Really looking forward to its opening as well as its future development!

This place is owned by that megalomaniac Dwayne the same guy who own Sizizis. Expect a lot of Faux spooky Idiots. Wearing all black and sipping Faux spooky drinks. People will drink there and that's why olympia is sad now.

Sam, you're an idiot.

Dear Sam, I am an Employee and I wish to inform you that I find your bold statements to be deeply untrue. It is unfortunate that you would pass jugdement on a place you have never been or people you do not know. Ah well it is an amazing bunch of friends < some of the sweetest people I know> who are working very hard to make this dream come alive.

Oh poor local property owner giant! he cant seem to afford his own sprinkler system, yet he has more houses than I have fingers and toes, more hot rods, more businesses every year. And just how many people (REALLY?) does he have to screw over in our town and in our community before people start BOYCOTTING DUANE?

Maybe you are new to town and don't know. Ask around and you guaranteed WILL FIND a story of neigboorhood dispute, of commercial incompliance, of betrayal or neglect and lies, of unfair, injust or even cruel actions by the owner of this establishment.

Dont be illusioned by the pretty surface, the pretty lie. Take your money and go get a drink across the street. BOYCOTT this and all his establishments.

I am sure its true that it is a beautiful space. Most spaces that Mr. Moore helps create are. I have no doubt the employees are dedicated and good people. Will they get screwed over? Of course they will. Everyone who puts faith and hope in one of Duane's projects ends up becoming hurt or disillusioned. Give it time Megahhn Rose and you will see why Duane is always defending himself. There is a reason a person of power and assists must pretend to play the victim. Beware of the snake who tells you he is a man.

I will get my drinks from one of the other bars in town.

dear city do you really think that all the PLUMBING and ELECTRIC in this building is safe and up to code? do you really think it is safe? because i dont! this bar was built when you were not looking and on the bones of victims of duane moores. i would not bat an eye if you were to shut it down again. for good this time.

When I first came to Olympia 2 years ago, I felt thee black world most romantic... having lived in one of his houses and experiencing his lack of ethics or conscience as a slumlord and 'human' first-hand and vicariously on numerous occasions and furthermore knowing how well off he really is (he is a cosmetic dentist and owns at least 15 houses which he is charging nearly double for rent for yet can't seem to repair anything - see www.geodata.org which is a public site with Assessor information) I will NOT ever again support his empire. Be advised fellow Olympians he rents to thee poor and oppressed for a reason. We can't afford to fight back. Also be advised he owns The Reef as well. I have been going elsewhere for my burgers.

Anonymous Owners? Donations to create a sprinkler system? The only setback due to city code and lack of funds? What utter nonsense.

Oh, but now I remember. He IS the dark lord, the Gothic dentist, an Olympian legend!? So misunderstood, broke, and used. Certainly, we should support his businesses. If we live in a blackhouse, or get drinks at his venues, won't that make us gothic-bohemian-artists?

In reality it's all a sham. The blackhouses, filled with mold and garbage, crappy plumbing and shot appliances (being rented for more than market value). The establishments talked about as though they are cooperatives but run in a normal structure. The man himself, shrouded in mystery and pretense - in reality just a sad little man. The employees, who might be gifted and lovely but who for some reason cling to this mans "legend". They are loyal to him when he would sell them to the devil just to forward his goals.

Utter nonsense. The whole epic tale woven around the "black world". I call shenanigans. He does what every other businessperson does. The only difference is that he pretends he is doing something original, something special - and in a sense he is - by manipulating people so thoroughly that he even believes it. He paints his crappy houses black. Wow, big deal. What a revolutionary. I, for one, am bored of Duane-mania.

I have seen what happened to that poor girl that worked her booty off for this bar, and I saw what happened to the girl before her, and to the other girl down the street. I used to see them every day walking by smiling and waving. every morning and night. I am just filled with the most extreme grief and anger cause I cannot belief the extent this man takes himself too, but I dare not say a thing to the 'dark lord' as he personally called himself in a letter to me, because last time, he towed my car without even asking me, and I am a neighborly man and a buisness owner. I never had a thing against him but he came at me yelling and towed my car long ago with an angry letter. I just dont think thats how downtown business owners should talk to each other.

of course, here we have the very classic "small town" syndrome. lots of gossip coming from one side of the coin. i can see that the complainers are either speaking half truths of their personal situations and complainers of bar competition. truth is, there are a lot of people who don't like this guy because they are rightous in their ways. i've had the privilage myself to see some actual documents that clearly suggests that a whole heap of people that have been "screwed" over by this guy were very RIGHTLY screwed over. whether they were months delinquent in rent, or tried to undermine this guy is some form or fashion. lots of people think he has a lot of money. he at one time did invest in a few cars that he restored, and has collected some strange artifacts. he is far from what you all deem as rich. there are more people ready to believe that he is a bad guy than those ready to defend him. his laws are simple. don't screw him and he won't screw you. don't threaten him, and he won't threaten you. and before anyone starts throwing a heap of examples as to how they got kicked out of one of his houses or fired from a job, etc etc... just know that you are being unjust and/or you simply do not know the entire truth of the matter. like i said, its a small town and gossip happens. especially when something different and unique happens within it.

...on the subject of poor housing issues (mold, bad plumbing so on and so forth), perhaps you should check up on the history of these places before making such claims. some houses are lacking proper care because of prior tenents abuse to the house and never telling the landlord or maintenence guy. the solution is simple, if you aren't adult enough to take notice of a place that may have issues, THEN DONT RENT IT! but don't be so childish as to rent a place that has a few small problems (or big) and then cry to the world how unfair it all is. how very american of you all to expect someone else to wipe your precious fanny.

yeah, Duane seriously screwed the previous manager of the bar and sizizis... every one knows it. Some are in denial and avoid thinking about it...but every one knows it. He kinda works like most mafia bosses do, which I find hilarious! But yeah he did that lady dirty... real dirty, which was pretty unwise honestly.

All in all the place is beautiful, very unique and I will support it because it supports really good people who work there, but I'm not going to ignore the fact that people got screwed to make it happen... and that Duane has a history of doing that to people.

Also in response to the person who cautioned the wariness of snakes... yeah... dudes a snake... I think he lets every one knows that with his boots... hahah! But is he a snake telling you he is a man... or are people in denial of that fact because it serves them to do so until they get bit? What I have seen over and over again is the latter.
"Why did you bite me?!"
"Look you knew I was a snake when you picked me up."

Well "Void". I don't think it childish to expect decent housing for a decent price. And, in my 32 years of rental history I have never once done a walk through that included going under the house to check plumbing. Nor has it included a pest inspection, meth residue test or roof inspection. This is what is expected when buying a home. Not renting one. I will continue to ask for my landlord to provide the maintenance of my rented home as complete disclosure of previous issues. It is the landlords job to go in after previous tenants leave and check what damages have occurred. That is his/her legal obligation and to his/her benefit.

As to your version of rich. Granted, he might be mortgaged up to his britches (truly American!) but he is still the owner of at least three downtown buildings, one and a half downtown business and over forty rental properties. He has a private practice. He has several cars and, as you pointed out, quite the showcase of oddities. I would describe that as at least upper middle class.

If someone tells a story about how they were unfairly treated than they are not really being unjust. Sure their story is probably one sided. But it's funny how one sided Duane's story is, especially when it's the same story year, after year, after year. This isn't about one employee or tenant. This is the story of hundreds of people. And it's not just people who have lived in his houses or who have worked for him who are complaining. It's the neighbors to those houses, the city itself, misc. people who he has done business as well as Shelton residents. How much money has been wasted on tracking Duane's dealings? How many city workers had to be sent to one of his houses to check on another botched or faked project? My tax dollars have actually gone towards this man's self centered actions? That, dear lady, is unamerican of him to have allowed.

You see, when you are presenting something truly different and unique (or just a bold cliche), you have to watch your back. You must be careful to continue to support the people who have helped lift you to where you are. When you don't, your empire will crumble. Duane does "paint his crappy houses black". And he has made many beautiful (and ill lit) spaces. But behind the walls, under the striped floors or in the attic, you will always find skeletons. You to will find this out. It might take a couple of years, but you will discover all of his skeletons.

It's funny how you say it's all just small town gossip. Can you think of any other property owner, health care provider, or small business owner that invokes the same response as Duane? Don't let disgust be confused with jealousy. Not all of us who disagree with Duane's methods have been burnt by him. Some of us just watch and learn.

Small town? I've lived here in Oly my whole life and I've never heard of him.

Freemasons: you say everyone knows how he "did that lady dirty" but I for one never heard of it. You make it sound pretty extreme , like he sold her into sex slavery or something. Why not just come out and say what you think happened, all these vague insinuations are annoying.

Wow, the truth spills out. i love the 'documents which clearly suggests...' business from 'void'. Little Duane there wants to hang out with the cool kids and maybe hook up with one of the nice young cute ones (notorious before he got one of them pregnant and married her). He likes to pretend he is some sort of artist or purveyor of weirdness, so he dangles a little money in front of some kids and sure as anything a new crop comes running for it. When the inevitable craziness happens, he will blame it all on how he got screwed over by these bad people... Ha haha enjoy all that then.
I wouldn't be surprised if Duane was ratting to the Feds during that whole 'green scare' business.

@ Curious... go to the bar and ask half the bar tenders what he did to the previous manager of both his locations if you want to know... I tell you this she doesn't live here any more.

OH boy. everyones had their morning coffee and is ready to start ripping at each other's eyes. this old boy is going to have to get some popcorn before the fights start again.

but come on girls and boys. must you really fight so dirty? anonymity is fun, but lends it's self to some very ugly situations. if Duane did you or someone you know wrong, or if you just don't like him or his product that's fine. personally, I won't be visiting the infamous manium anytime soon. but shouldn't we leave family out of it and certain situations a little enigmatic?

I personally love duane, and these statements about him have no truth behind them whatsoever, find something better to do with your time then dump on someone else. You are all pathetic. Grow up.

Oh and on another note, all the people bad mouthing this very personal man have no idea who he is. This made-up stupid small town drama is ridiculous, move to L.A or something. High school is over. The pathetic, petty excuse for drama, is DEAD. I'm in my teen years and even I know better. It's sick to see what rude people we have living in our community. Plus, you do all this major crap dumping and you can't even say who you are. Really, you all just need a reality check. Fast.

Nomercy Bird: Thats my sister you are talking about. (The girl that got knocked up and he then married.) You don't know ANYTHING. grow a pair and quit talking trash. you are a disgusting person. You are such a terrible member of our community. If you don't like the damn bar, don't go. You have no right to talk about those whom you don't know, cause with what you are stating about MY sister, isn't true. You are extremely obnoxious, think before you talk about things you know nothing of.
"Ha haha enjoy that then" :]

i do not deny that there are some rentals that lack proper care, and yes, some issues are severe. i've set foot in a couple places that smell greatly of mold. i wouldn't rent those places, of course. but this is, after all, the pacific northwest where its tropical enough to house many insects. personally, i've seldomly rented a place as inexpensive as these properties that are free of a problem (at least one). and yes, these are inexpensive places compared to an immaculately kept property. i absolutly do not dispute that some of these properties need attention. however, not all his properties are like this. i've seen a great number of places that are kept up with very well. the person who replied to the post i wrote earlier (re: void) sounds like they got a bad draw from the houses on the market. keep in mind though that there are many things to take into consideration with those who have a lot of bad things to say about the upkeep of properties. perhaps some potential tenants were fresh off the street with a brand new job and talked to the landlord about renting a place (an appealing thing to do, looking crusty and homeless) only to be thrown into a house that was currently or "on the to-do" list of being repaired from the last tenants who neglected or trashed the place. there also have been a few folks who have maliciously attacked his properties and then called the county to inspect the damage, but of course, the county seems to already have a distaste for the landlord because his houses are painted black, because he refuses to surrender his downtown businesses to the city for upper-middle class development. they are all but too ready to take someone elses word over his. plus it is not as if the maintenence guy just sits on his thumbs all day. in fact, he his working every single work week day on a rental that have severe problems. also consider the age of a lot of these rentals. a greater chunk are very old and need a great deal of repair, like plumbing. so, you want to rent a black house? house very obviously looks made before the 70's, the appliances look like they came from either an old victorian house or from the thrift shop, the walls do not have a fresh coat of paint, the floors look a little worn. seriously... what are you expecting? this is what i look at and consider when potentially renting a place, and to me this is simply common sense.

the guy is not rich, he has a few assets. that cafe' he owns absolutly, does not make profit. it is a struggling business. the bar, which was vacant and unused for many years, only sucked a lot of money. and what third business have we here? are we speaking of the reef? is anyone certain about this, or is this just another street rumor? not sure myself, but a lot of folks around town have said that several local business owners pulled funds together to get the reef running again and that it is still owned by the person who owned it before it burnt. believe me, if it were truly duanes, it would look different on the inside.

i refuse to believe that a greater portion of these people who claim to have been treated unfairly are just in their claims. so many people take advantage of rentals in the way of not paying rent, ultimately getting kicked out. in the cases of employees being fired, well, since its not fair to exploit their gross lies, i'll go no further. i've had the honor to cross paths with neighbors of duane. they give me great insight into the psyche of how this witch-hunting society brands people who have a dark and eccentric lifestyle.

so this is my point, and i'll leave it at this. for those of you that have to honor themselves no matter how petty or how serious your feelings are, don't support duane. but consider this, by slandering his name and businesses, are you affecting duane or are you affecting the folks that are employed by him? i know several folks that work at either the bar or the cafe. they are good, honost, and beautiful folks that have only dreamt of getting the chance to work in society. and now they are finally given the chance to make the money to pay the bills with a slight less stress of these economically unstable days. don't get everyone in this town to jump on the band wagon. like i've said before, society has a knack for wanting to burn the witch at the stake. and to those that just go by hear-say, pick your battles more wisely. this guy is a small business owner and there are many, many worse coorporations to focus your hate on. if one is to boycott his businesses because they heard this or that, or because their friend "got screwed", then you better stop buying gas, stop buying toilet paper, even stop buying from the co-op because it is possible that someone you know might have been indirectly screwed over by someone working in the business end. ridiculous? so are all these slandering remarks based off half facts and witch hunt mentalities.

ok, i've said my piece and i have no more to say. take it, or jump on the band wagon.

What is it that they say about beauty... that it is only skin deep? I'll wager bitter waters run deeper here than almost any oasis in town, if only for their source... . .
Words are cheap, plentiful things; some people create drama and poverty with their very actions. All the best efforts and intentions of others involved cannot keep the dream alive when self~inflicted sabotage lurks behind the smokey screens of it's spell~caster.

I must say, everyone's animosity with Daune seems to touch on some deep and mysterious part of the human psyche I think I may just never quite understand. When I first came to Olympia a little less than a year ago to live in one of his buildings, I had a fairly open mind to the possibility that maybe all the vicious talk was justified. But as time has gone on, I think I've resigned myself to a state of ceaseless and growing bafflement.

I mean, even if pretty much absolutely everything everyone said about the man was true, I'm astonished by how fierce people's hatred for him his, how totally lacking any sense of scale. 50% of the world's animals and plants will be extinct within the next hundred years. How much time and energy could one really bother spending hating a landlord and local business owner? People seem genuinely more upset about their complaints with him than with African child soldiers or secret CIA detention sites or illegal commercial whaling. I genuinely don't get it.

But to compound the mystery, it seems a number of people who despise him and feel abused by him in fact owe him a great deal. I mean, people in all sincerity think he's done something wrong for evicting them after months of nonpayment of rent. Or for throwing something away they abandoned on one of his properties for months. I know of people who literally owe him thousands of dollars who somehow manage to feel ripped off by him.

At this point, I have to say I'm more or less over waiting for someone to give me a legitimate reason they hate the man. He's my friend and he's been good to me and I've been here for long enough to feel fairly confident in those statements.

I find the same syndrome to present itself in relation to the space I live in, the Hall of the Woods, where people consistently talk to us like we're lambs to the slaughter out here, uncomprehending of what we're getting ourselves into... but of course, we've worked on all kinds of collective spaces in the past in other cities. What people think of as insurmountable adversity we are facing is in fact just the day to day reality of toil one has to endure to make something like an underground venue happen. Maybe people just need to travel more to get some sense of context and perspective, I don't know.

I apologize for Stereotyping Dwayne's businesses as "Faux spooky Idiots. Wearing all black and sipping Faux spooky drinks" I go to Sizizis sometimes and drink tea. I honestly am just creeped out by Dwayne. My conclusions on Dwayne are based on a lot of people that I love and trust feeling that they have been taken advantage of. This town has so many amazing creative people and a lot of them work in his establishments and live in his houses. I think everyone should take a step back and a deep breath.

woah, as someone who has lived in multiple black houses I can verify the conditions as sub par. He once told me I was the "best tenant" he ever had, then raised my rent from 850 to 1060 with 20 days notice. $1060 for a two bedroom. I reported the leaky roof every month, and by the time I moved out after 2 years living in the house the walls were so rotten that I could stick my finger into the wall with zero effort. I wondered why I was constantly coming down with bronchitis, as I don't smoke, but when the drywall crumbled and the green and black mold was revealed, I understood.

I spent all my extra money working on this house, I added "green" insulation to the attic, rebuilt a section of fence that had rotted away, re-caulked leaking windows, battled to get grass to grow in a yard that had been used as the garbage- (seriously multiple bags and car parts had been buried.) I scrubbed the mold off the bathroom ceiling and kilz'ed it, removed the slugs from the bathroom every time they came back. I had to paint constantly to keep the mold down it was a never ending project. The house was infested with sugar ants, which I reported multiple times. The ceiling leaked in EVERY room and I reported it, how could you not report water leaking onto your bed? The problems never seemed to be fixed, but "patched."

I'm thankful to have had a place to live, and as I was young, had little credit history, and was poverty level income, but the situation was never ideal and the "black world" left a bad taste in my mouth. Not to mention a rental history that cannot be verified by people who speak formal english as much of the positive correspondence I received was written in an unprofessional gothic slang.

And by the way, I got my whole deposit back, just an fyi to the guy who says its the tenants who trash the place.

Everyone knows he screwed Sharon over. He had her manage his club, and put it in her name in case the city issued citations. She got the club to the point of completion and he fired her and raised her rent by over $200.

He only paints his houses black because it lowers the assessors valuation and thereby his insurance payments. It also hides the pinky sized gaps between windows and their frames. His handyman is awesome and a nice guy, but he doesnt have much to work with, the repairs he does barely keep the houses legal and some like the "swamphouse" built without heat, not legal and very cold.

void, the olympian just did a story on the reef where it named him as owner of the building that houses the reef. Two brothers operate the reef, but duane owns the building. you can google it.

Also I like that the only person defending duane is the teenage sister of the girl who he has a baby by. Kid, maybe he is great to you. I dont doubt it, you are basically family to him at this point and your family just got a coffee shop, I guess I'd say nice stuff about someone who was supporting me too.

Scott: since you have only lived here a year I doubt you can see the whole situation. It goes back quite a few years. I'm glad it is working out for you. BUT, it dosent go as smoothly for everyone. As a resident of Olympia for over 25 years, I can see the changes that have happened to some of these houses individually. Where there was once a nice house, maintained to living standards, now stands a rotting eyesore filled with junkies (black dot).

Dont get me wrong, the idea of having a "Robin Hood" landlord, someone who will actually rent to artists and low income individuals, or people with pitbulls sounds great. But feeling "owned" by that person is another matter entirely. $1300 is not a "deal." If you are from a big city it may been like a deal, but it isnt. I pay $670.00 for a two bedroom and that includes W/S/G. It is really not a deal when you have constant leaks, mold, or breaking appliances.

And I do agree, that a large part of the problem is that duane consistently rents to the same type. Krusty kids with "punk" ideals, oogles. Kids from out of state who dont care about community, cleaning and who are comfortable living in a 2 bedroom with 5 people and 7 dogs. Really, the houses are overpriced and thats why so many people have to live in one place. No one thinks "gee, when I grow up I want to share my bedroom with 2 other people," or "wow, I get this whole closet to myself."

I really just wish duane took better care of his houses...some of them could be so cool that he could attract long term renters. People who could invest in the idea of community...

Scott,
As you well know, you are not the first 'crew' to have put energy into creating an underground space from the hall of the woods. You are the third. The first two were torn from the hall, their items refiled through by city and rain. This after they stood up for Duane, felt they owed him something and were loyal to his "cause". I admire what you and your cohorts are creating. But. You are not the first - nor the last.

I don't "hate" Duane. I have never owed Duane anything. And currently, I owe him nothing. I disapprove of the way he runs his businesses and interacts with the community. And while I participate in Capitalism on a daily basis and see no immediate escape from that reality, I hope that small business owners (amongst others) will act with the integrity that large corporations lack. I would never compare Duane with a "large scale" problem. He is not responsible for the ocean's pollution or the airs toxicity. His power is but a spec compared with our government or any large corporation.

He has still betrayed many a "friend", many a "family" member and many a business partner. He pretends to fight for something counter to cultural and economic standards. I don't like fakes. I don't like people who betray their own ethos. I despise hypocrisy. I don't trust liars. Duane is all of those things - so much so that I think he even believes his own game.

Duane has a unique position within our small community of friends. He is one of the few who owns more than a car, or bus, or raw land. He was not given his privilege (beyond his sex and race), he worked for it. But now, having amassed a great deal of "power" he chooses to travel in a fairly "powerless" circle. He uses his power to his benefit but not in an ethical way. I suppose he is under no real obligation to act honorably. I suppose no one is. I just hoped that he would actually stand up for what he says he does. I wish that his actions had been cohesive with his language. I believe he is playing with people, in order to further his personal dream where he successfully creates and manipulates a scene.

He may be a snake. He may be a man. What I know is that I don't want to play in his pond.

I used to wonder why random Olympians would mention their hatred toward my ex slimelord... after the lies, cheating and threats to good tenants who always paid on time {not even the beginning of the story, I'm keeping it extremely clean here}.
It is a sad little man who runs from his fears and abuses single parents to make himself feel like he is in control... I long for the day when such monsters no longer hold the town I love in thrall like the gestapo.

It really is sad that Duane's family and employees are affected by all of this. I wish it was possible that Duane could be held accountable without others having paying a price. Those who care for him or his projects will inevitably and already have been punished, even if only in grief, by the repercussions of his decisions.

In business there is good and bad. both happen and it's generally not a huge reflection on the people involved. I think he is a very private person, not given to explaining himself. while that's fine, It doesn't make for an easy business relationship with anyone. He's just a man, trying to do something, having a vision of something, maybe succeeding sometimes, maybe failing sometimes. Sounds like there are people who support him and people who don't. He is not a monster, He's not a messiah, he's just a man. I don't mean to go all evergreen, but come on people, let's go a little old fashioned and consider gossip a bad thing. There's been a lot of prejudice in these posts, from a town that has been known for it's acceptance of those that don't fit. This is the downside of being a part of a place like that. people don't fit what you want them to be. This is my town. I've lived here my whole life. People talk about how this place changes and how he has the whole town enthralled. Honestly, this place has changed. it will keep changing, but it will always be Olympia. It takes a number of years to figure out what that means, i think.

Sharon is a nice woman i am sure. you put your ear to the ground and you hear he screwed her over, raised her rent with no warning and wrote her off after working like a dog to put it all together. You dig a little deeper you hear he let her go cause her numbers didn't come out right again and again. He took back the reduced rent which was part of her pay for the job, and declined to say so because he's a private man.

And in business, both sides are true. I think it is our right as citizens to be involved in what goes on in our town. I don't think it's our right to take part in malicious gossip, where your information is based off only a few bits of information. And for Christ's sake leave mothers and wives out of the slamming.

@olymywholelife
1. this isn't sharon vs. duane. this is about all of duane's past interactions.
2. the story is that he let her go because her numbers weren't correct (what numbers might those have been)? oh come on. either you don't know what you're talking about and you've swallowed the third incarnation of duane's stories re. the management switch. or, you were involved - you used to work there - and are purposefully misleading the readers of this site.
3. duane was not private when constantly trying to justify his recent actions. and your story doesn't match with the original. i'm sure that's what he is telling people now. but that doesn't make it true.
4. malicious gossip doesn't have purpose beyond negative entertainment. this sounds more to me like people standing up for what they believe is right.

I don't give a rats *** about this argument. but after reading through this garbage I have to say, lets stick to reality.

ps I don't agree with a lot of what you said, but I really agree that mothers and wives should be kept out of it.

I've been in and around "the black world" as it has been commonly referred to for about 8 years now and have seen time and again this "evil man" that everyone want's to demonize give so many people chance after chance after chance.

How many of you people were the ones that had to be reminded month after month that rent was due, or needed to get the trash out of the yard, or needed to run the heat once in a while when it's fifty degrees and high humidity to help prevent mold? How many of you abandoned junk cars or trash everywhere when you moved out? Do you have any clue how many places I helped haul truckloads (stress on the plural) of trash out of when people left?

How many of you know the former managers of either Cryptatropa or Sizizis and the personal demons they had other than the "he said she said" drama someone told you at a party or show?

There are a lot of people here that like to hide behind a monitor and make bold statements while never having to man/woman up and look him in the face. Cowards like Nomercy Bird that want to go a step further and bring his family into this make me sick. Why don't you people use your real names so the man might actually know who his accusers are.

I've been here, and done this. I'm sick of his shady, devious dealings.

Do you know how awful it is to be held in thrall? Do you even know what kind of stress, unrest and constant uncertainty comes with this guy in a business relationship? I'm tired of keeping quiet to protect my friends whose lives Duane still has control in or over {yeah, he's got a really nasty habit of working any angle to make others pay}. I'm disheartened with the threats, lies and abuse of legalities he hides behind when simple yes or no answers are all that's asked for.
I'm saddened to see amazing, dear people I love falling for his selfish, manipulative ways again and again, to their own detriment.

Mostly I just want Duane to stop screwing everyone and himself out of something really awesome. It doesn't have to be like this, but he doesn't know how to be a businessman, and maybe hearing him called one in the face of all the really poor life choices he's constantly choosing is what makes this new bar seem like such a bad joke and something to be avoided at all costs, to me.

In real business, drama is the minimum, not the status quo. It can happen, and people live and learn. I am not sure that this charlatan wants what he's selling us, when he seems to thrive on dysfunction and making others feel powerless.

Well, whoever it is that's responding to me (I'm not certain if I know you or not), I'm not sure if you're counting on me as the second and the third or just the third. I already lived at the Hall of the Woods when the police eviction of February 13 occurred. That happened, it got fixed, now I live here again. As some know, in the course of those same couple weeks underground venues in Oakland, Eugene and Portland also all got shut down one way or the other. I'm pretty sure there was no conspiracy - it's just absolutely the nature of doing collective spaces that at some point or another various government agencies might come close your doors. In every other city, people seemed to perceive this as a conflict between them and authority. In Olympia for some reason, it seems like it was perceived as a conflict between 'the community' and the guy who was renting us the space. I found it strange.

But more to the point, what's the worst that could happen? Maybe some day Duane will decide not to employ me or rent to me, maybe some day I'll decide not to work for him or rent from him. So what? I'm a grown man and I make my own way in the world. I don't owe anybody anything and I'm completely responsible for whatever situations I decide to get myself into. If a situation isn't working for me anymore, I'll decide not to place myself in it. People talk about him like he ruined their lives somehow, but ultimately for that to be true they would have had to give him some inordinate power over them. Unless I'm missing something truly fundamental here.

I mean, I came here from Portland. I lived at Doom School from its inception until a time when a few core member all left at once. I left because disagreements over an experimental music opera we were all working on spiraled out of control into widespread discord throughout the house. But I left on good terms with everyone. It was fun while it was lasted, we did beautiful things together, then it was time to move on. That's life.

But you wanna know what the difference between here and Portland would be? Here I have the only real job I've ever had in my life. In Portland I would hop trains to go find seasonal harvest work, sleep under bridges, run all kinds of ridiculous hustles. So I gotta say, if the end should come for me here, it will still be the case that the time I spent here was a lot more comfortable than time I've spent most other places. Why would I resent that?

Hm, why am i being anonymous? Because Duane can afford a better lawyer than i can and he has no honor or ethics. I couldn't give a half, anymore really. Duane tried to befriend me and i thought he was an interesting guy. As friends got screwed over, i saw the pattern he externalizes, felt a bit betrayed and ultimately wanted nothing more to do with the sad little poseur. I think its awesome that people are talking about these things publicly. Why do people care about this? Because it's meatholes like this guy that are effing up our cultural and material environment to manifest their pathetic little small-time ego-image 'dreams,' and its unbelievably offensive when they pretend to be down with you. I don't worry about it-- he wants to learn about magic, and he will. The hard way. Everyone he's still involved with should start documenting situations NOW to protect the innocent.

"But more to the point, what's the worst that could happen? Maybe some day Duane will decide not to employ me or rent to me, maybe some day I'll decide not to work for him or rent from him. So what?"

So, enjoy the taste in your mouth

also:
"I must say, everyone's animosity with Daune seems to touch on some deep and mysterious part of the human psyche I think I may just never quite understand."

People really don't like ###holes and liars who pretend to be friends. Is this really so mysterious?

"the psyche of how this witch-hunting society brands people who have a dark and eccentric lifestyle" Oh, Duane, you're such a poseur. Go back to the midwest and your cheeseball bondage/fetish playparty lifestyle.

Duane is a member of our family. Maybe our perspective is a bit bias and our loyalty fierce, but I do think the world of Duane. It saddens me that people unthinkingly express their long held hurts publicly, brutally and without civility or courtesy. When there is disagreement I encourage direct talk with the person. There are at least two sides to every story and usually no one side is totally fair or accurate. To those of you who don't know Duane all I can say is that he is a person of great depth and character. I am proud to have him as a member of our family. To those of you still embracing hurt feelings I hope for your recovery.

I've been employed at SIZIZIS for nearly 2 years. Lived in the "black" houses for equally as long. I've spend a small chunk of being a barista debunking rediculous myths about duane. and a few people come in every now and then with some really wild story about some crazy or messed up thing duane did. and seriously, if i didn't know people that worked on his houses and other honost people that have known him for a while, i would really wonder about this guy. however, i don't believe much of this tripe at all. this is a choice that i have made for myself after really carefully listeninig to all sides of the stories. its a hard call too because i've had a few friends lose their jobs or get evicted. the stories get very tangled and rather convoluted. one really has to understand that certain people that live in the world of duane are really rather smart people. (un)fortunatly, they are also very emotional people. the two mind sets tend to clash and from there we get vicious vengence. i actually had a landlord in eugene, or who rented in a very similar style as duane. he rented to the artist community in the whiteaker neighborhood. an extremely nice guy, but just like duane he made a lot of enemies. at one point someone who he HAD to kick out for being months late on rent ended up poisoning one of his dogs to death as an act of retaliation. he's had his windows broken by bricks and threats of unimaginable quantity. in a small way, its kind of similar here. both of these landlords (duane and the one i mentioned in eugene) live private and rather eccentric lives. and both deal with a rather artistic community. and believe it or not, most of the best and amazing artists (visualy/musically) i've met in all my years have absolutly no sense for business. they just do not understand it. business is dirty no matter how you look at it, no matter what color you paint it. honostly, my hat goes off to duane for trying to work with us/me/you, but in the end, its all business. like scott schroder said so very well "Maybe some day Duane will decide not to employ me or rent to me, maybe some day I'll decide not to work for him or rent from him". Thats business, people. get used to it or go live in the woods.

without getting into it too much, i would like for everyone to take note of a couple people who have brought up extremely valid points like Void, Scott Schroder and OlyMyWholeLife. I really truly urge folks to take in what they're saying. Especially in Scott Schroders case since he is taking a more generalized seat in this saga. don't get me wrong, i do feel for those that may have experienced some form of injustice or perhaps merely a lack of communication, but some of the other comments on here are really terrible exaggerations and straight up lies. for example: NoMercy Bird - didn't you ask me for "some part of 39 cents" once before? your statements not only have no validity but they're also senseless and weak. really, if you're going to make an attack on a persons character, at least make it somewhat intelligible.

@Ash Fox

" and believe it or not, most of the best and amazing artists (visualy/musically) i've met in all my years have absolutly no sense for business. they just do not understand it. business is dirty no matter how you look at it, no matter what color you paint it. honostly,"

Well said and so very true. This is why management and agents are such a big part of a succesful artists life.

@ No Lawsuit and others
I also find it a bit ironic when people refer to him as a poseur. Do you people even know anything about the poeple around you? While we do have some true starving artists in the comunity we also have a large number of scenesters that pretend they are broke and downtrodden while drawing on their trust fund or having the rent paid by their parents from the east coast. I know for a fact that there are some very popular people that owe a large part of their styling to this "horrible" man.

karma does exist.

I do not believe business to be inherently dirty. I have seen many a business man/woman act with integrity in their dealings. We live in a world that is predominantly capitalist. Thus, someone must fill the role of entrepreneur, landlord, state worker etc. I hold nothing against these people. Most of us have to work. Especially if we want a roof over our heads and food in our belly. So, unlike many people in our community, I absolutely don't see landlords or entrepreneurs as being filthy or convoluted people. It is necessary for "good" people to fill these rolls so that we, the consumer, may make a choice to buy their better/more ethical product. I have nothing against the people who fill these rolls as long as they are 'selling' a quality product for a fair price.

I don't choose to let people off the hook because the are musicians or artists or eccentric. And I don't let them off the hook just because they are involved in business which is always dirty. If someone acts honorably, most of the time, they will avoid the pit duane has dug. I am confused by the people who are trying to justify his actions by claiming that the only people he has evicted are those who didn't pay rent or who trashed their houses. It is so clearly not the case. I am confused by the the response to betrayal: its only business. We are stuck with this economic system for the time being. That does not give us the excuse or justification to treat others poorly. If anything, it is the reason we must rise above and act with integrity. That goes for artists, business people, punks and conservatives. Using our system as an explanation for some of the corruption we see is useful. Using it as an excuse for individual behavior is counter productive.

People will either stick with Duane's product or not. I don't wish to sway people in either direction. I do hope we will analyse the situation so as to realize the mistakes that have been made and how to avoid them in the future. We should be trying to better ourselves and our community.

thank you, Ash Fox, for bringing it back to the 'text', thinking critically, et. al.
happy kimchi with lavender.
t.

"jaylike bird, no mercy bird,nolawsuit bird"is jay feltman the google millionare pretending to be poor,the letter L tatto'd on each cheek and a diggerrey doo superstar.
dragon pixie is "amber amanita darkwood,yes legal name,funny huh"lives on a trust fund,
others are justin "si" matta.these and the others are easy to find on blogs and my space make beleive.

My friends have a beautiful home to live in (granted yes, issues exist, but this does not change the aesthetics) and JOBS. Tell me oh-so-knowledgeable folks of Olympia who know Duane so well, and have actually thought about both sides of the situation (such as the lovely crust punks who have destroyed Duane's homes, oh wait did not think about that one did you?); where exactly will my friends work, who by the way are some of your friends too, if this place does not exist!?

Listen, I have read through each of these posts now and have a pit the size of Texas in my belly (and I love reality TV, so believe me when I say I have a high tolerance for trash talking). I know most everyone who has posted or is being talked about, so give a moment of your ear:
This blog is going nowhere. It has gotten darn nasty.

I have known most of you for some time I can honestly say everyone (on both sides!) is just doing the best that they can. For better or for worse we are all following the visions we believe in most and we are trying to get by the best we know how. We all make decisions we aren't proud of or mistakes along the road but how many times are we really trying to hurt someone or put them out? I think mostly we are doing what we think is right or that we are in the right in our actions. Life is messy and our roads rarely direct. I think we should all take a breath and focus on the present moment. Side taking doesn't often get anywhere. Its become a war with both sides trying to conquer instead of listen or moderate.

I'm not coming from a side. I care about all of you and I am worried about the negative ramifications of an argument like this. Could we all just take a step back and reflect on how we can all improve ourselves, our community and our relationships? I think in the end that is what everyone really wants. Both sides are upset, everyone is raw and I think this is adding salt to those wounds. No one is a winner without compassion (cheesy). I hope we can all agree that time outs are important for grownups too. This mama is sending us all to our rooms for some rest and reflection.

sweet dreams and happy nightmares,
S. N. K. (those of you who actually care about this show know who I am)

just as an afterthought: Those who know me know how I feel about this topic. And I think the issues at hand are really important to look at. I simply don't believe this forum is the means to our resolution or reflection.

Okay, I'm out for real. Let's pray for another sunny day.
S.N.K.

i have never met the guy. but i love his places and his drinks. just dropped in the other night to the CRYPTATROPA, and it seemed very awesome. actually playing a show there tomorrow if all goes as planned. and i love SIZIZIS. i have played and drank there as well. nothing but good vibes from both places. maybe just a tip? get off your high horses and pull the sticks out of you asses and have a little bit of a good time and enjoy life...i swear it doesn't bit! unless you're lucky!

be well.
p

Uhhh,,might want to check some of your sources Mr. Horus, not so sure Amber has a trust fund. If so, from who? Her dad? Guess you do not know her to well. And why would she work? That sounds like someones pissed in your corn flakes, and now someone wants to spread lies.

Wow, someone $#!t in your shoes, 'Horus'? Those are some pretty farfetched fairytales you've spun yourself, on some of the humblest, truest people I've ever known.

Wonder what you have to gain fouling honest folks names? They've already been done dirty enough by Duane's hands, give it up already fool.

ooh, they all know jay's story for sure! not like that fucktard was being all subtle.. anyway, don'tcha all worry, i'm not necessarily part of your community. i've just had it with the shite-little drama cabals created by hungry lords sucking on their power games. (huh?? gee, what'd i do? golly...) Anyway, this certainly isn't the first scene of its kind but i wouldn't grieve if it was the last. Over and over i've seen these zombie cliques where the prime directive is to protect the interests of little-lord-asshole. Fortunately in between all that there are all these interesting folks and things happening in unexpected places in this great wide world, but its not usually where sheep congregate around the Charismatic Type. I suppose i feel a little bad that Dwayne is being made an example of, but not really.
---
about me:
i've enjoyed getting some random money over the last few years, and am straightforward, always, about my money situation. why i'm broke sometimes is because i buy gear whenever i get a chunk and also am a pretty lazy son-of-a-bitch. i don't ask you for jack, so eat a plate. As far as superstardom goes, you've perhaps not seen my ugly, cluncky glitch machine that sounds like a pile of trolls being eaten by a donkey, and i only busk when i most desperately need cigarette money. However i practice what was taught to me, and enjoy my weird little sound experimenting, so again with the aforementioned plate. I have no interest in any of this other than complete dissolution of the going paradigm by any means necessary.

: l

Wish there was a delete my comment button on this page. Sorry for the hurt my words may have caused. I was in the heat of a moment when I posted. I should have kept my words off the screen. My feelings still exist, but I shouldn't have voiced them here. It wasn't the right or kind thing to do. I am sorry.

@ horus: I by no means have a trust fund! If I did, I would be living my dream in a cabin in the woods away from all this HS drama! I am a single RESPONSIBLE mother working 40 hours a week to support 2 kids and can't even collect child support! I was also raised by a single mother who worked her butt off as a role model. I cannot speak for Jay, but I KNOW Si wrote no comments and I wrote only one. We are both very tired of all the subterfuge and gossip. I wrote one comment and immediately regretted it, being swept away and jumping on the victim train. I own that. I wanted to retract it but couldn't (I tried). I had heard a rumor going around that Jay, Si and I wrote ALL these comments, which is why I came back to this thread and am offering transparency for my part. And, hopefully, a means to an end as I cannot contact Duane personally (which has always been my preference).

At this point, I just don't care anymore. I don't hate Duane. I don't KNOW Duane the individual. I just know his houses, while ascetically wonderful, don't meet my standards or budget as a single mother. I wish when our T/L relationship ended a year ago we could have parted with direct communication and no hard feelings, however that wasn't my choice. We all choose to live in his houses for whatever reason and can also choose not to. Duane also chooses who he rents to. I do not need to justify or condemn Duane's actions. People can choose to be affected by each other... or not. I now choose not to and can only hope it is reciprocal.

To Duane et employees: While I have already communicated to many of the Cryptatropa employees directly, who are my personal friends of many years, I will also relay here, publicly. I did some soul-searching and decided that I would in fact support this bar (for the few times a year I might actually want to go out for a drink). I want to go on with my life. Duane's involvement in it is very minimal in the grand scheme of things. After finding a wonderful new place to live I have not spoken of what transpired between Duane and I to anyone (except a couple close friends) for over a year... Yet I hear our private T/L email communications are being spoken of a year after the fact and not by me! Can bans be lifted? Can we raise a white flag and just go on with our lives in this little towne?

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and Iâ€"
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. "
~Robert Frost

I rented a room in one of his black houses on Tullis Street. On Dec. 05, 2011 I was given notice to vacate the premise (as were all other tenants) by January 1. No indication that we had done anything to deserve being booted... Happy Holidays from a real great man, eh? Some of my room mates were going to their home states for the holidays and had a mere week to find a place to go and put all their stuff. WE were told he was "selling" the property but upon driving by he just has some greasy greeners living in the joint. Of course, Thurston County Assessors office shows he still owns the home. He is nothing but a rat. A liar. He does not have tenants sign leases so that he can give a boot at any given time. I was in a room that needed a repair for almost an entire year. No repair ever happened. Karma will get this man, he is not a great contributor to our community and preys on college kids. Boycott him, his homes and his businesses.