[mhays]

It seems that Downtown Portland gets hit harder by the "too many panhandlers" thing than Downtown Seattle. My impression is that the actual numbers of panhandlers are similar. But in Seattle they're more spread out -- Pioneer Square, Broadway, Belltown, and the U-District come to mind. That leaves fewer for the Retail District. Even the Pike Place Market, which is no longer allowed to boot panhandlers from public streets, has its share.

I've always viewed DT Portland as very successful. But, reading this thread, I wonder if you're making the same mistake we are in Seattle: requiring retail everywhere, when successful "destination" retail needs to be concentrated. The main retail district should be a few blocks by a few blocks at most, plus a small number of major retail streets elsewhere. Let the other streets have whatever retail the property owners want, but don't require any.

[MarkDaMan]

^I completely disagree. What would San Francisco be like if they didn't have the retail city wide?. I agree with a centralized shopping district. That can be accomplished by using existing boosters like the PDC to assemble larger than normal spaces, and new street/sidewalk improvements (more classier fixtures) in the designated area. A centralized retail district will attract national chains, department stores, and destination shoppers. However, there is more than enough every day services that people, especially residents, need to have located in their neighborhood. Strip malls only build one or two destination retailers and the rest are small spaces, comparing the two, Portland has several destination retailers so food and other service businesses should eventually fill the vacant space. And to be perfectly honest, I don't think there is a glut of retail spaces. Contrary to what the Trib would have you believe, I don't see huge tracks of empty stores ANYWHERE in downtown.

When was the last time you've been downtown Portland anyway? I go through it everyday. I'm not sure what the city has done, but I hardly notice many panhandlers at all anymore. Maybe that because its winter and cold, but those in need are not on every corner as has been the case in the past, and their normal hangouts, like under the Burnside Bridge, have been relatively empty as of late.

[Urbanpdx]

San Francisco has retail where the market will support it, mostly along main streets. Hundreds of buildings are PURELY residential. Even in cities like NY and London, the main streets are mixed use and the side streets are purely residential.

[PacificNW]

↑Wow, Mark, I sense a strong disagreement on your part! :) :)...I agree with your points, though. I feel many of the smaller national retailers, along with convenience stores/dry cleaners, cafe's, local retail will fill smaller spaces in the Pearl and South Waterfront.

I don't feel Portland, or Seattle, are over retailed yet. As I have posted before I think there is a need for the larger national department/retailers to have a presence in downtown ALONG with local/homegrown/one of a kind retail establishments.

I still remember when Nordstrom was considered a local, then regional retailer, prior to becoming a national player. Nordstrom was/is a major reason for keeping downtown Portland active and healthy. The new Macy's, I think, will be a huge asset for downtown Portland.

I think, with the mix of local established retailer's, cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia (to name a few) and Portland are what make their city unique, interesting and a joy to shop, eat, drink, play and relax. The larger National Players create the positive impression of a healthy downtown, or like what many large American cities have experienced when they lack them, their downtowns close up shop @ 5:00 pm... :)

[pdxman]

I see plenty of empty retail in DT, most of it doesn't look like great retail space(perhaps thats why its empty)...but it does make me wonder why they keep building retail on the base of every condo tower. Shouldn't they improve and sell the existing retail? Can there be too much retail? I just don't like to see empty storefronts. And a sidenote---theres still plenty of panhandlers. I get nailed atleast 2-3 times everytime i walk around the pioneer square area

[Urbanpdx]

In suburban malls and strip malls developers often cut sweetheart deals to anchors like Nordstrom or Albertsons as they attract the buyers that support the small independent shops. Sometimes Nordstom even demands FREE rent, without Nordstrom the mall fails. Downtown is sort of like a big mall.

[PacificNW]

I think most of the condo towers sprouting up in Portland and Seattle will attract some kind of business to their street spaces.. If not, there probably are numerous other uses for the space.

[zilfondel]

My god, I wouldn't even know where to start with this one... jesus christ urbanpdx, do you try to be this caustic, or are you just naturally an ass?

My father gave me a great bit of advice when I was young: engage brain before putting mouth in gear. Perhaps they should add more than just a spellchecker on computers these days...

===

but to respond to your rather innane lament against those damned "red neck" hicks who want to buy America (I assume you refer to the Wal-Mart commercials, where in fact the majority of their products are from China?):

Transportation is a huge cost for business and incurs an amazing amount of damage to the environment. Buying stuff locally, which has an EXTREMELY tight tradition in Oregon which you apparently aren't very well versed in, brings the consumer closer to the producer, keeping money in the local economy, as well as the social and environmental ramifications to moving lots of stuff long distances:

http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Pacific-Garbage-Patch27oct02.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Gyre

[bvpcvm]

I see plenty of empty retail in DT, most of it doesn't look like great retail space(perhaps thats why its empty)...but it does make me wonder why they keep building retail on the base of every condo tower. Shouldn't they improve and sell the existing retail? Can there be too much retail? I just don't like to see empty storefronts. And a sidenote---theres still plenty of panhandlers. I get nailed atleast 2-3 times everytime i walk around the pioneer square area

What do you mean by "nailed" in this case? You mean they - perish the thought - asked you for change? So what? Just tell 'em no and keep moving. That's life in the big city.

[pdxman]

Yeah, i guess i could've said "asked"...i do give whatever change i have to the dudes who try their hand at a talent like playing music or whatever. Oh yeah, portlands not a big city. new york, san fran--those are big cities. but i guess its relative.

[PacificNW]

Actually the activity that comes with being downtown is what attracts me to be there in the first place... The malls are way too sanitized for my tastes.

I realize most of us on this forum don't have much "empathy" with many of the less fortunate in our downtowns but we should have some "sympathy". One can only imagine the hell that many of these people are going through. I do realize there are people on the streets preying on other's but there are just as many wearing suits working in the downtown towers...they probably just have better hygiene (but they still smell, imo)

[pdxman]

:previous: I really like that response...i agree and have plenty of work to do in the sympathy dept.

[bvpcvm]

What do you mean by "nailed" in this case? You mean they - perish the thought - asked you for change? So what? Just tell 'em no and keep moving. That's life in the big city.

Actually, I am curious: what is it about the homeless that's so frightening to the Bridgeport Village crowd? When people ask me for spare change, they're almost invariably polite, whether I give or not. I think when it comes down to it, it's either a bit of the "tribalism" The Troll referred to above: "we" don't understand them or their lifestyle and we certainly don't dress like them, so they're frightening simply on the basis of difference, or we're frightened because the homeless remind us that we, too, with a few missed credit card payments, could end up in the same situation. Or possibly there are some ignorant people out there who actually fear violence from the homeless (and given the hollering on local TV about a couple random incidents over the last year, it's not entirely surprising). I suppose a little re-education is in order. A few comments, meant to be heard in neighboring cubicles about how the suburbs are "so over", etc, wouldn't be out of line.

I really think (this is probably urban studies 101) city life (i.e., random meetings of people of all income levels) is vital to democracy. The suburbs are anti-democratic because you never have to see anyone outside of your own socio-economic level, or if you do it's either on TV or rare enough that it's just enough to form or reinforce stereotypes. Consequently, your understanding of the rest of society is skewed, and democracy relies on an informed populace. As does capitalism. Both are degraded by suburban life. Throw in driving around in your car just amplifies the effect.

But fuck it, we probably only have a few decades left anyway.

[Drmyeyes]

There's no realistically simple answer for prejudice directed against any individual or group. With regards to a lot of people on the lower rungs of society, the prejudice against them is partly real and partly conditioned. Also, some people have good reason to be afraid of certain people on the street. A lot of able bodied people won't be intimidated by a dirty smelly person asking for money, but a frail person might. Some people from cities like Chicago where panhandlers were villified through deliberate or coincidental conditioning actions, reflexively despise them regardless of how nice somebody asks for money.

When insensitve, uncivil attitudes are promoted as generally acceptable, even though a little individual consideration would reveal them to be obviously not so, it can be very easy for many people to take on that attitude. So it becomes very easy, for example, for some people to look upon every person sitting on the sidewalk without a briefcase and clean clothes, asking for change, as some kind of social parasite.

The responsibility lies upon every independently thinking person to consider each situation they encounter, and determine, based on what they know and respect, what is right and fair in terms of how to conduct themselves towards people in that situation.

[pdxman]

Points well taken bvpcvm...I just hope you're not saying that homelessness is a necessary component of city life or life in general.

Obviously, it will never be completely resolved(unfortunately), but i would like to see the homeless situation dealt with on a more proactive level. We've (including me, i know, but i'm explaining myself now) identified that there is a homeless problem, but whats been done about it? Very little! The problem is acknowledged, but nothing is done to solve it. This should be one of the nations priorities--to create programs to help prevent homelessness and to have ways and doors for those who are homeless to get out of it. Take a few dollars out of my paycheck every month for goodness sake! As long as it goes towards eradicating homelessness. Lets get something going!

The longer you let people panhandle and dig thru garbage cans the more "acceptable" it will be deemed and thus the problem will increase. Thats why the numbers for homeless kids and adults aren't going down as a whole. People and government aren't cracking down on the problem and its becoming normal. Homelessness should never be normal. But, (i know many will disagree with me on this) for many who are homeless it is a choice. Life is choice and consequence. Now, there are exceptions where some are handicapped mentally and physically and its certainly harder for them to get out of it. And thats where programs are needed to help them. But for the others it IS possible for them to get out of it if they really want to and if they TRY. And i say make it as EASY as possible for them to get OUT of it and as HARD as possible for them to get INTO it.

There really should be more options for the homeless population. I just feel theres too much of an ambivalent attitude towards this issue.

[65MAX]

Obviously, it will never be completely resolved(unfortunately), but i would like to see the homeless situation dealt with on a more proactive level.

Actually, homelessness is a fairly recent phenomenon, coincidentally (or not so coincidentally) starting around the so-called Reagan Revolution. More like Reagan Devolution. The systematic dismantling of social safety nets by the Republicans is disgusting and reprehensible, and entirely to blame for our lack of evolution over the last quarter century. Fortunately the tide is turning and once we get universal health care, fair trade/family wages and proper funding of social services, homelessness will be looked at as a symptom of a truly shameful period of American history.

Just for perspective, homelessness is almost unheard of in Scandinavian and many other European countries. And even in third world countries, homelessness is usually limited to refugees from neighboring countries.

[Urbanpdx]

My god, I wouldn't even know where to start with this one... jesus christ urbanpdx, do you try to be this caustic, or are you just naturally an ass?

My father gave me a great bit of advice when I was young: engage brain before putting mouth in gear. Perhaps they should add more than just a spellchecker on computers these days...

===

but to respond to your rather innane lament against those damned "red neck" hicks who want to buy America (I assume you refer to the Wal-Mart commercials, where in fact the majority of their products are from China?):

Transportation is a huge cost for business and incurs an amazing amount of damage to the environment. Buying stuff locally, which has an EXTREMELY tight tradition in Oregon which you apparently aren't very well versed in, brings the consumer closer to the producer, keeping money in the local economy, as well as the social and environmental ramifications to moving lots of stuff long distances:

http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Pacific-Garbage-Patch27oct02.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Gyre

Racism has a "tight tradition" in the South but there is no way any of us would advocate it. What makes you think that small locally owned stores only sell locally produced goods? If I buy a pair of pants from a ratty little local store with bad service for $100 or from a well run Seattle based store for $90 how am I better off? (assume both are made in China). Without that Seattle store competing the local guy would probably not even have the pants I want in stock and, if he did, he would charge $150 for them. What if that $10 I saved goes to buy lunch from a local restaurant, isn't that restaurant owner better off since I bought from a non-local cloting store?

[Chicago3rd]

I see plenty of empty retail in DT, most of it doesn't look like great retail space(perhaps thats why its empty)...but it does make me wonder why they keep building retail on the base of every condo tower. Shouldn't they improve and sell the existing retail? Can there be too much retail? I just don't like to see empty storefronts. And a sidenote---theres still plenty of panhandlers. I get nailed atleast 2-3 times everytime i walk around the pioneer square area

Nope...you are going against what has worked in PDX for 3 decades now. Pedestrian oriented....retail, service and business oriented on the first floor.
Nope...store fronts can be turned into other things...Check out Chicagos University District...looky what we did with old office and retail buildings 50,000 students now!

Now...I find it odd that people as libertarian as some on here have a problem with panhandlers doing their thing.....sort of ironic or stepping away from party line isn't it?

[pdxman]

Has anyone else seen the new info signs that have been popping up around DT sidewalks? They're pretty nice...i love the idea. I also noticed one in the pearl district today too. I wish i could take a picture of one to post it here...

[tworivers]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/384289134_e5ceaa4711_o.jpg

(Note the hopefully-soon-to-be-redeveloped garage. Talk about blight.)

[pdxman]

Whoa, that was quick...thanks tworivers. again, very good idea

[pdxstreetcar]

very cool

i'm kind of surprised they included powells on the sign.

[zilfondel]

very cool

i'm kind of surprised they included powells on the sign.

3rd largest tourist attraction in Oregon!

[MarkDaMan]

^The sign by my work doesn't mention Powells or the Pearl, I think it does mention the Tram though. Next time I'm out I'll take a look.

[pdxstreetcar]

3rd largest tourist attraction in Oregon? I'm not!

I realize its a major attraction but just the fact that an official sign favors a certain private business.

[pdxtraveler]

I definitely think Powell's is sign worthy. They are tourists signs. Tourists want to be able to find Powell's.

[mcbaby]

i'm always giving directions to powell's

[sirsimon]

Wow...it is amazing the discussion this little thread has spawned since I last looked at it. Lots of interesting points from all of you.

I think the signs are a good idea. I wonder if places like Powell's pay to be listed on them?

[65MAX]

I kinda doubt it, otherwise everybody would want to be listed on the signs. Powell's is a legitimate tourist attraction and warrants the special attention.

[MarkDaMan]

City fights traffic jams with charm, gifts
Effort aims at drivers as construction starts to lock up downtown

By Nick Budnick

The Portland Tribune, Feb 16, 2007

Ask not what your city can do for your traffic jam, ask what you can do for your city’s traffic jam, and the answer may bring you free food and stuff.

To reduce the fury of rush-hour commuters negotiating an unprecedented number of construction projects downtown, city officials are deploying a marketing initiative to get some of those commuters out of their cars.

The Portland Office of Transportation later this month will unleash a large-scale effort called “Downtown Smart Trips” that offers downtown commuters gifts, a chance to win a hotel stay, ample information and a cheery personal touch.

The mantra, as delivered by city spokeswoman Ellen Vanderslice: “You can travel cheaper, in a more healthy way – and it’s great for the environment.”

The plan is to reach out, with the help of employers, to 25,000 people who work downtown, starting with Portland State University.

Participants who fill out a pledge form receive flashy bike maps and personalized information on using TriMet and the car-sharing company called Flexcar, or setting up a car or van pool.

Participants also receive a free entree from program co-sponsor Qdoba restaurants, and will be entered into a lottery for a free night at the Heathman Hotel.

In the past, the Smart Trips program focused on people where they live, in neighborhoods in Northeast and Southeast. Those efforts have resulted in as much as a 13 percent reduction in car trips, Hurley said.

The latest incarnation of Smart Trips is focused on people where they work – downtown. It’s a nod to the extra strain posed by numerous downtown construction projects, especially the revamping of the transit mall to accommodate light rail, a project that will take two years.

The goal is to remove 5 percent of the commuter vehicles traveling downtown during rush hour overall, said program coordinator Peter Hurley.

On Southwest Fourth Avenue, the goal is more ambitious, to remove 10 percent of the afternoon rush-hour traffic. That would only be 150 cars, Hurley said, but “from a traffic perspective, it’s very, very significant.”

With the help of Vancouver, Wash., the program also hopes to tap into a new van pool program of the Metro regional government.

Focused on people living in areas poorly served by transit, notably Clark and Columbia counties, the van pools would be federally subsidized to roughly half their normal cost, affording participants cost reductions of two-thirds or more on average over driving a single-occupant vehicle, according to Metro.

Metro has money to fund 40 van pools, and the city hopes to get half of those downtown, Vanderslice said.

The city is asking employers or people hoping to get their employers involved in Smart Trips to call Hurley, 503-823-5345, or e-mail him at peter.hurley@pdxtrans.org.

For car and van pool information visit www.carpoolmatchnw.org
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=117158189417076700

[MarkDaMan]

Let them eat steak, just one at a time
TRIB TOWN: Downtown dwellers want smaller grocery packaging, more hardware
By Jim Redden
The Portland Tribune, Feb 20, 2007

When the Downtown Neighborhood Association asked its members last fall what would make the city center more livable, Chairman Steve Trujillo was surprised by the responses.

Instead of bringing up such large issues as the transit mall renovation plan or aggressive panhandlers, the members volunteered small inconveniences – such as not being able to buy one or two steaks at the downtown Safeway.

“People said they felt like the store was only marketing to large families, and there aren’t that many downtown. Instead, there are a lot of singles and small families that don’t want to buy four or more steaks at a time,” said Trujillo, who’s also the pastor of the nondenominational Father’s House Church, which meets in the former campus ministry building at Portland State University.

The responses prompted the DNA – the official neighborhood association representing downtown – to kick off a new discussion series called Downtown-Living Forum. The first one will be held at 6:30 p.m. next Monday in Room 327 of PSU’s Smith Memorial Union, 1825 S.W. Broadway.

Troy Steele, the manager of the Museum Place Safeway, has agreed to attend the meeting, accompanied by representatives of the meat, deli and produce departments. Trujillo is pleased that Steele was so willing to meet with downtown residents.

“Other retailers have similar problems, so it’s not just Safeway. They were just the first one that came up, and they were more than happy to hear what we have to say,” Trujillo said.

After meeting with the Safeway representatives, Trujillo said, the residents will break up into small groups to discuss other common issues and generate topics for future forums. He expects one of them to involve the current lack of a hardware store downtown.

“Sometimes you’re working on your condo or apartment and you just need some nuts and bolts – and you feel like you’ve got to run over to the Hollywood neighborhood to get them,” he said.

DNA meetings have included presentations on numerous issues over the past year, including diminishing housing for lower-income renters and middle-class families.

“Unlike many other neighborhood associations, we haven’t had a livability committee to address smaller issues, like Dumpsters on the sidewalks and things like that. Now we’re taking care of it,” Trujillo said.

For more information on the meeting or the DNA, call 503-228-8615.

jimredden@portlandtribune.com
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=117192591551178800

[Dougall5505]

personally im glad they are closing what are your guys views? its going to be a nice space opening up soon i wonder who will move into it.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1171943730278200.xml&coll=7
Furrier will close, blames protesters
Shutdown - Gregg Schumacher says activists undermined relocating his 112-year-old business
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
JOSEPH ROSE
Schumacher Furs & Outerwear is closing for good, saying anti-fur activists have thwarted its attempts to move out of downtown Portland by intimidating suburban mall managers.

Rather than stay in Portland, the 112-year-old fur business will close when its lease runs out this spring, owner Gregg Schumacher said Monday.

But managers at the upscale Bridgeport Village and Washington Square malls, which rejected Schumacher's requests to lease retail space, were puzzled by the fur-store owner's latest claims.

In an announcement Monday, Schumacher said efforts to relocate to the malls were "undone by a targeted intimidation campaign . . . resulting in several late-stage cancellations."

The malls, however, say there was hardly pressure from animal-rights groups, much less lease agreements to cancel.

"That didn't happen," said Jonae Armstrong, senior property manager at Washington Square in Tigard. "We did receive a couple of e-mails, but that in no way influenced our decision."

Bridgeport Village officials said they received fewer than a dozen e-mails. What's more, many supported the idea of the fur business opening amid the mall's other boutique stores, said general manager Bob Dye.

In November, after more than a year of weekly daylong protests at Southwest Ninth Avenue and Morrison Street, Schumacher said he would move his store to an undisclosed suburban location.

In January, he told The Oregonian that he had secured a site but wasn't ready to say where.

Protesters, meanwhile, called Schumacher's assertions unfounded.
Learning that Schumacher plans to shutter his business entirely, Matt Rossell, a Northwest outreach coordinator for In Defense of Animals, initially reacted with disbelief. "Is it April Fool's Day?" he asked.

Realizing it wasn't a joke, Rossell interrupted his phone interview to announce the store's closure to others in his Northeast Portland office. In the background, they greeted the news with clapping and audible exclamations of, "Yes!"

"It's a good day for animals," Rossell said. "Although it was never our intention to put them out of business, it's a really encouraging sign that this community won't have them."

Rossell denied that the group mounted an organized campaign to stop Schumacher from moving into a mall. "If there was a campaign, I would have certainly known about it."

In the past 14 months, as he became the most fiercely protested fur trader in America, Schumacher repeatedly blamed Portland police, the mayor or the City Council for not protecting the business from what he sees as unlawful behavior.

From the start, the weekly circuslike demonstrations on Saturdays were a clash of free enterprise and free speech. Though everyone agrees that animal-rights activists tested the limits of free speech and at times broke laws, fatigued city officials say Schumacher and his wife, Linda, carry much of the responsibility for what happened.

Portland leaders have said the Schumachers not only rejected every overture from them, including taking part in city-sponsored mediation with protest organizers, but they also fanned the flames by frequently confronting and antagonizing the protesters.

Monday afternoon, Schumacher, who has announced his intent to sue the city, referred phone calls to McWilliams & Co., a Portland public relations firm. But his announcement, titled "Furrier Forced Out of Business By Violent Eco-Terrorist Protests," showed that he wasn't surrendering gently.

Spokesman Dan McWilliams said that, as far he knew, Bridgeport Village and Washington Square were the only malls considering leasing to Schumacher.

"There aren't too many places to go with a store like that," he said. "The demographics have to support it."
McWilliams says Schumacher has documents proving mall managers received threatening e-mails and phone calls from "people who clearly support the protesters." McWilliams said he didn't have copies of the documents.

At Bridgeport Village, "I guess they had a great lunch and talked -- and even picked out a spot," McWilliams said. "Then they changed their minds. Eventually, they weren't even returning phone calls."

Dye confirmed that mall managers met with Schumacher, but says there was nothing close to an agreement. The handful of e-mails were mostly polite -- ranging from "educational" to rhetorical to support for Schumacher -- but didn't come into play. "We decided that at this point and time that it was not a good fit," he said.

The reasons for passing on the fur store, Dye said, should have been crystal clear to Schumacher. "It was clear to us."

Armstrong said negotiations with Schumacher essentially ended with his recent calls to leasing representatives. "We get many from businesses wanting to locate here," she said, adding that Schumacher Furs didn't fit the mall's merchandising mix.

McWilliams said Schumacher is negotiating with his current landlord, TMT Development, to have his lease extended so he can stay until May. "Unfortunately," McWilliams said, "they have quite a bit of inventory to sell."

A TMT spokeswoman said the company was unaware of Schumacher's new plans.

Rossell said the going-out-of-business announcement changes nothing. "The Saturday protests," he said, "will continue until they culminate with some kind of party at the end."

Joseph Rose: 503-221-8029; josephrose@news.oregonian.com

[Drmyeyes]

Furs...Visually, they're luxuriantly beautiful, contrasting with and adding in a positive way to the harsh urban setting a sense of the beautiful wild setting from where they came.

I suppose my feeling about the idea of furs as fashion items is mixed, but presently, I continue to feel like they should have a continuing presence in the kind of major urban downtown setting that Portland is. Furs may be the product of an industry that savagely abuses the animals used for the garments they market, but as garments, they also have been significantly associated with contributing to the creation of a generally positive character for a downtown.

The positive attributes of furs are elegance and sophistication. They imply aspiration and success realized. I like seeing the occassional fur worn by somebody downtown. There seems to be something seriously wrong in allowing a very small interest group to allow a merchant legitimately selling furs to be driven from doing business downtown.

I wonder if city hall will come to regret allowing this to happen.

[PacificNW]

I doubt it.... There are other ways to flaunt one's elegance and sophistication than wearing a fur garment. If furs were our only source of warmth/clothing that would entirely be another matter.

It appears to me that this particular shop owner was confrontational and was not open to mediation.

[zilfondel]

I thought furs went out of style long ago... like the 40s? Hasn't anyone heard of this great new technology, nylon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylon)?


I have never known anyone in my entire life that owns any fur garments.

[tworivers]

First of all, the city did not "allow" this to happen! Anyone who looks at this story for five minutes can see that the Schumachers (who strike me as being 100% bonkers) were totally unreasonable right up to the end. "Violent eco-terrorists"? My ass.

I am personally disgusted by the industrial fur industry and am happy to see them go. I have mixed feelings, however, about the use of protesting in circumstances like this for reasons of consistency. I can envision a situation in which a similarly small group would be able to close a business down for what I personally would define as unjustifiable reasons. In such a case, I would hope that people would show up to counter-protest, something that never materialized with Schumachers, probably a reflection of their lack of widespread public support. As an aside, I also think most animal rights activists, while generally on the right side of the equation, are nutty and annoying in their single-minded moralism (like the classic vegan argument that humans should never kill and eat animals --"I heart hunting accidents"--, something that anyone familiar with the evolution of the human species can easily shoot down... except that it's like arguing with creationists... or libertarians).

Anyways, Gregg and Linda: don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[PacificNW]

Check this out:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PORR9LSoHQw

[pdxstreetcar]

At first I thought the protesters were being unreasonable then I heard that the Schumachers were provoking them and making it worse and about the disputes they had with their landlord, now the fact that the suburban malls dont want them proves even more it was always the Schumachers that were the root of the problem. How typical that they would fabricate some story about why they were rejected from the malls, haha what douchebags. Oh yeah and its all Portland's fault. :haha:

Zell Bros., Mercantile and Virginia Cafe are all actively looking for new locations and would like to stay within the Midtown Blocks. Hard to imagine what a new Virginia Cafe would look like. I heard that Zell's lease contract ends in 2008 so either the demolition starts then or their lease is bought out early.

And with Carl Greve moving to Broadway & Morrison there will be another prime space available in the emerging Midtown Blocks, maybe a new home for one of these displaced.

Now that the Zell/Mercantile/Virginia block is being redeveloped I wonder if this changes the remodel plans for Nordstrom like trying to add on to the existing building.

[Drmyeyes]

Honestly, I didn't spend a lot of time observing the Schumacher demonstrations, but the short time I did spend observing them on a number of occasions was enough to allow me see that of the total number of demonstrators on those occasions, a small number of them were completely out of line in terms of the nature of demonstration they personally employed to express their views. The cumulative effect of all the demonstrators together had the effect of rendering this business untenable.

And contrary to the following statement from the Tuesday, February 20th Oregonian article:

"Although it was never our intention to put them out of business, it's a really encouraging sign that this community won't have them." Matt Rosell

..by the nature of the demonstrators conduct, it would seem that putting this particular fur retailer out of business was absolutely their intention. Such an objective is completely consistent with the behavior of bullies, and that's the impression given by the demonstrators overall conduct on the occasions I observed them, despite the fact that some of the demonstrators I personally talked to were civil, informative about the anti-fur cause, as well as being congenial.

The Schumacher's were aparrently not the type of people to handle the challenge presented to them by the demonstrators. They did respond inappropriately to actions on the part of the demonstrators, thereby compounding their own problems, but they were never the root of the problem. It was the demonstrators that sought out the Schumachers for the opportunity their very visible retail store provided for promoting the anti-fur campaign, not vice-versa.

The Shumachers did not effectively build support for their business from the business community, city hall, and the police. Because of the Schumacher's nature, it seems like everybody finally got to the point of hating them. Expecting the Schumachers to mediate with the demonstrators was completely uncalled for and would be insulting to any legitimate business that did not, at least initially, provoke the kind of unjust demonstration inflicted upon them by the demonstrators.

The city made token efforts to address the situation that the Schumachers were faced with, but ultimately, the city let this business succumb to the demonstrators misconduct. The city failed to protect the larger principle of defending the right of a legitimate business to operate. Fine. So who will be the next target, and having set this precedent, what will the city's response be in that instance? It should be interesting.

Fashion trends come and go. Fur has gone through periods where it's not the fashionable thing to wear, and then like other fashion trends, it comes back. As a result, there are lots of people who likely have not known people who've worn fur. This does not remove from history and culture, the place that fur holds as fashion and status symbol. On some mainstream level, fur is likely to always have a place in culture as popular fashion. People will probably always wear it because when all else is said and done, it's beautiful in the eyes of many that make up our city.

[MitchE]

I have read a lot of finger pointing but no one really seems to give examples of what exactly the protesters/city did that was out of line [aka not legal]. I have no bias either way I'm just curious.

[tworivers]

It all comes down to whether or not you think the industrial fur business is so ethically messed up that the selling of the product in question should be interfered with however possible. Sounds like we disagree here, but this kind of conflict represents a basic tension in the values of our society that can tell us a lot about ourselves.

Drmyeyes, I fear that you are confusing a broadbrushed representation of "demonstrators misconduct" with the bedrock freedom of speech (which includes loudly protesting private businesses from a public right-of-way, whether you like it or not). This freedom to congregate and protest is the "larger principle" in my opinion, despite my personal anxieties about how, when, and why people choose their targets for this sort of direct action. It supercedes any "right to do business", something that hopefully is always susceptible to social pressure, whether we agree on the specifics or not. What would you have done in this case?

I could keep going, but we'd be going way off topic. I do look forward to seeing who fills this potentially great retail space.

[PacificNW]

Is that block up for redevelopment?

[Dougall5505]

it would be right next to moyer's new tower. does moyer own that land?

[pdxstreetcar]

If you're a fur dealer especially one thats been around for over a 100 years and in downtown Portland, one would think they would expect protests as the cost of doing business in furs. I dont recall many protests at the old location although they had to have happened there also at least occasionally. And there hasn't been anything like this with other fur dealers, so something happened when they moved to this new location. And I find it interesting that they dont get along with the landlord and aren't wanted at the malls (and not because of anti-fur people).

That said, I personally dont really have a problem with a business selling furs since there are many products people wear/eat/use that come from animals. And also dont the protesters have anything better to do with their Saturdays? I think the protesters could have gotten their message across more effectively without being so aggressive. Protesting like this seems to always backfire and piss off more people especially people who were otherwise neutral on the issue.

[Drmyeyes]

MitchE, I've seen demonstrators lying directly in front of the store's door inside the alcove where it's located. I've seen them following and pursuing customers and passersby by, yelling and ranting directly at and in close proximity to them as they tried to enter or leave the store. Customers and passersby had to run a gauntlet to get past or enter the store.

Now that might be reasonable to expect for a government building or an industry office or headquarters, but this is one small, independently owned business. Why all this energy directed to one small, independently owned business? How is it fair to them to bear the entire burden of the anti-fur campaign's storefront efforts in Portland? Why couldn't the demonstrators have worked to create a more consistently non-antagonistic atmosphere that welcomed customers to Schumachers and opened their minds up to the potential of modifiying production practices in the fur industry? After all, a store's customers are one demographic that is best posed to potentially alter an industry's unacceptable practices.

The sidewalk outside the Schumacher's store is narrow. You may have seen the picture in the Oregonian today. It showed a far larger than average crowd of demonstrators, but even on the occasions I observed, the circumstances created by the demonstrators would have likely discouraged many people who might otherwise have chanced to drop into Schumachers for a look around.

The line between demonstrator misconduct and freedom of speech can be a fine line and one that moves around a bit depending upon the circumstances. Some causes call for people to completely impede entry or exit to a place that conducts an activity believed to be intolerable, to the point of being arrested or losing one's life. Was this really one of those causes?

Schumachers sells the finished product. They may be part of the larger problem that demonstrators were concerned about, but they are not the root of the problem, and as such the circumstances did not justify the actions taken against them. I don't think that distinction was ever clear amongst any of the demonstrators I saw or talked to at Schumachers doorstep.

The whole affair has just been ridiculous. Through it, I've lost respect for the anti-fur effort here in Portland and come to the disappointing realization of what kind of people have been operating this city's oldest furrier.



As to the property, isn't this PB3, and the building housing Schumachers, the Elliot Hotel, a Moyer property?

[65MAX]

As to the property, isn't this PB3, and the building housing Schumachers, the Elliot Hotel, a Moyer property?

Yes, this is PB3, and yes, Moyer (TMT) does own this property (the Eaton Hotel) also. The Eaton is one of the historic buildings that Vera vowed would never be demolished, thus helping to kill the Goldschmidt plan.

[pdxman]

I absolutely, 100%, totally agree with you drmyeyes...in this case i would readily defend schumacher against those type of protestors, even tho i'm pretty neutral about the whole issue. Tho, i will say this--if they are going to protest a fur store because of animal mistreatment, then they sure as hell better protest every restaurant and store that sells meat products in the city. fur animals get treated no worse than meat cows or chickens...

[tworivers]

That said, I personally dont really have a problem with a business selling furs since there are many products people wear/eat/use that come from animals.

Is it really that simple? I'm not against using the skins of animals per se, but see no compelling reason to support, or excuse, the industrial model of production whereby large numbers of animals are raised and slaughtered inhumanely and often for no other use other than their fur. By the same token, I'm an avid meat-eating, milk-drinking, egg-cracking person, but try to stick to animals that have been raised on open pastures by small-scale farmers and ranchers, and thus have a much higher nutritional value (not to mention the eco/social/econ ethics). Read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by NYT writer Michael Pollen. OK, back to the topic. I hate it when threads get diverted like this, but sometimes I myself can't resist.

then they sure as hell better protest every restaurant and store that sells meat products in the city.

I wish life were that simple. Higgins is not Burger King. New Seasons is not Safeway.

[pdxman]

Theres so much i could say right now, but i'll hold my tongue...this is a good thread and i would like it to stay open :)

[Drmyeyes]

Matters of conscience related to real life situations can often be complicated. It takes time and effort to figure out what's appropriate and what isn't for a given situation. I try not to take such things too seriously, but it probably sounds like I do. Just getting myself in form for the really assertive people we all inevitalbly run into.

As to the building and the block, I think the Elliot is a great looking building. The yellow-brown brick has always been particularly appealing to me, and the building's top row of arched windows really add an elegance to it. The building has the horizontal rather than vertical windows, but it still looks good. I always seem to associate the horizontal windows with a more modern styling. I always thought it might be nice to live for awhile in one of the rooms on 2nd or 3rd level on the 9th street side.

If discussion about the Park Blocks Foundation proposal had continued on when it was introduced some years back, I would like to think that ways around demolition of the quality vintage buildings on the built on blocks could have been worked out. I'm sure they could have, but the way things ultimately worked out is a great example of how the dynamics of a situation can completely alter the way things go. I can think of at least a couple ideas that might have come up if discussion had continued, but maybe 65MAX is right about Portland studying things to death. Maybe that's what would have happened.

If Moyer is really going to refurbish the building that Pear is in (name already slips my mind) then it seems like the Elliot would stand close to an equal chance of refurbishing. The Elliot really suffers from that modernized facade at street level.

[MarkDaMan]

umm, isn't there still two or three places to buy fur at in downtown, I can think of one.

[Dougall5505]

can't you buy it at nordstroms and macy's?

[65MAX]

Matters of conscience related to real life situations can often be complicated. It takes time and effort to figure out what's appropriate and what isn't for a given situation. I try not to take such things too seriously, but it probably sounds like I do. Just getting myself in form for the really assertive people we all inevitalbly run into.

As to the building and the block, I think the Elliot is a great looking building. The yellow-brown brick has always been particularly appealing to me, and the building's top row of arched windows really add an elegance to it. The building has the horizontal rather than vertical windows, but it still looks good. I always seem to associate the horizontal windows with a more modern styling. I always thought it might be nice to live for awhile in one of the rooms on 2nd or 3rd level on the 9th street side.

If discussion about the Park Blocks Foundation proposal had continued on when it was introduced some years back, I would like to think that ways around demolition of the quality vintage buildings on the built on blocks could have been worked out. I'm sure they could have, but the way things ultimately worked out is a great example of how the dynamics of a situation can completely alter the way things go. I can think of at least a couple ideas that might have come up if discussion had continued, but maybe 65MAX is right about Portland studying things to death. Maybe that's what would have happened.

If Moyer is really going to refurbish the building that Pear is in (name already slips my mind) then it seems like the Elliot would stand close to an equal chance of refurbishing. The Elliot really suffers from that modernized facade at street level.

p:ear Gallery is in the Cornelius. Schumacher's is in the Eaton. Y'all keep calling it the Elliot for some reason. The Eliot is the new tower across from Safeway on 10th. I don't know if TMT plans to renovate the Eaton anytime soon, but being directly across the street from Park Avenue West AND Brooks Bros sure makes it highly likely.

[65MAX]

umm, isn't there still two or three places to buy fur at in downtown, I can think of one.

Ungar Furs, and I think Sak's. Not sure about Nordy's and Macy's.

[Drmyeyes]

I have difficulty remembering the names of things, so I'll take credit for spreading confusion by not referring to the Eaton Building by its correct name. I've been taking walks around those blocks trying to get the buildings on them visually registered on my mind. Seems like the Eaton's neigbor on the block is the Whitmarsh. That's one of the buildings that doesn't seem particularly significant, but maybe I've missed something.

On PB2, the Woodlark Building, next to the Cornelius Hotel, is a pretty good looking building, but it always seems kind of gawky to me. I feel like it and the Cornelius aren't a really good pair. Maybe the Cornelius being freshened up will help that. Like a lot of buildings downtown, the Woodlark got a modernized street level treatment that probably doesn't help it. On, I think, pdxhistory. com or maybe .org, there's a picture of the Woodlark taken from an upper floor of the galleria. It had awnings on street level, so you can't see what the building looks like there, but just the awnings help the buildings appearance.

I haven't taken a really serious look, but I think Nordy's does sell fur. With Schumachers gone, they might very well have an increased demand for it. Saks too. About a year ago, on indymedia, I asked the question about who else besides Schumachers sold fur, and they answered back, Nordstroms. Maybe not so much this year, but last year, fur trimmed stuff was availble on garments in places like Freddys. Anti-fur people know this, but a target like Schumacher's can't be beat for visibility purposes.

Maybe two years ago or so, anti-fur activists were crowing because they'd been able to persuade J Crew to stop selling fur trimmed garments, at the NYC headquarter level I think. It's hard for me to believe that the local activists won't be boasting about Schumachers, "We shut em down!".

I don't remember specific details, but Schumacher's was demonstrated against at their old location on 10th too. It's been going on a long time, not just here. In NYC is where anti-fur has been really confrontational off and on over the years; supermodels and celebrities protesting fur depending on the pc weather, and demonstrators throwing red paint on fur clad people. lawsuits. Then look what happens: Another season comes, designers decide fur is the thing, they doll the stringbean babes on the runway in some pelts and soon as you can blink, some of the people who were outraged about it the year before go 180 and trot right down to the retailer and buy the latest thing.

[asher519]

Not quite retail, but...

5th Avenue Suites has the new "Hotel Monaco" signs out. They have happy bellhops on them. How Monaco-y :D

[MarkDaMan]

Retail challenge of malls drives downtown changes
Development - Portland business leaders bank on a major makeover to draw free-spending shoppers
Thursday, March 08, 2007
FRED LEESON
The Oregonian

Downtown's retail center is undergoing its biggest transformation in 60 years, and public and business leaders alike are banking on the changes to pry shoppers away from malls.

No fewer than 112 block faces will front a new transit mall set for completion in 2009. Condo towers are putting hundreds of customers steps from shops. Business leaders have a $15.3 million plan to help downtown stores compete with malls, including new "lifestyle" centers that cater to the region's most affluent shoppers.

Portland Mayor Tom Potter is undertaking a plan to install toilets, benches and day shelters to get vagrants off downtown streets. Macy's and Nordstrom are investing in their downtown stores. And the city is getting a new Park Block, looking to redevelop parking garages and planning a unified parking validation system.

"Once they get the mess downtown straightened out -- and it really is a mess -- I think downtown will be a real draw again," said Burton Nudelman, an independent consultant who works with Portland-area retailers.

Since 2000, suburban malls have gobbled up almost all the region's retail growth. Downtown, frozen at 2 million square feet, has added no major retail space . Several vacancies, including one near a key MAX stop, have festered. The number of retailers has held steady, but sales have been flat and retail employment has dropped 7 percent.

Meanwhile, malls have added more than 1 million square feet of retail space and now boast 3.7 million. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, the nation's malls pull in 75 percent of non-automotive retail dollars. The rest is divided among free-standing stores, downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Miriam Pearson, a Laurelhurst resident, said downtown is well-known for transit improvements but hasn't budged for years as a shopping destination.

"We're a bit embarrassed when we take relatives to our retail core," she said. "We hope it can get some momentum going."

The challenges are daunting. A Portland Business Alliance survey found that shoppers don't like parking hassles and street "clutter" such as news racks. Prospective retailers are waiting out transit mall construction and say downtown's old buildings don't suit modern retailing. Strategies for turning things around will require unprecedented cooperation among building owners, retailers, parking operators and city government.

But downtown has fought mall competition since Lloyd Center opened in 1960, and it's not giving up.

Macy's decision to renovate the old Meier & Frank store, once the region's single biggest retail draw, was a key victory.

"Getting Macy's was huge," said Sandra McDonough, president of the Portland Business Alliance. It took a hefty dose of public assistance -- a $13.9 million low-interest loan for seismic bracing and $72.5 million in federal tax credits -- but when it opens in time for holiday shopping, it also will have a high-end hotel being developed on its upper floors.

Said Gil Kelley, Portland's planning director: "I think you'll start to see a re-energizing of what downtown retail is going to be."

Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946; fredleeson@news.oregonian.com.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1173329704246790.xml&coll=7

[360Rich]

PDF map of the retail related projects in downtown Portland.

http://www.oregonlive.com/cgi-bin/prxy/accessor/nph-repository-cache.cgi/base/pdf_captions/1173329708246800.pdf

http://www.oregonlive.com/cgi-bin/prxy/accessor/nph-repository-cache.cgi/base/pdf_captions/1173329708246800.pdf

[MarkDaMan]

Downtown's retail challenge
Ringed by competition, business leaders bank on the city center's biggest transformation since World War II to win back shoppers
Thursday, March 08, 2007
FRED LEESON
The Oregonian

Downtown's past and future come together at the 10th and Yamhill parking garage.

Theo Patterson thumps his battered Gibson guitar and belts out good-time songs outside Peterson's convenience store, on the garage's ground floor. An overhang serves as a natural amplifier, carrying Patterson's music along the whole block. "Here I don't have to scream as loud," he says of his favorite downtown busking spot.

Inside Peterson's, shoppers can buy a tall six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon for $3.99. Across the block, The Real Mother Goose offers a stunning black walnut dining table for $8,500.

You like variety in your shopping experience? Here it is.

Above the shops, the seven-level garage has 797 prime downtown parking spaces. The city-owned SmartPark was built in 1978 as a key ingredient in downtown's heralded revival.

But now the city wants to tear the garage down. And only Mother Goose represents the type of shop -- and clientele -- downtown business leaders want to see more of.

The garage sits at a crossroads as downtown's retail core undergoes its greatest transformation since World War II. On Fifth and Sixth avenues, no fewer than 112 blocks will front a new transit mall, now under construction, that will carry light rail, buses, cars and bikes.

Downtown business leaders have crafted a $15.3 million plan to add retail, spruce up storefronts and help downtown compete with the Internet, suburban malls and new "lifestyle" centers that aim to siphon wealthy shoppers. Mayor Tom Potter is undertaking a plan to improve options for downtown's homeless, and city planners are in the first stages of updating the 19-year-old Central City Plan.

"Once they get the mess downtown straightened out -- and it really is a mess -- I think downtown will be a real draw again," says Burton Nudelman, an independent consultant who works with Portland-area retailers.

But a glorious future for downtown retailing is no sure thing. The amount of retail space in the city center has barely budged since 2000, while suburban malls have expanded by 37 percent. A Portland Business Alliance committee found numerous liabilities. Shoppers don't like panhandlers, parking hassles and street "clutter" from news racks and A-board signs. Retailers say old buildings are a poor fit for modern stores.

Solving the problems may require unprecedented cooperation among property owners, business owners, City Hall and the city's redevelopment agency, the Portland Development Commission.

In the meantime, prospective retailers are waiting.

"They are show-me people," says Douglas Obletz, a planning consultant working on the transit mall project, scheduled for completion in September 2009. "We've got to demonstrate that the project is done better than it was previously."

Still, tantalizing changes support Nudelman's optimism:

Macy's is renovating the Meier & Frank building that for decades marked ground zero of downtown shopping.

Nordstrom plans to renovate its downtown store and fill racks with its richest mix of merchandise.

Tom Moyer plans a downtown skyscraper with retail, office and residential units.

Brooks Brothers is negotiating for space in the revamped Galleria.

Pioneer Place's new owner is looking at reconfiguring its retail space and perhaps building more.

The prospects reflect what business leaders hope is the future of downtown retail: more one-of-a-kind, upscale stores.

"All the high-end retail is actually doing very well," says Teal Davison, retail and marketing director for the Portland Business Alliance. "Downtown is a center for luxury, high-end goods. Once we realized that, we've highlighted it."

Stan Gillis agrees there's something different about downtown shoppers. He's an owner of The Real Mother Goose, an original tenant in the Yamhill parking garage that does a thriving business in artisan-made furnishings, glass, pottery and jewelry.

Comparing downtown and a former Washington Square store, Gillis says, "We've always found that we attract a more sophisticated customer downtown than we did at the mall. It's easier to sell bigger, more expensive art pieces downtown. Mall shoppers are more into sales and special promotions."

The success of downtown retail may hinge on the transit mall. The old mall, although good for moving buses through downtown, hindered rather than helped retail. The first hint came within months of its opening in 1978 when the flagship Meier & Frank store walled off what had been its primary entrances on Fifth and Sixth, turning its back on the transit streets.

Other merchants complained that the bus shelters blocked views of storefronts and provided refuges for drug dealing. Extended sidewalks in four central locations complicated circulation and blocked through traffic on Fifth and Sixth.

The new mall will offer transparent shelters, easier access for cars, street furnishings designed to weather the climate and human abuse, and a quick rail connection that makes the retail core an easy hop for 30,000 Portland State University students and staff.

City and business leaders plan to encourage building owners along the mall to spruce up windows and facades to make the streets more pleasant.

Tad Savinar, a Portland artist and urban design consultant, has walked and photographed all 112 block faces in the mall project. He's put together a list of 20 comparatively low-budget enhancements -- including pressure washing, lighting, signs, public art, street furniture and trees -- that could make for more interesting, people-friendly streets.

"Everyone wins if your storefronts are lively and thriving, and your sidewalks are clean and unencumbered and a joy to walk down," he says. "The key is that these are small moves. They are not $100,000 moves but $10,000 and $20,000 moves." He's also working to make it easier for small businesses to tap development commission money to improve storefronts.

Ironically, perhaps, the newest downtown competitors -- the so-called lifestyle centers such as Washington County's Bridgeport Village and Streets of Tanasbourne -- imitate downtown streets.

But because the property is private, malls can control street clutter and panhandlers. And they can offer retailers new buildings with unified design standards. Street musicians such as Patterson aren't welcome.

"No mall can replicate what the whole downtown is," says Sandra McDonough, president of the Portland Business Alliance. The downtown experience, as she calls it, includes museums, churches, live theater, concerts and signature restaurants.

Coupled with shopping, McDonough says downtown is a place where visitors can spend a whole day with a wider variety of activities than at any mall. "They are trying to be mini-downtowns," she says of the new malls, "but we've already got one 24-7."

Still, finding new retailers is a tough sell for old buildings. Major chains want certain ceiling heights and floor plans. "It's a new age," says the business alliance's Davison. "There are brand images that the nationals need to abide by to satisfy corporate. They can't move in just anywhere."

A notable exception is Abercrombie & Fitch, a high-end retailer of casual clothes for the twentysomething crowd that recently completed renovations to squeeze into the Pioneer Park building at Broadway and Morrison.

But the company blacked out big display windows facing one of downtown's most prominent corners, snuffing the goal of planners to use store windows to make downtown streets interesting.

A business alliance survey shows that downtown retail space has been frozen at 2 million square feet for the past six years. Meanwhile, shopping centers ringing Portland have added more than 1 million square feet and now boast 3.7 million.

Shoppers such as Miriam Pearson, a Laurelhurst resident who loves downtown, notice the lack of new stores. Pearson says she finds herself spending more time at the malls.

"What people want is a destination," she says. "Our downtown has sat on its haunches. It's starting to be old news." But, she adds, "sometimes you do discover a little new shop, and it gives you hope that things could change."

Fear keeps other shoppers away. Reported crimes are down from a year ago, but an annual survey of downtown businesses lists panhandling as top among "factors that need improvement."

Malls on private property can use trespassing laws to remove unwanted visitors. But downtown, constitutional protections for free speech and assembly apply to public sidewalks, greatly limiting stores or police from regulating behavior.

The city will spend $450,000 in a public/private venture to add security personnel and public benches, open public toilets, and establish day centers for the homeless. "Mayor Potter is really trying hard," says McDonough, the business alliance president.

The plan is tied to an ordinance before the City Council that would prohibit people from sitting or lying on downtown sidewalks from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. -- prime shopping hours. If the council adopts the ordinance, a legal challenge is likely.

Downtown leaders are also taking aim at another longtime obstacle: parking. The business alliance hopes to craft a single validation system for SmartPark garages and private lots. But it will take delicate talks among merchants, lot owners and the city to reach agreement on a system -- and who pays.

"It's going to be a long process to determine what is a win-win for everybody," says Davison. But the stakes are high: For many shoppers parking is a deciding factor between downtown or a suburban mall.

Meanwhile, the city is re-evaluating its two largest SmartPark garages, both built primarily to serve downtown shoppers. The garages -- at 10th and Yamhill and at Third and Alder -- have open stairways that attract unwanted visitors.

The castlelike garage at Third has also had trouble holding tenants at a key frontage just past the first MAX stop in the retail core. "It really gives a bad impression when people come and visit," says Pearson, the Laurelhurst shopper.

The city hopes to improve security and lighting at the 849-space garage. And it's hiring a leasing company to try to fill the storefront that's sat vacant for years.

A more dramatic change could be in store at the Yamhill garage. The city is seeking development proposals that could involve moving parking underground and replacing the structure with offices or housing.

"It's a terrific site," says Kathryn Krygier, a Portland Development Commission manager. "Our goal is to improve retail and provide more housing and offices and restaurants."

The garage was built with recessed shops, protecting pedestrians from rain. But some say the covered sidewalks offer too much refuge for people who don't have roofs.

Developers' plans for the block will go public this month. The changes could mean moves for The Real Mother Goose and Peterson's.

Neither wants to leave.

"Yes, there are some design issues," Doug Peterson says of the garage. "If you were to build it today, you wouldn't build it this way. But we really want to stay. It's been very successful for us."

"It's been a good location for us," says Real Mother Goose owner Gillis. "We've weathered a lot of stuff down here, like when they added light rail and when they added two more floors to the garage. But we'd like to stay."

The move would be hard on Theo Patterson, the street musician, too. He doesn't have the option of moving to a mall. And, he says, "I enhance the livability of the city."

Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946; fredleeson@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/117281855610530.xml&coll=7

[MarkDaMan]

City's retail universe takes a few steps west
Thursday, March 08, 2007
The Oregonian
Fred Leeson

Like tectonic plates under the ocean floor, Portland's retail core moves gradually under the influence of various pressures.

When Pioneer Place opened in 1990, for instance, it marked a distinctive shift east, drawing shoppers away from locations such as the Galleria.

Now the core is tipping west again. Forces include announcement of a Tom Moyer tower west of Nordstrom, City Hall's desire to redevelop a parking garage at 10th and Yamhill streets, and a major tenant headed to the Galleria.

Downtown backers also want to improve connections to the Pearl District, where upscale dining and retail thrive. Private enterprises are building that informal link near Southwest 11th and Stark streets.

Changes include renovation of the former Clyde Hotel into a trendier Ace Hotel, plans for an office-apartment tower at 12th and Washington, and conversion of a nightclub into the high-end Living Room Theater at 10th and Stark.

"What's good for the Pearl is good for downtown," says Sandra McDonough, president of the Portland Business Alliance. "We are not in competition with them. Consumers will probably go both places."

City officials announced an intent three years ago to develop a pedestrian link to the Pearl along Park and Ninth avenues, but no projects have been announced other than possible improvements to O'Bryant Square and tiny Ankeny Park. -- Fred Leeson
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/1172813107141560.xml&coll=7

[pdxman]

Things are looking up for DT...lets just hope this bus mall project goes as quickly and smoothly as possible. I also had no idea that DT retail square footage was so far behind that of suburban SF. I guess my previous assumptions that DT had too much retail were wrong...DT needs to get crackin on building more retail!

[zilfondel]

Meanwhile, malls have added more than 1 million square feet of retail space and now boast 3.7 million. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, the nation's malls pull in 75 percent of non-automotive retail dollars. The rest is divided among free-standing stores, downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

And that, my friends, is the key to downtown: specializing in automotive retail!

Just imagine - drive through stores that accessorize your cars with customzied high-end audio and video systems; auto repair services (c'mon, this is like the biggest industry in the US), and more! Who knows, maybe cashmere sweaters that you can wrap your car in? Mink bumper wraps??

Wow, this sounds like a huge growth industry! Any takers?? :banana:

===

As far as the sit-lie ordinance, I thought that they adopted that a year or two ago with endorsement from the ACLU? Or am I imagining things?

[MarkDaMan]

^nope, the ACLU didn't buy into Vera's sit lie ordinance, but they supposedly have bought into the latest proposal, except not until the benches and day centers are installed and open.

[asher519]

Portland strives to lure luxury retailers
Portland Business Journal - March 23, 2007
by Wendy Culverwell, Business Journal staff writer

As downtown planners continue efforts to make Portland the location of choice for luxury retailers, one national expert cautions that the approach could sputter if high-end development in the suburbs lures those retailers away.

"Assume all big, old malls will be scrapped and redeveloped at four to eight times their current size," said Bob Gibbs, a nationally known retail consultant who visited Portland recently.

His stop included a roundtable discussion organized by the Portland Business Alliance.

Gibbs said Portland should brace for the inevitable: that a luxury-flavored lifestyle center will open here and lure high-end retailers to the suburbs.

The visit by Gibbs, president of Gibbs Planning Group in Detroit, comes as the PBA revises its 2002 retail strategy for downtown. The updated version keeps the focus on working to make downtown the preferred location for upper-tier retailers.

In a wide-ranging discussion, Gibbs said a city the size of Portland should diversify its downtown, with shopping opportunities aimed at three or even four market segments.

Gibbs' well-reasoned fears make for interesting conversation, but few seemed to worry that luxury retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue or Tiffany's will flee to the suburbs if the right development comes along.

"I'm not worried about the leakage of those kinds of retailers from downtown," said Candace Gray, principal with Gray and Associates Inc., a brokerage that specializes in populating luxury retail centers with tenants.

Gray brokered retail leases for Bridgeport Village, one of two "lifestyle centers" already built in the Portland area. She and her husband, Jim Dix, also co-developed a retail center near Bridgeport Village, giving her plenty of insight into what retailers want.

Top brands want downtown locations, she said.

What's more, the kind of retailers Portland is after want a single location in a market Portland's size -- they don't want suburban branches cannibalizing downtown stores and vice versa.

They want to be where the high-end hotels, cultural amenities and restaurants are. And they like what they see in downtown, where a mishmash of construction on roads, light rail and building renovations signal good things to come.

"I can just see the renaissance of downtown," she said.

Aaron Babbie, marketing director for Provenance Hotels, formerly Aspen Hotels Group, agrees that courting luxury brands is the right strategy for downtown.

Shopping packages consistently bring guests to his company's three hotels -- the Westin, Hotel deLuxe and Hotel Lucia. Collectively, the three have 462 rooms in or near downtown.

"Retail is a huge component of our marketing mix," he said. "If the strategy is to go out and build more of the foundation on some of the high-end retailers, from our perspective, there is nothing wrong with that."

Anne Naito-Campbell, of the Bill Naito Corp., agreed some desirable tenants choose newer neighborhoods, namely the Brewery Blocks at the edge of the Pearl District, and then Bridgeport Village, but the overall picture is strong.

She argues that the luxury-centered retail strategy, which she helped to author, was well conceived and is the right approach for a second-tier city like Portland -- blessed with an active downtown but also cursed by small 200-foot blocks that make it difficult to attract large retailers.

"This strategy is a very good strategy," Naito-Campbell said.

At least one retail broker said Portland has succeeded because it targets high-end tenants, which in turn makes downtown an attractive place for tourists.

"Portland succeeds by not doing what everyone else does," said Ashley Heichelbech of Urban Works Real Estate. "You go to cities across the country and they all look alike."

The updated downtown retail strategy, which was approved by the Portland Development Commission March 14, maintains its focus on attracting high-end retailers to downtown.

The updated plan acknowledges that downtown has to compete not only with Bridgeport Village and the Streets of Tanasbourne, but also with Washington Square and Clackamas Town Center, which have been modernized and expanded.

Other challenges include blocks of empty storefronts, sidewalk obstructions, panhandling, parking and development opportunities. The update includes a five-year plan to recruit and retain retailers, improve the sidewalk environment, simplify permitting and design review processes, better directional signs in the retail core, and a better link of the downtown retail core to the Brewery Blocks.

The plan targets a handful of sites for investment to add or improve retail space. The strategy is posted on the Portland Business Alliance Web site, portlandalliance.com.

wculverwell@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3415

[MarkDaMan]

"Assume all big, old malls will be scrapped and redeveloped at four to eight times their current size," said Bob Gibbs, a nationally known retail consultant who visited Portland recently.

that's the dumbest thing I've read in a long time...play dead downtown, the big guys are growing...dumbass doesn't know our market!

[MarkDaMan]

hopefully with an emphasis on new stores, they might consider one downtown?

G.I. Joe's retires name
Portland Business Journal - 1:23 PM PDT Wednesday, March 28, 2007

One of the Pacific Northwest's largest sports and outdoor retailers is taking a discharge from the military.

Wilsonville-based G.I. Joe's Inc. has dropped the G and I from its name. The change to a shorter name coincides with the company's 55-year anniversary and the simultaneous openings of new stores in Bellevue and Kirkland, Wash.


"People have been referring to us as simply 'Joe's' for decades now," said Norm Daniels, president and CEO, in a statement. "In fact, 'Go to Joe's, Grab the Gear, Seize the Weekend' was our slogan for many years. The official change to 'Joe's' is long overdue."

The original name came about in 1952 when company founder, Ed Orkney, sold only military surplus at his store on North Vancouver Boulevard in Portland. But by the early 1960s the company was no longer selling military surplus.

With the opening of new stores in Washington and Idaho, Daniels said, "it is important that as we enter new markets we avoid any confusion as to what our business stands for. We are not military surplus."

With the name change, the company also has a new Web site, JoesSports.com.

Joe's currently has 27 stores in Oregon and Washington.
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/03/26/daily19.html?f=et75&hbx=e_du

[zilfondel]

that's the dumbest thing I've read in a long time...play dead downtown, the big guys are growing...dumbass doesn't know our market!

Good thing we don't have the room to do expand much, eh?

Besides, we have how many malls?


Lloyd Center
Mall 205
Clackamas Town Center
Cedar Hills
Pioneer Place
Washington Square
BridgePort Village
Jantzen Beach
Beavertronia Town Square



Okay, now which ones will be expanded to 4 to 8 times their size?


Pioneer Place is definitely out, as its in a tight downtown location and has been recently expanded.
Lloyd Center is out of space, but could grow vertically
Jantzen Beach got hit by a building moratorium courtesy of Commish Sam
Bridgeport Village is brand-spanking new
Clackamas Town Center is being expanded
Washington Square is being expanded
Mall 205 - I have no clue
Cedar Hills & BTS are about the only ones that could be expanded. And maybe some of those smaller malls out on 82; but again - no room!


Oh wait - forgot! Aiport Way. But it's moving slowly and far from being finished.

I'm not exactly going to worry about massive amounts of new shopping centers, unless they start bulldozing land. Perhaps the new town of Damascus could host all the new big boxes? :slob:

[MarkDaMan]

Powell's Travel Store site gets new tenant
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The Oregonian

After a 21/2-year vacancy, a tenant is in line for the old Powell's Travel Store site mostly buried under Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Jennifer Polver, the square's executive director, says the tenant should be open in time for the holiday season.

We'd love to tell you who it is, but we're sworn to secrecy. (That's another way of saying we don't have a clue.) But it's good news for the cash flow of the nonprofit that manages events and provides security and cleanup for the square.


PDC exec on lookout for Neiman Marcus

Downtown retail advocates are an optimistic bunch.

And so Claudia Plaza, a Portland Development Commission manager, says department store chain Neiman Marcus is scouting markets for small versions of its stores.

"That means there is an opportunity in this area," she says, noting that the high-end Dallas, Texas, retailer is opening a store in Bellevue, Wash., in 2009.

FRED LEESON
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/117694410855170.xml&coll=7

[cab]

Is this really a smart policy of PDC to go after National Chain retail? To me ORegon is not a rich state, to bleed precious cash to out of state corporate offices doesn't seem in the best interest of our state. Shouldn't PDC actively provide opportunities for local companies to provide retail in DT? This would also be smart because it makes DT an alternative to the Metro malls which are filled with national chains retail.

[pdxtraveler]

I love having local downtown, but you need a mix of national retailers as well to make it the destination for shoppers that the city invisions. And while Oregon was not rich in the past, we are getting our fair share in the central PDX area in the last few years. I think Neimans isn't too far off the mark.

[MarkDaMan]

Besides, with the prices Neimans charges, tourists would actually be saving a lot of money on sales tax if they happened to stop in and buy a couple $120 t-shirts. Downtown I think needs a mix of chain and locals to compete with regional malls.

[brandonpdx]

Is this really a smart policy of PDC to go after National Chain retail? To me ORegon is not a rich state, to bleed precious cash to out of state corporate offices doesn't seem in the best interest of our state. Shouldn't PDC actively provide opportunities for local companies to provide retail in DT? This would also be smart because it makes DT an alternative to the Metro malls which are filled with national chains retail.

I'm with you on this one Cab. The PDC should provide opportunites for local companies since most of the money that is spent in locally owned businesses remains local. If a developer wants to recruit a national chain or if a chain wants to locate DT that is great. However, an organization (PDC) that is run by our tax dollars should be about cultivating opportunities for local people and busineses. We don't need our dollars floating out of state.

[PacificNW]

Does it mean that if the PDC is involved putting Portland on the map for national retailers such as NM that tax money/subsidies will be involved? I don't think this is necessarily true. Would you rather have NM locate at Washington Square or Bridgeport Village? Those centers have active recruiters luring retailers to their operations. I am sure the citizens of Seattle would have rather had NM locate their store downtown instead of driving to Bellevue.

[pdxstreetcar]

I agree about not wanting to use PDC money to go after national retail but at the same time having a neiman marcus store downtown would give downtown an advantage over the malls like having Saks and soon Brooks Bros to name a few. i'd much rather the highest end shopping be downtown than in some suburban mall like most other regions.

[MarkDaMan]

Pendleton ready for new generation
After 150 years it's time for a fresh wrinkle
Portland Business Journal - May 11, 2007
by Wendy Culverwell

With nearly 150 years under its glorious wool blanket, Pendleton Woolen Mills Inc. has much to celebrate. And it's doing it by focusing on its future.

The beloved Oregon brand of wool is retooling its stores and its attitude to bring in a broader range -- read younger -- crew of customers.

Fittingly, Pendleton unveiled a new format for its retail stores this week in downtown Portland, where streets are being ripped up to accommodate new infrastructure and commuter facilities.

Mort Bishop III, president of Pendleton, approved of the heavy-equipment backdrop.

"We talk about building the brand for the next generation. Portland is really building the city for the next generation," he said.

The 4,000-square-foot store will serve as a working laboratory for Pendleton's designers as they export the new format to its 70 existing stores. The company will renovate six stores this year and open two new additions.

The new concept is built around Pendleton's rich history and highlights both its classic clothing lines and an array of new ones that incorporate the modern fabrics manufactured at Pendleton's mills in Washougal, Wash., and Pendleton, Ore.

The new lines are Savvy Stretch and Urban Wear.

Savvy Stretch is made with wool-based stretched fabric; Urban Wear, to debut this fall, includes clothing made from washable merino knits. The fabrics are produced by Pendleton, which has invested some $50 million in its two mills over the past 25 years to remain competitive on an international scale.

Today, Washougal and Pendleton are producing "incredible" new fabrics including lightweight year-round wool and stretch fabrics, Bishop said.

"It's really redefining the characteristic of woolens," Bishop said.

The Urban Wear line coming out this fall sees Pendleton marrying its traditional wool fabrics with technical linings and nylon trim, details that resonate with the younger buyers Pendleton seeks.

"We talk about building the brand for the next generation," Bishop said.

Urban Wear marks another departure for Pendleton, which tags its product with its familiar blue and yellow label. Urban Wear will sport black and silver, a small detail but significant nonetheless.

The company previously altered its product lines to reflect changing fashions in 1998, when it introduced Pendleton ORiginals ("OR" for Oregon), a line of casual women's wear.

Pendleton does not disclose sales or revenue figures, but acknowledges that its business is evenly split between direct sales through its retail and catalog and Internet operations and its wholesale business selling to retailers such as Made in Oregon and Nordstrom.

Women's wear represents 60 percent of sales. The rest are evenly divided between sales of men's wear and sales of home items and blankets.

wculverwell@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3415

http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/05/14/story4.html?t=printable

[CouvScott]

Brooks Brothers is negotiating for space in the revamped Galleria.



BTW, if no one has confirmed this, the bid set went across my desk the other day. This is a Brooks Brothers Women store.

[MarkDaMan]

Nordstrom gets a facelift as Macy’s moves in
Daily Journal of Commerce
by Libby Tucker
06/21/2007


The plastic construction barrier looks out of place on the second floor of Nordstrom, where the heavy scent of Bulgari cologne from men’s furnishings mingles with $2,500 Roberto Cavalli dresses in ladies apparel.

Behind the barrier, contractors with R&H Construction Co. are installing the metal wall studs that will frame a new Chanel boutique as part of Nordstrom’s first complete makeover since it opened across from Pioneer Courthouse Square 30 years ago.

While new designer handbag and apparel boutiques are installed on the first and second floors, the rest of the 12,500-square foot building will be re-carpeted, light fixtures and cash register stations will be replaced, and bathrooms will be updated.

If all goes according to plan, the eight-month renovation will be completed by Christmas, the same time Macy’s department store is supposed to open in the under-construction Meier & Frank Building a block away.

Nordstrom Inc.’s Seattle representatives denied the new Macy’s motivated the decision to renovate the downtown location.

“We compete with a lot of different retailers; we’re all working hard for the customer’s dollar,” Michael Boyd, a spokesman in Nordstrom’s Seattle office said. “We certainly want to stay competitive; we’ve had our store open there for 30 years and we want to make it fresh and relevant to our customers.”

Nordstrom is just one store of a handful of retailers that have undergone renovations or opened new locations downtown in the past six months. Abercrombie & Fitch recently finished updating its store at the corner of Southwest Broadway and Morrison streets. And Carl Greve Jewelers and men’s clothier Brooks Brothers recently announced the arrival of downtown locations near Pioneer Courthouse Square.

“The downtown marketplace is very strong with the exception of the transit mall,” Craig Sweitzer, a principal of Urban Works commercial real estate firm, said. The Nordstrom renovation, he said “will keep them competitive with the retailers surrounding them and the retail marketplace as a whole.”

The Nordstrom renovation isn’t completely necessary to stay competitive, Sweitzer said. But the building is on a critical block in the core of downtown Portland, he said, and the store’s successful renovation could contribute to a more vibrant shopping district.

The renovation also dovetails with the Portland Business Alliance’s plans for more active retail space downtown. The Portland Business Alliance updated its five-year downtown retail strategy in February due to increased competition from regional shopping centers such as Bridgeport Village. The PBA’s goal is to expand downtown Portland’s retail core boundary to include more blocks for shopping.

“It’s going to be spectacular for the city, especially from a visitor’s perspective,” Jeff Miller, president and CEO of the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, said. “The metamorphosis of both of those stores (Nordstrom and Macy’s) … is a strong indicator of a vibrant downtown.”
http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?recid=29621&userID=1

[Dougall5505]

I'm really disapointed they didn't do anything with the facade, the street connection around nordys is horrible

[MarkDaMan]

^me too, but the article didn't really address any exterior updates, so I wonder if any are planned...would be a shame not to update the terrible street level connection with that building...and what happened to the expansion plans?

[pdxstreetcar]

12500 sq ft building? maybe they mean 125000 sq ft

good to see this renovation happen, i agree its most needed though on the exterior

wow there is so much construction downtown now

btw the signs are up for brooks brothers

[MarkDaMan]

Addition of retailers could revitalize historic Galleria
AM Living joins Brooks Brothers on ground floor of long-troubled downtown mall
POSTED: 06:00 AM PDT Wednesday, September 26, 2007
BY TYLER GRAF

Few Portland buildings have as storied yet as troubled a history as the retail core’s Galleria Building, owned by the Bill Naito Co. Built in 1909 and once the cornerstone of Portland’s retail sector, the historic Galleria has had trouble retaining retail tenants in recent years, with the exception of Made in Oregon, which is owned by Sam Naito.

But that may change soon.

In February 2007, high-end clothing retailer Brooks Brothers inked a deal to lease space on the bottom floor of the building’s southeast side. The arrival will give Brooks Brothers about 11,500 square feet of retail space centrally located on a prominent MAX light-rail line.

Adjacent to Brooks Brothers will be AM Living, a home furnishings store specializing in antique reconstructions. AM Living is a 39-year-old company with offices overseas and in Eugene. The company intends to add hardwood floors and dramatic lighting to accentuate the retail displays and underscore the company’s ideal of beauty, originality and high culture, director of sales Sheri Wayt said.

“This location is just waiting for the right retailer to come in and spice it up,” Wayt said. “We really want to create a retail store that other retailers can emulate.”

And that is the prevailing opinion of the Bill Naito Co. “This is happening now because we’re getting the tenants we wanted,” Naito’s Doug Campbell said.

For the man who brokered the deal, Jon Kellogg of Commercial Realty Advisors, the Galleria’s recent leasing signifies a strengthening of the burgeoning central business district thanks to spill off from the Pearl District.

“This reflects the new owners’ dedication to revitalizing this great center of business,” Kellogg said. The growth in the Pearl District is creating a “hemorrhaging” of potential retail costumers that will inevitably move into the retail district, Kellogg said.

Still, the building suffers from an antiquated design, Jeff Joslin of the Bureau of Development Services said.

“When you think about the floor plan itself, it’s not the most efficient,” Joslin said. “It’s more of a mall environment than a place for offices.”

But is Wayt worried about the Galleria’s reputation? “No, because I think, ultimately, that there’s been a real commitment by the city of Portland to reinvigorate downtown by reinvesting in old space.”

The demographics of the retail core, and Portland as a whole, were factors in AM Living’s decision, as Portland is known for its affluent, educated and cultured populace, Wayt said.

Demographics information released by Commercial Realty Advisors lists the average household income within a three-mile radius of the Galleria at $60,123 and the percentage of the population in that radius from the ages of 30 to 44 at 27.3 percent.

The Galleria has been on the Portland Development Commission’s radar for years due to its prominence, age and need for repair. The PDC has recommended continued renovations, improved loading docks and seismic upgrades.

“While other investments, such as the growth of PSU are important, the Work Group agreed that capital investments in buildings which have been long-term physical liabilities for the overall health of the downtown are important,” PDC’s 2007-2008 fiscal budget said.

The PDC is concerned that a centrally located building of the Galleria’s significance could have a negative ripple effect if it does not secure retail tenants. The PDC’s 2007-2008 budget calls the Galleria a development opportunity and says the building could receive a portion of $6.8 million set aside for improvements in the area. Improvements to the Galleria would be “catalytic,” Claudia Plaza of the PDC said.

Despite new retailers entering the Galleria, Campbell is reluctant to talk about the long-term goals of the building.

“I don’t like to count my chickens until they’re hatched and running around,” he said.
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2007/09/26/Addition-of-retailers-could-revitalize-historic-Galleria-AM-Living-joins-Brooks-Brothers-on-ground-f

[SpongeG]

Now that H&M is in both San Francisco and L.A. we hopefully are next!

Vancouver (BC) and Seattle seem to have beat ya - the first one for the Vancouver area opened last month in a suburb - Coquitlam and there will be a huge 33,000 sq ft 3 level store opening downtown in the new year

Seattle is getting a 2 level store at University Village

But I think H&M would do really well downtown - its certainly a draw - the coquitlam store has been nuts everytime I have visited

a pic of the opening day...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/DSC02280.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

^the fact they are expanding the the NW is a good sign. Distribution networks are being expanded and that means that adding a Portland store would only enhance the current network they've already invested in.

[pdxtraveler]

^the fact they are expanding the the NW is a good sign. Distribution networks are being expanded and that means that adding a Portland store would only enhance the current network they've already invested in.

I totally agree. With Seattle and Yancouver with stores it is only a matter of time. :)

[edirp]

I wonder if Bridgeport Village is trying to woo H & M....

They have space with the Wild Oats closure.

[PacificNW]

edirp....are you back in Portland?

[pdxman]

I would be very peeved if H&M or any large, destination store went to bridgeport or the burbs. Damn bridgeport! :hell:

[dkealoha]

I wonder if Bridgeport Village is trying to woo H & M....

They have space with the Wild Oats closure.

When did Wild Oats close? Probably because Whole Foods moved in across the street...

[sopdx]

It's unfortunate they pick suburban locations - at least in Vancouver's case, and in Seattle's - an upscale strip mall. I'm sure that will be the case when they come to Portland.

[Pearl_Steve]

When did Wild Oats close? Probably because Whole Foods moved in across the street...

I don't know if it's actually closed yet, but there was this article in the Oregonian a few weeks ago: http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/business/1189135546132230.xml&coll=7

Whole Foods just finished the purchase of Wild Oats and is closing two Wild Oats stores - no sense to own grocery stores across the street from each other.

[PacificNW]

I hope H & M doesn't go suburban in Portland....downtown!

[rsbear]

Love H&M - what a draw that would be for downtown. Probably pull more people than Nordstrom or Macy's if the had a men's store and a women's store. An H&M opened in Pasadena a few months ago and there were lines outside for weeks. I finally went last month (clothes are not worth waiting in line) and it's women's store - no men's clothes! :hell:

[cab]

If anything the Pearl will get it. Downtown Business Association is totally out of touch with today's retail environment. They're probably still talking to Wild Oats about opening up a store.

[PacificNW]

I don't believe that the DBA is out of touch at all. Retail today is looking for square footage that does not necessary fit into the mode of older construction of dt PDX. As new construction comes online this "new" reality will be resolved. Plus, if more retailers go to the Pearl (which is still dt as far as I am concerned) it is still better than locating in the burbs. Even Lloyd Center, Clackamas TC and Washington Square are good starts.

[IHEARTPDX]

I would love to see an H&M in the ZGF Tower or Park Ave West but...I would really be surprised if H&M opened their first Oregon store in downtown Portland. On the East coast (NY/NJ/CT specifically) H&M opened a ton of stores in malls in the burbs. These particular malls were not at all like Bridgeport, they were more like Lloyd center or even (dare I say) Mall 205. It seems like H&M's tactic is to open up stores in crappy malls in the burbs and then head towards the center of the city.