Running a small business means wearing multiple hats. In the ever-evolving world of social media, keeping up can be overwhelming! After a 20-year career as a fashion merchandiser, branding and marketing was what I was most drawn to, and now I use these skills to help small businesses consistently deliver their brand message out to the world through various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blogging and copywriting. With me running your social media, you can go back to running your business.
St. Johns gets spooky and fun on Saturday, October 29th.
Join the St. Johns Boo-sters for trick or treating from 1 -3 pm. Enjoy treats around the St. Johns Business District on downtown Lombard and adjacent streets. Wear your costumes for more fun!
St. Johns is a happening place. Just look at what the St. Johns Boosters have lined up for the next few months!
St. Johns Bites
Visit a St. Johns food establishment and post a picture of the meal to Instagram. Include the #stjohnsbites hashtag and tag the restaurant in your Instagram post, and you are entered to win a $50 Gift Certificate to that business. Three winners are chosen each week!
Happening:
September 20th – October 20th at all St. Johns restaurants, bars, coffee shops, food trucks, etc.
St. Johns Boosters present the Fall Fling Shopping Event with specials and sales at all participating St. Johns Businesses. Love Revolution will play in the Plaza from 2 – 6 pm. Come enjoy the fun and support your local St. Johns small businesses.
Happening:
Saturday, September 24th, 2 – 6 pm at St. Johns Business District shops.
Come join the St. Johns Businesses along Lombard and adjacent streets for Trick or Treating. Wear your costume for more fun!
Happening:
Saturday, October 29th from 1 – 3 pm at St. Johns businesses.
Light Up St. Johns Events
Warm for the Winter Ugly Sweater Community Tree Lighting
While lighting the tree, choirs will be singing, Ugly Sweater ornaments kits will be given out along with hot Chocolate and cookies! There will be Ugly Sweater photo ops, Shopping passports and Holiday Markets to enjoy! Come join the fun of St. Johns.
Happening:
Friday, November 18th from 5 – 7 pm in the St. Johns Plaza.
Warm for the Winter Ugly Sweater Shopping Event
SUPPORT LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES!
Come to the St. Johns Plaza for Gift Certificates to purchase from St. Johns Home and Service Businesses. Get a Shopping Passport for Raffle Basket entry and enjoy the Holiday Markets and specials at the Store Front businesses. Ugly Sweater photo ops and Hot Chocolate will be handed out to keep you “Warm for the Winter with an Ugly Sweater”!!!
Happening:
Saturday, November 19th, 11 am – 2 pm in the St. Johns Plaza.
Warm for the Winter Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl
Go to any St. Johns Drinking establishment and post a picture on Instagram with a drink while wearing an Ugly Sweater. Include the #lightupstjohns hashtag and tag the restaurant in your Instagram post, and you are entered to win a daily $50 Gift Certificate to that Business.
Happening:
Friday, December 9th – Sunday, December 11th at all St. Johns drinking establishments.
St. Johns Pocket Park project will beautify a nearly barren patch of land adjacent to the St. Johns Plaza and provide a natural area using native plants for all to enjoy.
For the past year, the Boosters have been working with 1855 Plants, Resilience Design, and Sauvie Island Natives to re-landscape the space at the entrance to the downtown business corridor in St Johns!
Thank you to these businesses and community organizations!
Location and Volunteer Opportunities
The Pocket Park location is on N Ivanhoe & N Philadelphia in St Johns, next to Burgerville. Come out and volunteer at our work party on Saturday, May 14th. Let us know that you can help with an email to info@stjohnsboosters.org.
Nature-Based Solutions
Reinvigorating the pocket park at the foot of the St. Johns Bridge with a Native Plant Park Project is part of what the United Nations,World Bank, and European Union are promoting as “Nature-Based Solutions” to confront climate change, natural disasters, and other climate change-related challenges. In addition to helping native pollinators, Native Plant gardens help protect us at a lower cost and require fewer chemicals, less water, and less maintenance than nonnative plants or grey infrastructure.
According to the Native Plant Conservation Campaign, by filling our parks, gardens, roadsides, and open spaces with natives, our communities will become more ecologically resilient, comfortable, safe, and low maintenance. It is also cost-effective.
With a grant from Venture Portland, the St. Johns Boosters are beginning the work of transforming the nearly barren patch of land next to the plaza to create a vibrant oasis that resonates with the historical and cultural diversity of our area. The pocket park renovation has broad and enthusiastic support from the community. The Boosters are partnering with several community organizations to design, build and maintain the park and its amenities. We are developing a partnership with the Native American organizations and local community history organizations to ensure that all communities are represented.
Pocket Park design by Resilience Design
Signage will add educational, cultural, and way-finding components. Plants and their connection to the area’s native Multnomah peoples’ culture and history will be identified. At some future date, we would like to create a signpost indicating the name and distance to other close-by natural parks such as Baltimore Woods, Smith and Bybee Natural Wetlands, Kelley Point Park, Cathedral Park, and Sauvie Island to give visitors an idea of additional attractions in the area. Signage will be in English, Spanish, and Wasco-Wishram, the dialect of the Native American Multnomah tribe that first inhabited the area. The multilingual custom plant signs will be made by a local merchant, A Nice Lady in St. Johns, constructed of durable outdoor materials of photosensitive aluminum.
Adopt a Native Plant
Neighbors, local organizations, and businesses are invited to partner with this project. By “adopting” a plant, with a donation of $100 or $150 depending on the size of the plant. An “adoption certificate” will be provided with a weather-resistant plant tag that will identify the plant as being “adopted” and include the donor’s name.
“Adoptions” may be renewed annually, creating a dependable income stream for maintenance of the park, plant replacement, and clean-ups.
Native plants that will be included in the St. Johns Pocket Park
St. Johns Pocket Park: Part of the St. Johns Revitalization
This project is critical for the revitalization of the Business District. It will create an aesthetically and climate-resilient “Welcome!” to people driving across the St. Johns Bridge, pedestrians, and the community at large.
In addition to the businesses mentioned above, we would like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers!
The bag features a vintage “I Dig St. Johns” design, extra long shoulder straps, plenty of room, and a nice thick cotton. Perfect for shopping in the district, picking up takeout for a picnic, and carrying your farmer’s market feasts and treasures.
Product specs:
22″ straps
15.5″ high by 14.5″ wide and 7″ deep
Show your support for St. Johns!
I Dig St Johns Tote
100% cotton twill canvas shopping bag with vintage “I Dig St Johns” graphic design. Extra-long shoulder straps and plenty of room in this nice thick Canvas Tote. Everything you need for carrying your farmer’s market feasts and treasures!
Product specs: 22-inch straps and 15.5” High x 14.5” Wide x 7” Deep
Pay now and pick up at 45th Parallel Wines, 8527 N Lombard Street, during their business hours.
Buy now and pick up the tote at 45th Parallel Wines
Pay online and pick up at 45th Parallel Wines, 8527 N Lombard Street, during their business hours (Monday – Friday, 12 – 8 pm, Saturday – Sunday, 12 – 6 pm).
Thank you for the design
The design comes from a graphic from St Johns in the 1970’s. A big thank you to A Nice Lady in St. Johns who helped us execute this modern version of the original design!
First Look: The Future of Pattie’s Home Plate Deli and The Man’s Shop
Guerrilla Development, in conjunction with St. Johns’ very own Convergence Architecture, present the prospective adaptive reuse at 8501/8511 North Lombard Street. You may recognize another project in our downtown corridor, the 2/3 Development Project which was completed in 2015 and is home to such businesses as Cathedral Eye Care, Mikasa, The Garrison, Breathe and The Nest: A Hair Loft.
Corner View
The original two iconic tenant spaces facing North Lombard St., Pattie’s Home Plate Deli and The Man’s Shop, will remain as smaller suites for new tenants. Two additional tenants will occupy retail spaces entering from North Leavitt Ave. The building will also feature a hidden restaurant/speakeasy bar with an open air courtyard in the center of the building. Planned upgrades include:
Retaining the original and iconic Lombard Street storefronts
Exposing original interior structure
Integrating a discoverable open central courtyard leading through to the cozy restaurant/speakeasy bar space
Activating the Leavitt Avenue side with inviting glassy storefronts and large roll-up doors facing the interior courtyard
Restaurant and bar will enjoy an inside-outside connection through large roll-up doors, including a connection to a small private dining room also opening to the courtyard
Long-term bike racks, accessible unisex restrooms, and secure trash room will also be available for building use
Architectural Renderings
Courtyard ViewAxon ViewPlan View
Looking for Retail or Restaurant Space?
For interest and inquiries, please contact Kevin Cavenaugh at Guerrilla Development: (503) 232-3479
Thank you to Joe Purkey and Kristie Van Boxtel of Convergence Architecture for sharing these images and information with us. Joe also oversees Land Use for the St. Johns Boosters.
There’s a chill in the air, and the St. Johns Boo-sters are ready to help you (safely) celebrate Halloween in the business district!
St. Johns Boo-sters Halloween Events
Scavenger Hunt
Some of you may remember our Halloween Scavenger Hunt that we introduced in 2020, and we’re bringing it back this year!
St Johns Boo-sters Halloween Scavenger Hunt Poster
The scavenger hunt begins at the start of business on Thursday 10/29 and goes through 10/31, or until we run out of candy!
Pick up a scavenger hunt sheet at one of the participating businesses.
Look for decorations/clues in the business’s windows. They will be designated with a Boosters logo so you will know it is an official clue! (Note: since the clues will be in store windows, you can go anytime, not just during store hours!)
Answer the questions on the scavenger hunt sheet. Don’t forget to check the back for a fun puzzle!
Once you have completed the entire sheet, you can turn in your sheet to one of the businesses and receive a pre-packaged bag of candy.
Thank you to St. Johns Church for supplying and assembling the candy bags!
Pumpkin Giveaway & Decorating Contest
St Johns Boo-sters Pumpkin Giveaway and Decorating Contest Poster
The Pumpkin Giveaway and Decorating Contest are still going strong! We wanted to give the kids in the community the chance to get a pumpkin and show off their decorating skills.
Pick up a pumpkin at participating businesses between October 1 -October 31st (while supplies last!)
Decorate them at home – carve, paint, decorate however you like!
Post a public photo to Instagram using the hashtag #stjohnsboo and tag the business where you got the pumpkin.
On October 31st, winners will be selected and receive prizes!
Thank you to A Nice Lady in St. Johns for suppling the prizes, and to Plumper Pumpkin Patch for Donating the sugar pie pumpkins!
Picking up a pumpkin from Oregonians Credit UnionReggie and Lissa Guyton giving out pumpkins at Reggie Guyton State Farm
A special thanks to Venture Portland for their ongoing support. These events are made possible thanks to our participation in Venture’s Catalytic Investment Initiative program.
We hope you all have a frightfully good Halloween!
The St Johns Boosters (“Boo”-sters) Pumpkin Giveaway and Decorating Contest starts Friday October 1st!
Plumper Pumpkin Patch and Tree Farm is family-owned and has been open since 1998.
We received a donation of 40 Sugar Pie Pumpkins from Plumper Pumpkin Patch, a wonderful farm off of Skyline Road. It’s a beautiful property and a great place to visit, with activities for kids and kids-at-heart.
April of Plumper Pumpkin Patch and St Johns District Manager Tanya of Venture PortlandPlumper Pumpkin Patch and Tree Farm
If you participated in our contest last year, the pickup locations are the same.
IQ Credit UnionOregonians Credit UnionReggie Guyton State Farm InsuranceA Nice Lady in St Johns
How to Participate:
Pick up a pumpkin at participating businesses between October 1-October 31st (while supplies last!)
Decorate them at home – carve, paint, decorate however you like!
Post a public photo to Instagram using the hashtag #stjohnsboo and tag the business where you got the pumpkin.
On October 31st, winners will be selected and receive prizes from A Nice Lady in St Johns!
St Johns Boo-sters Pumpkin Giveaway Poster
Thank you to Venture Portland for choosing our business association to be a part of the Catalytic Investment Initiative Grant and supporting events such as this one!
We find ourselves in year two of a holiday season in the pandemic, but it can’t dampen the strong community spirit in St. Johns. We have some really fun things planned! Here is what is happening in September.
Mike Bennett Art Crypto-Zoo
Crypto-Zoo Museum of Mystery by Mike Bennett
You may have heard the buzz about artist Mike Bennett‘s latest (and biggest!) project, the Crypto-Zoo: Museum of Mystery in St. Johns! Last year he created his Crypto-Zoo, releasing the name and lore of a different Cryptid each day. This year he will be releasing new Cryptids which you can along with the originals in a pop-up “museum” that Mike created in the currently unoccupied former bank building at 7410 N. Chicago Street (at Lombard). We are so thrilled that Mike chose St. Johns and that it’s in the heart of our downtown business district! Thank you to Debbie Thomas Real Estate for coordinating so seamlessly and generously with us and with Mike.
Hundreds of volunteers stepped up to help prepare the project, including a lot of students and staff at Wayfinding Academy (think of them when you see the crows!), and IQ Credit Union stepped in as a sponsor, so we are proud of how our community has showed up for this effort. On our part, we hired our landscaper Ernest Brown, and his team did a great job preparing the outdoor space for opening day.
Check out Mike and his neighbors at See See Coffee on the news!
Walk through the immersive Museum of Mystery, filled with 26 life-size Cryptids, Monsters and Mythical Beasts! Play games, win prizes and lookout for surprise guests!
Masks required. Admittance limited for social distancing.
Stay tuned to a fun Halloween event that we are planning to tie in to the Crypto-Zoo. Details soon!
St Johns Bites
St. Johns Bites Poster
Get ready to get a bite of St. Johns, starting September 20! 🍽 Participate in St Johns Bites and be Entered to Win a Weekly $50 Gift Card!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Visit any restaurant, cafe, bar, or food truck in St. Johns between Sept 20-Oct 20, 2021. Be sure to follow each business’s safety guidelines! 📷 Take a picture of your order. It can be consumed there, or it can be takeout or delivery. Post your photo to your Instagram account with the hashtag #stjohnsbites Be sure it’s a public photo and remember to tag and/or name the business! 3 winners will be selected on Tuesdays starting Sept 28. Each winner will receive a $50 gift card to the business in their photo. Winners will be notified via Instagram messages.
