The Bird Nest originally began over 40 years ago by Dick Martin. He was always a man of passion, drag racing in his youth and skiing until his early 80s. His love for cars started at an early age. Martin, as the years went on, had several businesses and dealt in real estate, including the Bird Nest.

The business was born after Martin was involved in an accident that damaged his 1959 Thunderbird 430. He purchased a parts car to repair his. Once completed, he sensed a possible market for Thunderbird parts and sold off the remaining spare parts. They sold well. Noticing this, Martin continued to collect parts and cars as they became available and sold them. His business boomed and the Bird Nest name became synonymous with knowledgeable people and friendly services.

Retirement finally came for Martin in 1994. It had taken his wife many years to convince him he didn’t have to work every day. Now realizing he would have time for his other passions, snow and water skiing, he advertised the Bird Nest for sale. Martin was particular in the type of owners wanted for his business. He was looking for passionate people who cared more about Thunderbirds than money. Finally, after receiving many inquiries and offers, he found a set of brothers from California who fit his ideals. Matt and Griff Truax were both owners of Thunderbirds and had an interest in the cars. Both had extensive backgrounds in electronics and business and a partnership in selling T-bird parts as a modest backyard business. With these two, Martin knew that they had the direction, passion, experience, and knowledge to continue on the Bird Nest.

More than 20 years ago, a deal was struck and the Bird Nest business changed hands. The brothers have now been running and handling the business and, as a result, incorporated several hundred new products. About ten years ago, they moved the day to day operations away from busy streets of downtown Portland to the quieter area of West Linn, Oregon. In the Portland location, they stored approximately 15,000 square feet of products. However, due to the recent sale of the building, the Bird Nest had to move all their parts to the new location in West Linn.

Matt and Griff are members of a few local and international T-bird clubs and even dedicate a space at the West Linn location for the local club. This passion for Thunderbirds continues to motivate the brothers to invest in the parts enthusiasts and owners need to fix and restore their cars for years to come.