Local businesses step up to help Royce’s Prop Shop after ‘heartbreaking’ fire in North Portland

Lisa Balick
·2 min read

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As Royce’s Prop Shop in North Portland is grappling with a devastating loss from a fire that destroyed its shop Wednesday morning, other businesses that would normally be considered competitors are stepping up to lend a helping hand.

Royce Mason, the owner of the shop, said seeing the smoke drift into the sky from flames coming from his business was “devasting,” especially after spending 25 years building the business at the location on North Albina Avenue and North Killingsworth Street. He said he’ll continue keeping the business going, however, and is committed to keeping all 20 of his employees.

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Mason has curated an impressive list of clients, including the Portland Trail Blazers, who have been known to order signage and props for events from Royce’s Prop Shop. To keep Mason’s clients happy, other businesses are now stepping in to fulfill orders.

Competitors in the event planning community are stepping up to offer supplies, space, and whatever else Royce’s Prop Shop needs to stay afloat. Many who are offering help said they learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that they needed each other to keep their businesses going, making Portland more of a collaborative city than a competitive one.

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“It’s just heartbreaking and it’s really hard to process, you know, for him, his employees, everything going on with him,” said Chris Manning, Arden Event Collective’s general manager.

At Mollet Printing Inc. in Northeast Portland, workers were remaking signage that was lost in the fire to quickly help Royce’s Prop Shop get orders out to customers not just in the Rose City but around the country. The businesses tell KOIN 6 News they wasted no time reaching out to help for however long they are needed.

Travel Portland is also a big customer of Royce’s Prop Shop, calling the fire a “devastating loss.” However, they said a Go Fund Me has been set up.

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