GRESHAM, Ore. — The owner a Gresham wig shop believes recent vandalism at her store was racially motivated.
Tralice Lewis owns Callie's Custom Hat Wigs in Rockwood Market Hall. The business is located on Southeast 185th between Stark and Burnside. Lewis named it after her late mother, Callie, who taught her about wigs, and her daughter who died before birth.
On Tuesday morning, Lewis arrived at her business to see the signs on her storefront vandalized. Security video shows a masked man painting over a picture of her Lewis’ mother’s face with black spray paint and darkening out the words “Black-owned.”
“I'm telling myself, ‘Don't break down, don't cry, hold it in, hold it in,’” Lewis said, recalling her reaction to the vandalism. “What I need people to understand is this is my mom's legacy. This is my daughter's legacy. Yes it's spray paint, but this is like somebody washing them away all over again and this is all I have.”
Neighboring business owners have stepped in to help Lewis, including Nat Jiranuwatana, who owns The Other Side Nursery. He's frustrated knowing vandals have hit Lewis’ property before. He said last summer, someone wrote a racist word and smeared feces on a sign post.
“(The racist motivation) was kind of obvious, especially since like specific words were crossed out," Jiranuwatana said. “It was pretty hurtful … I mean, just stop.”
For Lewis, her shop is more than just a business. It's a chance to help others including cancer patients who have lost their hair. She also shares wigs with people in need. For her, it doesn't take a lot of energy to be kind.
“It takes a lot of energy to be that hateful,” Lewis said. “The hope is that the community comes together and help Black businesses, brown businesses come together to stop this racism, to stop this vandalism, because it's hard to recover.”
Lewis filed a police report, and Gresham police confirmed to KGW that they received it. Anyone with information about this case should call Gresham police.