Discover Southwest Portland

In 2011, the City of Portland spent $12.1 million to clear clogged sewer lines and remove fats, oil and grease from wastewater during treatment. For the last 20 years, according to the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), that check has been picked up by 72 of Portland’s largest industrial businesses, like Costco, Kraft Foods, Portland French Bakery, and Widmer Brothers Brewing. But this year, the city is more...

Ever since community-supported agriculture (CSA) was introduced in the United States in the 1980s, it has provided an integral alternative method of food distribution that connects growers directly to consumers. CSA subscribers may not think too much about the machinations of running and managing a CSA: A seasonal payment is made, a weekly share is collected, and that's about it. What might surprise subscribers more...

Have you ever slept in on the weekend, traveled to a brunch spot, and waited in line simply to order up a stack of plain old flapjacks that you could've easily made hours earlier without leaving the house? If you answered, "Yes," then that means you must really, really love pancakes. Yet, there are plenty of breakfast joints in neighborhoods all over Portland where you can get your pancake fix on more...

Getting customers through your doors in today’s marketplace is really tough. The business landscape is competitive, the economy is uncertain, and people are really picky about where they spend their money. If trying to figure out how to make your small business stand out online is stressing you out, you’re not alone. One of the most effective ways to build trust, rank in local search, and generate the more...

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Bars and restaurants once again dominate the list of new businesses that opened their doors last month. Portland is now home to a new breakfast-and-lunch spot, a bakery that serves Spanish tapas, a bar that specializes in whey-based cocktails, and a bottle shop/bar that serves up almost exclusively Pacific Northwest IPAs. A pair of Vietnamese restaurants opened, as did a pair of Mexican restaurants, and two local more...

“Roughly 30 percent of all searches have a local intent,” says John McPhee, the vice president of Formic Media, a Portland firm that specializes in search and social media for small businesses. “This equates to roughly 18-20 billion searches per month,” he continues. “With reviews being served within the search results, it’s imperative that business owners get in the review more...

Portland, OR – A contractor for the Portland Water Bureau has started construction on a new section of supply of pipeline on SW 10th Avenue, near SW Chestnut Street. The Carolina Mains Project will take about 10 months to complete under normal weather conditions. For the first four months, the work will involve making pipe connections to the three existing Burlingame water storage tanks at 6932 SW 10th more...

The flood of contests aimed at small businesses continues. Last month, Chase Bank’s Mission: Small Business made plenty of headlines as its entry deadline neared. The winners of the contest, which promises to award $250,000 to up to 12 small businesses, will be announced in September. Filling the small business contest void until Chase reveals its winners is the final voting stage of the Big Break for Small more...

I follow Mayor Sam Adams on Twitter, which is a nearly impossible task since he tweets at a rate that would cause the thumbs of normal people to seize up and fall off. Regardless, during a recent Sunday Parkways, His Honor tweeted a photo of a uniquely Portland household invention that is being made right here in town: the Kitchen Compost Caddy. Why uniquely Portland? Because in late 2011, Portland initiated a more...