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...
As Portlanders, we love our farmers’ markets. With 21 markets in the city and nearly double that throughout the metro region, the appeal of farm-fresh food as well as the opportunity to interact with our comestible producers makes our markets a place to come together as a community, socializing while supporting local and eating healthy. But, is it easy to start a neighborhood farmers’ market? Does each more...
This is the third article in a series about how landlords and their present and potential commercial tenants can work together to create vibrant, livable neighborhoods. To learn about how tenants are identifying problems, please see our first story. Ever wanted to know the perspective of your landlord? Please see our second story. The landlords and small business owners invested in the workings of successful and more...
This is the third article in a series about neighborhood branding. After exploring the perceptions of your neighborhood and determining what to change, we will now provide tips on how to create your neighborhood’s brand. What image comes to mind when you think of your neighborhood? If you live in St. Johns, it's likely the verdant green rivets lining the contours two distinctive Gothic, cathedral-like more...
This is the first installment in Neighborhood Notes’ series on indie business collaboration through space sharing. Attention entrepreneurs: Many of you have great ideas for new businesses. Some of you even have the wherewithal to navigate the technical, legal and governmental landscapes, and a lot are capable of gathering the funds and support needed to get it all off the ground. But, plenty of you may run more...
AFS Intercultural Programs is looking for families to host foreign exchange students arriving in Portland this August from across the globe. These students have been selected by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs to be ambassadors for their countries, to attend a local high school, share their culture, and help change the world. Hailing from countries of the former Soviet Union, more...
This is the third installment in our series exploring Portland's land use issues. For tips, resources and a general overview of land use basics, please see our first story. For more information on reading land use notices and interpreting zoning codes, please check out our second story. Flip a coin 100 times, and 50 times it’ll come up heads. Those are good odds. So, if someone gives you 20-1 odds, how more...
As mandated by the federal government, the Portland Water Bureau sent out its 2012 Drinking Water Quality Report today. The report summarizes water quality testing results for the year 2011. The reports are due to customers by July 1st of each year. “This information is extremely important,” said Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff. “I urge everyone to take a minute to read this report and more...
Do you remember a favorite summer job? Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith does. “One of my first summer jobs was as a tutoring coordinator at Oregon State University,” Smith says. “I will never forget that experience, which really helped me to become a better communicator and instilled in me the importance of responsibility.” Whether it is working in a retail store or restaurant, more...
There are some lifestyle choices that might seem more “Portlandish” than others. Riding around town on a fixed-gear bicycle, for example, or getting together with friends to drink handcrafted, limited-release, imperial microbrews. Although supplementing one’s diet with homegrown food is not unique to Portland, this list would not be complete without the inclusion of gardening. Think about the last more...