news in Multnomah Village, Southwest (SW) Portland...

At the tail end of the last century, as independent craft brewing was on the rise, an inexpensive domestic beer that was nearly forgotten got a new lease on life. The beer, of course, was the iconic Pabst Blue Ribbon. The place, of course, was here. But the reason? Pabst didn't have the capital to market itself, so it didn't, which is exactly why Portlanders embraced it. Well, that, and the beer was, and more...

It’s every kid’s dream to be locked in a Toys“R”Us warehouse; it should be every parent’s nightmare. Containing just about every toy under the sun, there are currently 873 Toys“R”Us stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Internationally, the tally exceeds 600. The flagship store in New York City’s Times Square (complete with an indoor 60-foot Ferris wheel, a life-size more...

Downtown A public hearing has been called before the city's design commission, which will weigh in on the redevelopment of a two-story building on the 1100 block of SW Alder. The redevelopment includes the addition of a 6,000 square-foot glass and aluminum office penthouse atop the second floor as well as a rooftop deck that will wrap around the offices. The public hearing is scheduled for the afternoon of more...

Let’s imagine that it’s already Halloween, you have your patio lights up and a few carved gourds on the porch, and the important question lingering in the fall air is: what on earth are you going to be serving to your thirsty, be-costumed guests? Grog, fellow drinkers. Go with grog. Because there is no better complement to a night dripping with zombie anythings and sexy everythings than a drink whose more...

Savvy Portlanders have probably already noticed the telltale signs; craft services trucks, wardrobe vans, and Star Waggons filling up downtown parking lots and taking up side streets in Northeast, industrial-sized theatrical light rigs outside office buildings and hotels, the occasional celebrity sighting. Portland may not be Los Angeles, but in the last couple of years, it has been the home for a number of film and more...

Northwest District A public hearing has been called so that SERA architects may petition the city's design commission to waive landscaping and parking standards relating to a proposed mixed-use, 56-unit residential and commercial building featuring subsurface parking on NW Lovejoy Street at 23rd Avenue. The public hearing is scheduled for the afternoon of November 3 at the offices of the Bureau of Development more...

We know you haven’t had enough of old-school drinks and cocktails yet, so here’s the next in line we’d suggest for your go-to winter list: sherry. That’s right. Sherry. There’s a dry, complex quality to this Spanish wine that makes a lovely pair with the crisp (erm, soggy) autumn breeze starting to blow around Portland. It’s a great drink to offer guests arriving at your dinner more...

Downtown Representatives for the Olds, Wortman & King department store, better known to shoppers as the Galleria, will present their proposal before the Historic Landmarks Commission at a public hearing calling for several exterior alterations along the building's SW Morrison, Alder and 10th Avenue façades. Alterations include removing non-historic entryways and louvers with historic replica windows, more...

Venture Portland presented its revamped 2011-2012 Grants Program to a packed room of local business district representatives, highlighting three grant opportunities for business districts. “It’s great to see so many neighborhood business leaders participating in Venture Portland’s grant program,” said Alison Stoll, Venture Portland’s Grants Committee Chair and Executive Director for more...

When Kristl Bridge opened Portland Homestead Supply Co. in Sellwood in June, a visitor asked her why anyone would take tasks such as canning, pickling, and soap-making into their own hands when it’s often easier to pay someone else to do the work. “It was our first day open, so my first response to it ... was to sort of panic,” Bridge recalls. “I thought, ‘Wow maybe nobody will [do more...