Walking into the restaurant, a man with a trimmed beard with tousled brown hair who looks like the twin of singer James Blunt stands behind the bar laughing and talking with customers.  Smiling, he lifts his index finger and darts in the other direction to deliver drinks.  His body moves gracefully as if he is ballroom dancing, trying to avoid the other waiters.  In all the chaos, the unique coziness of the restaurant takes over.  An old-school set of theater chairs allows waiting customers to take a seat and watch a movie from a projector above.  The soft, oldies-rock music provides a sense of comfort as beer bottles cover the lights dangling from the ceiling.  Coming back to say “hi,” a waiter grabs the arm of the tousle-haired man tight to drag him away and ask him a question about the computerized cash register.  Walking up to the copper table bar, the man lifts his hand for a handshake as the telephone abruptly rings.  “Excuse me!  Give me one second.  I apologize.”  This is the life of Doug Beaird. 
    Seven years ago, Beaird was just a typical waiter working at McMenamins on 19th and Agate Street to pay for law school at the University of Oregon.  Not yet knowing his true life course, Beaird took his new law degree down to Southern California.  After working for a few law firms, Beaird knew dressing in a suit and tie every day just was not him.  “I like the nightlife too much.  Being around friends and having a drink to relax is who I am,” Beaird says.
    Traveling back to Eugene, Beaird resumed his career at McMenamins as the night manager.  In the front of his mind, though, Beaird knew his ultimate dream was to open his own restaurant.  Eyeing the place next door for a few years, Beaird saw the building of his dreams.  “I always knew it had potential, and the neighborhood around here is very loyal to local businesses,” Beaird says-- as if he was talking about a high school crush. 
Having a supportive girlfriend who knew his dream, Beaird was motivated to purchase the building before it was snagged.  So, one day, during a break in his shift at McMenamins, Beaird walked over and bought the place.  Investing 50/50 with his dad, Jim, Beaird knew his dream was coming true.   
    As Beaird began to gut the inside of his new place, he realized a big problem.  “Dry rot. Dry rot was everywhere in here,” Beaird says with a soft chuckle.  Beaird only saw potential with the building, not the problems.  Instead of the dry rot being a negative problem, Beaird quickly turned it into a positive.  He hired a good friend as his general contractor and other local friends to come help him remodel the building.  “It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” Beaird says sincerely.  “Everyone put their two-cents in and everyone got to collaborate on what to do.  Every night, after work was done, we would all gather round and have a few beers.  Doing this, everyone took a lot of pride in their work.  They all knew they would come back here to eat at Agate Alley Bistro and know that they helped bring it to life.” 
    As more customers pour into the restaurant, Beaird excuses himself to go meet them.  Beaird greets them kindly with a smile and shows them where to sit.  As Beaird strolls back to the bar, a lady taps him on the shoulder and says, “Didn’t you use to work at McMenamins?” 
Beaird nods his head and says: “Yes, I did.  This is my place now.” 
The lady looks at him, smiles wide and wishes him luck.  Sitting back down at the bar, Beaird glows like a child in a candy store. 
    Three weeks into managing the restaurant, Beaird understands the kinks of operating it.  “I never took a business class in my life, but I knew the ins and outs of running a restaurant from McMenamins.” 
Tilting his head back and his eyes up, he thinks of the laundry list of problems he has encountered.  A small grin appears as he realizes they are not all that bad.  Agate Alley Bistro has just been too busy too fast.  “We’re busier than we thought we would be,” Beaird says with a wide smile.  “We’re trying to get the kitchen caught up to speed.  We just hired four new cooks.”  
On the second weekend, the Bistro ran out of certain types of wine and liquor, leaving a few customers disappointed.  Beaird feels good about this only from a business standpoint.
    Liking to stay at work, Beaird never sees himself outside of the restaurant.  “I like to work.  This is my dream so it is fun for me,” Beaird says with a shrug.   He wants it to run like it is a family business where heart is involved, not a corporate operation.
 Located two blocks off the University of Oregon campus and across the street from a fraternity, the restaurant will attract the college crowd, but families can come in and enjoy themselves too.  To lure the kids away from the popular college bars, Rennie’s Landing and Taylor’s Bar and Grill, Agate Alley Bistro pours a bigger shot and serves Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in tallboys, which is a favorite among the college people.  Agate Alley also has a diverse menu and very reasonable prices, serving everything from a margherita pizza to a Portobello steak. 
    $270,000 later, the dream is taking form.  “I knew this was a gamble but it was time,” Beaird says as he admires the finished place.  He thinks very little about expanding but it is something he wants to someday.  “I got to get this business up and running, but I’m always looking for that new building,” Beaird says with a gentle smile.  
    As evening approaches, more customers begin to come in to taste the experience of Agate Alley Bistro.  Beaird looks around to make sure everything is being handled correctly and that all the customers are happy.  As Beaird leaves the table, he raises his hand to give a handshake, but a bowl in the kitchen falls and shatters attracting the attention of Beaird.  Once again, the handshake does not happen, but a friendly smile and goodbye as he walks away does just fine as he has a dream to build.