Restaurants and Retail
Brand Sherpas
On the trail with a new generation of outdoor adventurers: An Oregon Business report on “microinfluencers,” the commercialization of the outdoors and the refashioning of outdoor brands as guardians of the natural environment.
Joseph and Redmond bet on historic hotels
The Main Street charm of walkable small-and medium-size downtowns has investors in search of faded lodgings they can repurpose for modern guests.
Jewelry stores try to hold onto the sparkle
The jewelry store closure rate of 4% clocked in at an all-time high in 2017. Oregon retailers didn’t buck the trend.
Cyberpunk author Neal Stephenson predicted the future of retail: Less stuff, plenty of food and coding
Neal Stephenson is a prescient guy. In Snow Crash, his hugely popular novel published in 1992, the Seattle cyberfiction writer described an America of the future that excelled at four things: coding, music, movies and high-speed delivery pizza. Twenty-five years later, Stephenson’s list is as good a summary as any of the changes roiling America’s retail landscape. … Read more
The changing face of the Marriott hotel lobby
Eveything old is new. Once a vibrant public space that welcomed all manner of people, the hotel lobby for much of the past century served as a private, single-use waiting area for guests. As hotel brands today try to win over Airbnb-obsessed millennials, the lobby is once again becoming a vibrant gathering place for patrons and … Read more
Food politics: Part II
The conversation about food has shifted from farm-to-table to identity politics and income inequality.
Proposed casino project to split revenue among Oregon tribes
One week after the opening of the $500 million Ilani Casino in Ridgefield, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians announced plans to build Oregon’s first inter-tribal gaming and entertainment facility.