Growing up near San Francisco, one of my favorite holiday time activites was to to go into the city and see all the holiday window displays. The attention to detail, creativity and sheer scale of the displays was always something to behold. I've always looked back fondly on the experience, so when I heard that the Pearl District was going to have a huge holiday window event, I got really excited.
I packed the car with my family and made my way down to The Pearl to check out todays 'The Big Reveal'.
Here's how the event was billed:
On Saturday, November 29 at 10:00 am, Holiday window displays by more than 70 participating Pearl District merchants will be simultaneously unveiled. Many windows have been created in association with students from the Art Institute of Portland. Pearl District businesses will be offering special programs, free cider and hot chocolate and other treats on Saturday and Sunday, November 29 - 30, 2008.
The reality was something different. Yes, a few businesses in the Pearl had holiday decorations in their windows, but there didn't seem to be much hype or hooplah, and only a couple of stores I walked past had anything really inventive or creative. Free cider and hot chocolate where nowhere to be found, and the streets at 10 were completely deserted. The Pearl was less a party and more a ghost town.
The only real bright spot was the Holiday Bizarre presented by CHAP (The Children's Healing Art Project). Located at 937 NW Glisan St, this ad hoc holiday center had a number of great kids' crafts, gifts and rare samples for sale (donated by Columbia Sportswear).
The whole idea of The Big Reveal is a good one, I hope that next year there's more to it.
Editor's Note: Ken and I live in the Pearl and run our business from here as well, so we very much understand and sympathize with local business owners. Times are tough for all of us and we know some of you are fighting tooth and nail in this economy. We would never intentionally seek to sabotage anyone. We can see how some of our neighbors are hurt and/or upset by the critical post above, but we didn't feel Geoff was being mean-spirited or unfairly critical. Constructive criticism is a very hard thing to give without offending someone, but we honestly feel that the post wasn't overtly negative. It didn't tell readers to avoid the Pearl or to give up on our local shop owners, it just voiced one man's frustrations about planning a day with his family around an event and being disappointed. And, it also offered some valuable feedback on how the event could be improved next year.
We post news, events and commentary for Portland readers. Sometimes that means posting a less than rave review of a neighbor and that's a really hard thing to do; but, if we didn't make that difficult decision we'd be dishonest with our readers—sacrificing our integrity and the trust we've built with you all. We hope that we can sometimes be critical without being hurtful. We appreciate Geoff's honesty in his post and the way he's handled the push back from some of the comments.
In an effort to show our support for our local businesses, and to make sure we're being constructive with the criticism above, we're putting together a map of participating businesses and a new post showcasing the tree lighting event and some of the other great moments that Geoff unfortunately missed.
We appreciate your feedback. We're always open to ideas and suggestions.
do you really have to complain about everything? it's rediculous
I was disappointed to read the commentary on the Pearl Big Reveal because my experience was so much different. It is true that there were few shoppers at 10 am in the morning when whistles blown throughout the District announced that window coverings were coming down to show Holiday Window displays. Perhaps it had something to do with the Civil War game which pit the University of Oregon against Oregon State in a battle that would decide if the Beavers would be going to the Rose Bowl or staying home.
The reader also missed complimentary hot chocolate and cider despite the fact that Green Frog Toys, Little Urbanites and even Zip Car offered it throughout the day. While I agree the CHAP project at 937 Condominium is laudable the gentle reader also missed the wonderful North Pearl Wonderland which featured artisans, gift wrapping and Santa! This Winter Wonderland was busy all day and offered lots of treats a truly special accomplishment at the Pearl Design Center.
Most of all, the reader failed to comment on the Tree Lighting Ceremony at Jamison Square. I was there along with several hundred spectators and the cheerful staff of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oregon. A young lady named McKenna, one of the 2008 Make-A-Wish recipients, actually waved a magic wand to light the tree and the Oregon Repertory Singers Brillante Choir sang for more than 30 minutes while children played, parents and grandparents held hands and enjoyed a peaceful, lovely evening as the Pearl ushered in the holiday season. Ive attached a few pictures to show just how special this event was for all who came.
We hope others understand that revealing holiday windows was just the beginning of events in the Pearl during the 30-day Holiday Big Reveal event. Now in progress are special sales, discounts offered at more than a dozen restaurants and nearly 50 prizes valued at nearly $7,000 dollars that will be given away the final 2 weeks before Christmas on K-103 Radio Station (Portlands Official Holiday Radio Station). So, dont let one persons experience speak for all of those that enjoyed the start of the Big Reveal. Make up your own mind and visit the Pearl District and see our Holiday Window Displays and, while youre at it, support local, independently owned businesses. For every $1 you spend locally $14 more is generated in our local economy. While spending with national chains or on-line sends those dollars right out of our local neighborhoods and communities.
Check out the Pearl District Holiday Big Reveal and create a new tradition this holiday season.
@c. portland. I don't complain about everything at all. I'd much rather feature positive things, but when things fall short I comment.
@Joshua R. I was actually at Green Frog Toys, didn't see anything other than a card at the front desk that they were participating in the event.
I wouldn't have missed the other parts of the event if there was a schedule posted somewhere or a comprehensive guide to the event at participating stores.
I'd LOVE to have caught more of the event, but I can't read minds... The information has to be out there, and it wasn't.
All constructive feedback so that they can do it even better next year.
What would be "constructive" is to convey your feedback to the merchants who would then relay that information back to the PDBA. Creating a headline in a very public forum that encourages people not to bother coming to the event and supporting local business hardly qualifies as helpful in these very difficult economic times. Many merchants, myself included, spent a lot of energy, time and money creating displays that the public could enjoy. This effort was effectively dismissed by your post. All your comments are noted and will definitely be used to improve next years' effort, but wow, a little sensitivity would have been appreciated.
@proprietress I am a writer and a journalist, it isn't my job to give feedback to merchants for them to relay to business associations, it's my job to report on the news and events in Portland.
It's not like I sat home saying that I thought the event was a bad idea or criticized it from afar, I packed my entire family in the car and drove cross town for an event that was a complete non starter.
I appreciate that time and money went into creating the event and as a merchant you should be pretty outraged that all your hard work wasn't supported by the event organizers. I mean there were some pretty basic things that weren't done in this event.
I never got a press release on this event although I write for 4 major Portland sites.
There was no schedule of events on the website, there was no map of participating stores
The merchants who were participating didn't have a clear indication on their window that they were part of the event, the lighting of the tree was at 5pm, a good 6 hours after the "BIG" event.
So I appreciate your feedback, but the real focus of your frustration here needs to be well placed, and that is with the way it was so poorly organized.
Lasting traditions take time and as a local merchant, I appreciate the effort. The important thing it to learn, point to the future, and make this beginning of the holiday season a reason to come together as a community in the spirit of a shared family. Let's all make the REVEAL a community happening, inviting others to experience the goodness and beauty that is around us.
This is my first holiday living in the Pearl and I looked forward to the Big Reveal. Reality though is as GeoffK put it. Though I live smack dab in the middle of it, I could find hardly a sign of the advertised hoopla. (I did enjoy the tree-lighting though in Jamison Park). I think this is case where the hype exagerrated the reality, and folks these days are just kind of tired of empty promises. That said, I sincerely hope, for everyone's sake, that next year REALLY brings a Big Reveal.
I grew up in Kansas and on Thanksgiving night the Plaza - a Pearl-esque part of Kansas City, lights up the entire neighborhood, Santa is there, the shops all do a 'reveal', there are choirs and horse-drawn buggies - it's a big deal. Portland and the Pearl could certainly pull off something like that - this sounds like a great idea, it's just not there yet. Thanks Geoff for pointing out that it existed (I hadn't even heard) and maybe it's something that can grow over the years to be a cool tradition.
I agree. I have been looking and looking online tonight trying to find details about the additional "restaurant discounts", in store sales and how to enter to win one of the "50 prizes" that are referred to above. They are nowhere to be found. Is this supposed to bring me to the Pearl District? How am I to know about these features other than the little found here.
It seems to me that the timing of this may have been a bit off. Do retailers really want paper over their windows on one of THE BIGGEST SHOPPING DAYS OF THE YEAR (Friday after turkey day)? Why wasn't the reveal done Friday morning when people are poised to shop? How was I to know about the Pearl Design Center Event? It isn't even on the PDBA website that I could find! Talking about it all now that it is over is one thing. Don't blame the people who try to support your events for not knowing the details of your event. Getting the news out is your responsibility.
My advice to the businesses participating and the event organizers, take the constructive criticism and suggestions with gratitude grace. Be grateful that someone took the time to give you give feedback to help you improve. Now, the challenge is to really listen to them and institute change!
@LindaW, @divebarwife @steven
Thanks for your comments and support. I was frankly surprised that I drew fire for what I felt was a pretty fair assessment of the event. I'd hate to think that the backlash was at all orchestrated by Joshua R, who it seems is Joshua Ryan, the Executive Marketing Director for the Pearl District Business Association (http://www.explorethepearl.com/contact-the-pearl) who by the way should probably have identified himself as such.
Josh, your experience of the event was different than mine because you actually had the info on what was happening when and where something as marketing director you should have done a better job of communicating to the people interested in attending.
Also for the record, the U of O / Oregon State game wasn't until 4pm, so that probably didn't have an impact on creating the ghost town that was the pearl on 'The Big Reveal'. I was able to make it back in time for the game with hours to spare.