More than 200 independent and locally operated businesses opened in the last year—at least by our count—peaking with 23 new openings a year ago, last January. Among the entrepreneurs were apparel designers, jewelers, mustache waxers, and ninja trainers. It was also a big year for brewers, urban wineries, bottle shops, coffee shops, and candy shops. And, of course, we swam in an endless stream of more...
The season of clouds may be upon us, but that doesn't mean a long winter of discontent has to be on you. Belly up to just about any Portland bar and chances are you’ll find someone who has crafted a cocktail that will cure your winter blues. Neighborhood Notes went out in search of a few hot drinks—hot as in heated up—and what we found were libations amalgamated with cinnamon, honey, cloves, more...
A question, Portland pie lovers: Where do you buy your pie? Of course, you can always buy yours from a corporate supermarket or national diner franchise, but keep in mind that purchasing pie from your local baker makes their slice of the local prosperity pie just a little bit larger. Every time you order a piece from your local bakery or cafe, you're keeping your favorite bakers in business, and, in turn, more...
In the business world, November may best best known for the busiest shopping day of the year, but it’s also National Entrepreneurship Month. The entrepreneurial spirit extends internationally with a Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), from Nov. 12-18 this year, and President Obama declared Nov. 16, 2012, National Entrepreneurs' Day in the U.S., saying, “let us renew the spirit of innovation that has more...
Macaroni and cheese. What’s more wholesome and comforting than a steaming hot bowl of mac and cheese? Everybody loves macaroni and cheese. What other dish transcends age, geographic region and politics like a good bowl of mac? At present, Portland's seams are bursting with the stuff—how many menus can you think of that don't feature it? But here are six cheesy macs that we think are worthy of more...
Budding restaurateurs once again led the way in October, opening more businesses in Portland than entrepreneurs in any other service sector. The doors swung open on French, Italian, Thai, pie, and burger joints, as well as locales serving up Tex-Mex cuisine and Greek-style pizza as several restaurateurs-entrepreneurs looked to expand their brand and businesses' offerings with new storefronts and locations. Still, more...
Food waste is a problem that escapes the attention of even the most food-obsessed locavores. You may think of food waste as scraps leftover from a home-cooked meal or the uneaten portion of food scraped from your plate at a restaurant, but it actually refers to the now-black rainbow chard or fuzz-covered raspberries sitting in your fridge and the day-old muffins at your neighborhood bakery that are tossed in the more...
To call the myriad offerings on the Internet extensive may be a slight understatement. And while it’s tempting to generalize the growth of the Internet as exponential, the reality is the Internet’s growth is actually sigmoidal (apparently), or S-shaped. In this choice-filled online world, small business owners know best that the vast number of options available, in everything, online are overwhelming. more...
No matter how you melt it, whether into drinks or bars or in your mouth, chocolate is considered, by many cultures, to be the food of the gods. We've used it not only in our religious rituals, but we also gift it to children, lovers and, most often, ourselves. But like many commodities, the cacao trade has a slippery history, and the labors of the farmers who provide the world with its favorite sweet have been more...
Visual content is on the rise in social media and popular as ever in other mediums. According to Portland SEO consultant Michael Cottam, last night's presenter at the October Search Engine Marketing Association of Portland (SEMpdx) event, original images even keep Google's Panda happy. In a nutshell: Image is everything. But before you shell out a lot of dough on a camera setup for your business, consider more...
