The Big One is coming. The Pacific Northwest is overdue for a cataclysmic earthquake, one that will measure at the upper end of the Richter scale. This is something that most experts can agree on. Of course, nobody knows when the Big One will actually occur, or just how destructive it will be. Portland residents may be lulled by talk of taking emergency precautions to prepare themselves for a large, destructive more...

Are you looking for lovely, local ways to say "I love you" on Valentine's Day? Supporting locally owned businesses is like giving Portland's economy a hug. So, keep your dollars local and dosomething sweet for your beloved and for the city you love. Help Queen Bee eradicate childhood hunger in the U.S. Proceeds from each special Valentine's Coinpurse and Just In Casebagsold will go to ensuring more...

As you might've expected, entrepreneurial Portlanders chose not to take a post-holiday breather in January. Because of their gumption, we now have a few new bars to belly up to, as well as new spaces to get traditional Russian rolls stuffed with all things sweet and savory, small hand pies, sushi and ramen, and bacon-wrapped, deep-fried, late-night hot dogs. You can also make plans to dine on British Isles more...

It’s a new year, although if you’re like me, you are still writing 2012 on everything. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Many resolutions include the word less: less weight, less clutter, less debt, less spending. Have you ever thought about applying this principle of less to your own business—particularly your web presence? I’m a big fan of the KISS methodology—Keep It more...

The popularity of nachos has never been in doubt, but who do we have to thank for this snackable combo of chips and cheese? The Mexicans? The Texans? Mexican Texans? That's not an easy question to answer. Like many beloved dishes, nachos have several creation myths—all of which seem to start with hungry, and often famous, travelers, and end when crafty chefs with empty pantries make do with what they have, more...

Feedback is so crucial to your small biz success—I call it “oxygen for business.” Without it, how do you know that you’re offering the right things, at the right price, to solve your customer’s real problems? When it comes to getting feedback, the web has a distinct disadvantage to offline because of the lack of context—online, it is hard to figure out a good timeto jump in and more...

When you started your business, you were likely excited by the fact that you could finally do what you love for a living. Then you found out that being the founder/CEO/big cheese included a lot more responsibilities than you bargained for, like sales and marketing and, of course, writing. Given the swelling popularity of content marketing platforms like blogs and social media, being able to find your way around a more...

Portland has a lot of bars. Our seams are bursting with them. Some are dives. Some are clubs. And some have strippers. But many bars, if not most, are places where we often gather to catch up with friends, separating ourselves from other groups, our tables dotting the room like islands of nation states. This norm is decidedly not the norm when it comes to visiting neighborhood bars, especially the smaller ones. more...

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...