Categories
St. Johns development

Union at St. Johns and PBOT FAQ

Linked below is the updated and complete copy of a five-page letter from PBOT’s Senior Engineering Associate John Wilson. It was received by the St. Johns Boosters last week.

As a preamble, Mr. Wilson wrote,

“In response to several questions that we at PBOT have received with respect to the Union at St. Johns, we have put together the attached FAQ. Please feel free to share this with anyone who you think may be concerned or have questions about the happenings at the intersection of Richmond and Lombard. This is a living document, and it will be revised if anything changes. I am keeping a list of all concerned constituents and will send an update if the document is revised.”

You may reach him at 503-823-8357 or by email at John.Wilson@portlandoregon.gov.

Union at St. Johns, PBOT FAQ, 5-page PDF

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St. Johns Boosters

The Sudra Reopening Today!

The Sudra restaurant front on North Lombard St
The Sudra restaurant at 8777 N Lombard.

St. Johns has patiently awaited the reopening of The Sudra since an untimely kitchen fire closed the restaurant earlier this summer. The wait is over. The Sudra reopens this afternoon at 4:00 pm.

An Indian inspired vegan restaurant, The Sudra was instantly popular when it opened earlier this year. The menu includes a wide selection of flavorful vegetarian meals with seasonings such as blueberry-mint chutney, cilantro-lemon sauce, and pickled anaheim chiles. Chickenless Tikka Masala, Red Lentil Kofta, and the Pakora Plate are among the delicious offerings.

Happy Hour runs daily from 4:00 – 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm to close. Beverages include a selection of cocktails and mocktails that are just as popular as the vegan entrees.

Bon Appétit!

Categories
General Membership meetings

July Boosters Meeting: Learn On-Site SEO

Abdu Alhoti in his Pizza Nostra kitchen.
Abdu Alhoti in his Pizza Nostra kitchen.
Abdu Alhoti in his Pizza Nostra kitchen.
Abdu Alhoti, Pizza Nostra owner & Boosters member.

Our July general membership meeting is this week! We are going back to John Street Cafe for this meeting. If you like, you can make their delicious breakfast part of your morning.

The featured speaker will be our own web designer, Mary Ann Aschenbrenner, who will talk about five free ways you can help your company website show up on search engine results. Bring your specific questions. A one-page handout will also be available to attendees.

Please review the June meeting minutes prior to Wednesday’s meeting: General Meeting Minutes, June 15th.

Boosters general membership meeting:

When: Wednesday, July 20th at 7:15 am
Where: John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard

Join the Boosters

The Boosters have supported business owners in St. Johns for 90 years. Learn how easy it is to join.

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Events St. Johns businesses

Return the Serve Play-Day Scheduled for July 15th

Girl returning a serve at the St. Johns Racquet Center.
Learning to play tennis is part of the "education" at Portland Tennis & Education.

Portland Tennis & Education is hosting a free play-day for children and youth ages 5 – 18 on Friday, July 15th from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Return the Serve is sponsored by J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. and will include A.C.E. (academic creative engagement) games, tennis games, fun fitness, “Let’s Move It” Dance, a nutritious lunch, and lots of prizes! Location is the St. Johns Racquet Center at 7519 N Burlington Ave. and home to PT&E.

Return the Serve spots are limited

[button link=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1muKKtVawiXhn8KO-FVFROZHO18b_HpOPaGTd1q9lZL0/viewform?c=0&w=1″]Register Today[/button]

Or call 503-823-3629 to reserve a spot for your child or youth. Or email Stephanie Haas at program@PTandE.org.

Children with hula hoops at the Racquet Center.
Hula hoops are part of the fun and exercise at Portland Tennis & Education.

PT&E has a twenty-year record of success delivering services that significantly impact the lives of underserved children and their families. It is a non-profit organization that exists to strengthen and inspire families to reach their potential through the delivery of its year-around tuition-free program specifically designed for underserved children (K-12).

Child running on tennis court.
Students from James John School are part of Portland Tennis & Education at the Racquet Center.

The United States Tennis Association Foundation’s National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network ranked PT&E as a “Best in Class” program for the quality and impact of our low-cost tennis, education, and life-skills programming. PT&E is recognized as one of the top NJTL Chapters of the over 500 chapters in the country. Participants regularly receive scholarships and class honors for good behavior and academic progress.

The USTA Foundation, the national charitable organization of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), and their longtime partner and US Open sponsor, JP Morgan Chase and Co. will be awarding PT&E with $10,000 to support the organization’s efforts to continue excellence in their year-around tennis and education programming.

Categories
General Membership meetings

Social Media Expert Scheduled for Boosters’ Meeting

Two Stroke Coffee
Two Stroke Coffee interior
Two Stroke Coffee at 8926 N Lombard is the location of the June 15th Boosters’ meeting.

Come to the June 15th Boosters’ meeting to learn about using social media for branding and business growth. Guest speakers from Venture Portland, including Jacob Falkinberg, will present how to use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more. This is your chance to get your specific questions answered by an expert.

In addition, Karen Urban and Emily Stanfield will talk about Salty Teacup and the ingredients of their success.

Our general membership meeting is on Wednesday, June 15th and begins at 7:15 am. The location this month is Two Stroke Coffee, 8926 N Lombard St.

Categories
Favorite Businesses St. Johns businesses St. Johns Favorites

Salty Teacup, a St. Johns Favorite

Entrance to Salty Teacup and painted sign

“Better together,” could be the unofficial slogan for Salty Teacup. What started as two stores on separate side streets has evolved, with the combined strengths of owners Emily Stanfield and Karen Urban, into a St. Johns’ favorite.

On May 14th at the St. Johns Bizarre, the Boosters conducted a survey to find what the public believes are the favorite shops, restaurants and service professionals in our business district. Salty Teacup came away with the most votes and the win in the Shop category.

Salty Teacup’s official slogan, “Provisions for the modern life.”, is a curated mix of clothing, jewelry, gifts, cards, and art.

Karen and Emily, in their own words

Salty Teacup entrance sign, clothing, jewelry and giftsOur shop is designed to create a fun laid back, treasure-filled experience, like falling down the rabbit hole in Alice’s Wonderland. We are a bit of an escape from the everyday where modern meets eclectic and things are continually changing.

Our success is due to the loyal support of our amazing customers. We continually work to evolve our space and our product mix to meet our customer’s needs, and be responsive to changing trends and what customers are not finding at other boutiques.

This includes clothing in size ranges that are typically not well served by boutiques as well as jewelry, accessories and other objects created in house.

We love to include local artists and designers, even some that live in St Johns. Michael Barley, Francesca Bernini of Unusual Cards, The Portland Tarot, Wynn Gunter, Singing Blackbird, and Rebecca Russelle all live and create in St. Johns.

Other local Portland and Oregon based designers include:Salty Teacup welcome and interior

  • Forge + Fire
  • MapleXO
  • New Refined Basics
  • Hubris Apparel
  • Vivid Element
  • Bridge Nine Candle Co.
  • Verbena Botanicals
  • Trixie & Milo
  • Badge Bomb
  • House of Six Cats
  • Eartha Forest
  • Whimsey Chicks

Canvas mounted prints by Deanna Cantrell, also the official photographer for the St. Johns Boosters, grace the shop walls.

Still, product is not enough. No shop can be a “favorite” without excellent customer service. Meet, Tracy Weber, Sales Associate Extraordinaire.

Tracy’s kind and bubbly attitude is part of Salty Teacup’s success. She knows how to direct a customer to that perfect piece to complete an outfit or the “just right” gift for a friend. With so many products in this delightful shop, having a sales associate who knows where everything is and how to make a customer feel special is important.

We would be no where near as successful without Tracy. We definitely miss her when she is off.

Emily Stanfield
Salty Teacup owner

The best idea

Salty Teacup closeup of sweater and hatWhen asked what generated the idea of joining forces into one shop, Karen and Emily mentioned that being located on side streets made it harder for customers to find them. The opportunity to team up in one bigger space was too good to pass up.

Salty Teacup, at 8416 North Lombard, is easy to find.

One more reason Emily and Karen are better together:

We each have different strengths that together form a strong team dynamic. That, along with our amazing staff, keeps us relevant in an ever changing retail economy.

Karen Urban
Salty Teacup owner

Stop by Salty Teacup and see all it has to offer. This shop, along with the many other retailers, restaurants, coffee shops, and service professionals in our business district, is part of what makes St. Johns a thriving community.

Categories
General Membership meetings

Portland Business Alliance Networking, Another Benefit for Boosters Members

Matt Brown standing in the entrance to The Great North
Matt Brown, co-owner of The Great North, at this St. Johns' favorite coffee shop.
Matt Brown standing in the entrance to The Great North
Matt Brown, co-owner of The Great North and location of the May meeting.

On Wednesday, May 18th the St. Johns Boosters will host David Thompson, a representative of the Portland Business Alliance. David will give us the details on one of the benefits of Boosters membership … the opportunity to network at PBA events just like a PBA member!

Networking to build connections and referrals

Networking is based on the question, “How can I help?” and not, “What can I get?” It is the opportunity to establish relationships with people who you can help and who can help you.

The PBA offers multiple events each month where members meet, exchange information, socialize, and establish business relationships. While a membership in the PBA can seem expensive, membership in the St. Johns Boosters is affordable, even for a small business. Come to the May meeting to learn how you can use this member benefit.

Please note: Meeting Location Change

The May general meeting will be at a new member business, The Great North, a coffee house at 7373 N Burlington. Meeting begins at 7:15 am.

Agenda:

  • 7:15 am – Introductions
  • April minutes approval
  • Staff Reports
    • Treasurer
    • Communications and IT
    • Business District Relations
    • Events/Promotions
    • Operations
  • Old Business
  • Bylaws vote
  • Guest Speaker: Portland Business Alliance
  • Member business presentations (2)
  • New Business
  • 9:00 am – Adjourn

 

Categories
Events Favorite Businesses

Welcome to the 10th Bizarre, Another St. Johns Favorite

The Man's Shop in St. Johns, street view
The Man’s Shop has stood the test of time in St. Johns. Opened in 1940, the business is still a favorite and still family owned.

St. Johns is full of favorites … favorite restaurants, shops, and events.

The St Johns Bizarre is another addition to our list of favorites. Held each year on the same day as the St. Johns Parade, the Bizarre attracts visitors from across the City of Portland who come to enjoy the St. Johns’ vibe, our local artists and musicians, shops and restaurants.

This year the Parade and Bizarre will be Saturday, May 14th. Lombard street through the St. Johns downtown will be closed to vehicle traffic in order to accommodate the booths and vendors, the bands and the beer garden. Come out and enjoy!

We need your vote

While you are here, please stop by the Boosters’ booth at the St. Johns Bizarre. We will be in the US Bank parking lot on the Lombard side. We need your votes for favorite service professional, shop, restaurant, or bar. The businesses with the most votes will get a little extra publicity on our website and accolades in the press. They will appreciate your support.

Speaking of favorites, at the January volunteer appreciation event in St. Johns, the Boosters ran a poll with the question, “What is your favorite shop, restaurant, or service professional in St. Johns? While the voting was close, the winner is The Man’s Shop.

Ben and Jean Leveton opened The Man’s Shop in 1940 with the commitment to carry quality men’s clothing. Seventy-five years later the shop is still going strong. Learn more about The Man’s Shop here: Link to Webpage.

Categories
National Small Business Week St. Johns businesses

St. Johns Celebrates Small

Salty Teacup owners at their downtown St. Johns shop

Every year since 1963 the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week to recognize the contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

More than half of all Americans work for a small business, and small businesses create two out of three new jobs in the U.S. each year.

National Small Business Week May 1 – 7

We are right in the middle of 2016’s small business week and taking the opportunity to support and promote the many small business that make St. Johns a great place to live, shop, and play! All week we are sharing photos of our business owners on the St. Johns Boosters Instagram account along with some of the many reasons to shop the small businesses in St. Johns.

Reasons to Shop St. Johns

  • Small businesses donate to local causes two-times more than national chains.
  • 70% of every dollar you spend at a small business stays in the local economy.
  • 97% of Oregon’s employers are small businesses.

In the St. Johns business district there are over 200 small businesses that support our economy, employee our residents, and make our neighborhood a better place to live, shop, and play.

St. Johns Celebrates Small

Enjoy these images of some of our many small business owners, then get out there and join us in celebrating National Small Business Week.

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Categories
Crime Prevention

Crime Prevention Tips from NERT

Always report all crime!

Thank those who came out after work in the rain to the Crime Prevention Meeting, sponsored by the St. Johns Boosters Business Association on April 12th. Mark Wells, City of Portland’s Community Organizing Specialist and our NERT (Neighborhood Emergency Response Team) officer Michael Schmerber shared a lot of good information regarding our local crime and setting up a Business Watch program.

The one thing that stood out was the need to report all crime!

In an emergency always call 911.

Otherwise you should report to either:

We will have some magnets and literature at our general meeting on April 20th.

Our General Membership meeting will be held this coming Wednesday morning, 7:15 am, at Johns Street Cafe. Rather than a guest speaker this week, we will have the opportunity to listen to one or two of our members talk about their businesses. We will also introduce a draft revision of the bylaws for discussion.

Location: John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard

Agenda: 

  • 7:15 am – Introductions
  • March meeting minutes approval
  • Staff Reports
    • Treasurer
    • Communications and IT
    • Business District Relations
    • Events/Promotions
    • Operations
  • Old Business
  • Bylaws – introduction of draft revisions and discussion
  • New Business
  • 9:00 am – Adjourn

Not a member?

Check our website for the 2016 Membership Application. Print it out and bring it to the April meeting or drop it off in advance with Mike Johnson at St. Johns Ace Hardware. (There are also copies of the application available at St. Johns Ace.)

We look forward to seeing you.