The Oregonian has spoken … well posted, actually, their 10 Favorite Shops in St. Johns. Leading all the rest is The Olive & Vine, our very own gourmet specialty store.
If you haven’t visited, you should. Owner Kim Shaw is delightful and knowledgable. She sources organic olive oils, aged vinegars, sea salts, herbs, spices and fine teas for the shop as well as for her home kitchen. She is brimming with ideas that will liven your table with deliciousness.
The Olive & Vine is more than a job for us. Food has always meant family, friends and love in our home. The shop is really an extension of our home. It’s a look into our pantry and our lives. We use these products and enjoy sourcing new items and sharing them with our customers.
Scheduled for Saturday, April 23rd, the Plant Swap & Recycling event is a favorite for St. Johns residents and businesses alike. Time to ‘get your spring cleaning on’ and take your recycling and donations to where they can be reused and recycled.
Pick up a new plant for the garden, exchange seeds, or bring plants to share.
All this takes place in the St. Johns Christian Church Parking Lot at 8400 N Richmond at Central from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. See the flyer for Accepted and Unaccepted Items.
If you hire employees or are considering hiring in 2016, you should be familiar with the new Oregon employment law. At the March 16th Boosters meeting we welcome Attorney David James Robinson who will speak about new laws for Oregon employers including:
Ban the Box (HB 3025B)
Non-Compete Agreements (HB 3236)
Mandatory Sick Leave (Senate Bill 454 and Portland City Code Title 9)
Wage Transparency (HB 2007)
Marijuana
Changes in the minimum wage
David James Robinson, Attorney at Law
Don’t leave yourself exposed to potential discrimination lawsuits or fines. Come to this meeting to learn and prepare your company for these changes.
Mr. Robinson is a Portland attorney specializing in business solutions including business startups and commercial leases. He helps his clients transact wealth and also offers wealth planning solutions that include estate and retirement planning.
He runs a sustainable and digital practice, bikes to appointments with clients, and gives back to the community by donating his legal expertise to qualified nonprofit organizations. You can learn more about him as his website: DavidJamesRobinson.com.
Crime continues to be a concern for business owners in St. Johns. Petty thefts, graffiti and, occasional, sometimes violent interactions with alcohol or drug dependent residents and passersby are problems we deal with as part of this urban environment.
On Wednesday, February 17th, we welcome Meg Juarez and Jenna Plank who will speak on crime prevention, contacting the police and other City resources. Juarez is the Crime Prevention Coordinator from the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, and Plank is our Neighborhood Deputy District Attorney from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
Bring your questions, concerns, and suggestions to this General Membership meeting of the St. Johns Boosters. Meeting begins at 7:15 am at the John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard.
As part of Venture Portland’s year-long 30th birthday celebration, we are hosting a contest to promote neighborhood businesses called the ‘Click. Tag. Win. Selfie Challenge.’ It’s simple. Participants will take a picture of themselves (selfie) at their favorite neighborhood businesses and then upload the photo to their personal Facebook, Twitter or Instagram social media accounts with #pdxLOVESsmallbiz, @VenturePortland or they can email their photos to selfie@ventureportland.org.
Venture Portland staff will collect all the photos and present them to the Venture Portland Board who will vote for their favorites. The winners will receive a gift certificate from the business featured in the photo (Venture Portland will purchase the gift certificate; businesses DO NOT have to donate them).
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The contest will follow this schedule:
2/1 – Launch
2/1 – 2/14 – Small Business Big Hearts (Valentine’s day tie-in, plus first challenge)
2/15 – First prize awarded for Valentine’s day tie-in challenge
4/25 – Venture Portland Annual Meeting; attendees vote for their favorite photos
4/26 – Final prizes awarded
Does your shop need posters for #pdxLOVESsmallbiz? Email your requests using the contact form on this website. Available sizes include 8 1/2 x 11, 11 x 17 and 5 1/2 x 17. Samples of the posters are already up in several member shops.
Oregon scores in the middle of the pack in terms of its business environment. That’s little consolation to a small business owner facing a troubling situation with state government. When every miscommunication with the state can cost your business money, it’s good to know that there’s someone who can step in and help.
What does that kind of help look like and who can get it?
Oregon’s Small Business Advocate, Ruth Miles, will be presenting at the January 20th St. Johns Boosters breakfast meeting and will walk through how she helped one small business and unveil small business data and trends observed in Oregon during 2015.
With 18 years of experience running small businesses to add to her nine years of service in the legislative branch, Ruth Miles understands first-hand the challenges entrepreneurs face. She’s crisscrossed Oregon over the last two years to visit with business leaders and associations, chambers of commerce and community partners to hear their concerns about getting caught in red tape. And everywhere she goes, she runs with scissors.
The St. Johns Boosters invite you to attend this general membership meeting beginning at 7:15 am at John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard.
