually, their business moved to it's final location at SE Insley, closing for good in 2009. Tom's failing health with Parkinson's disease contributed to the closure. Mr. Peterson will always be a major part of Portland's unique history. We love you, Tom!
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