news in Centennial, East (E) Portland...

I follow Mayor Sam Adams on Twitter, which is a nearly impossible task since he tweets at a rate that would cause the thumbs of normal people to seize up and fall off. Regardless, during a recent Sunday Parkways, His Honor tweeted a photo of a uniquely Portland household invention that is being made right here in town: the Kitchen Compost Caddy. Why uniquely Portland? Because in late 2011, Portland initiated a more...

This is the fifth article in a series about neighborhood branding, which covers understanding and changing the perception of your neighborhood or business district by creating a clear, cohesive identity and brand for your community. The hard work is done. Almost. After what may seem like ages of interacting with your community to understand the perceptions of your neighborhood, followed by determining what to more...

Neighborhood Notes firmly believes that local, independently owned businesses—in collaboration with their neighbors—help create vibrant, livable neighborhoods and a durable, local economy. It's why we focus on providing high-quality, solution-based reporting that helps neighbors and indie business owners work together to do things like improve pedestrian safety, influence development, orimprove the more...

The strength of Portland’s economy is built upon the small business sector. Small employers make up 95 percent of Portland’s business base, and these businesses are built on ideas, savvy and sweat. But, it also takes money—plenty of money. Cash doesn’t come easy to small businesses. Even financing via the Small Business Administration (SBA), which has a mission to support small business more...

This is the fourth and final installment in our series exploring Portland's land use issues. For tips, resources and a general overview, please see our first story. For more information on reading land use notices and interpreting zoning codes, please read our second story. Our third story details methods you can employ to preserve the character of your neighborhood. Your neighborhood is your home. Consequently, more...

This is the fourth article in a series about neighborhood branding, which explores the perceptions of your neighborhood before determining what to change and setting goals. We will now continue with making your neighborhood’s brand come to life. Successful brands are always defined by logos—the combination of a stylized name and image that represents a concept much larger than the sum of its parts. Yet, more...

This is the second installment in Neighborhood Notes’ series on indie business collaboration through space sharing. It doesn’t take a brilliant mind to realize that burritos and beers go together. And many Portland purveyors of food and beverage have figured out ways to creatively share business spaces. Our first list of examples was concerned with those sharing due natural proximity and complementary more...

[Editor's note:If you're a NN community member, you can add patios that you'd like to visit to your to-do list.Business names in our articles link to business pages in ourlocally owned business directory. Find theTo-Do iconand give it a click. After adding a bunch of local businesses to yourlist, visit your dashboard to share your selections with friends oruse it as a reminder when you're ready to get more...

Teenagers seeking jobs in Portland and across the country are facing another unwelcoming summer job market. Reduced funding for summer employment programs and increased competition from displaced adult workers have greatly reduced job opportunities for youth. As noted in our previous article on youth employment, the benefits of summer youth employment includes improved academic success for students that work during more...

If you’ve recently liked a small business on Facebook, then maybe you’ve also seen a Mission: Small Business ad—a program sponsored by Chase Bank and LivingSocial where up to 12 small businesses will each receive $250,000 grants—asking you to vote for your favorite indie businesses. Or, maybe a local business you support has directly reached out to you via its Facebook page, email, Twitter, more...