Restaurants and Retail
Store Bought
Market of Choice is on a tear. In 2012 the 35-year-old Eugene-based grocery chain opened a central kitchen/distribution center in its hometown. The market opened a third Portland store in the Cedar Mill neighborhood this year; a Bend outpost broke ground in March. A fourth Portland location is slated for the inner southeast “LOCA” development, a mixed-use project featuring condos and retail. Revenues in 2014 were $175 million, a double-digit increase over 2013. CEO Rick Wright discusses growth, market trends and how he keeps new “foodie” grocery clerks happy.
Destination Resorts 2.0
As the recession recedes and tourism grows, Central Oregon resorts redefine themselves for a new generation.
Beyond Bodegas
BY JACOB PALMER
Five years in the making, the Portland Mercado — the city’s first Latino public market — will celebrate its grand opening April 11. A $3.5 million public-private partnership spearheaded by Hacienda CDC, the market will house 15 to 20 businesses in the food, retail and service sectors. It has some big-name funders, including the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and JPMorgan Chase. The project goals are equally ambitious: to improve cross-cultural understanding, alleviate poverty and spur community economic development.
Help Wanted: Poached Jobs aids restaurateurs
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
“We thought there was room for something new.”
Convention Wisdom
BY KIM MOORE
After more than a decade of wrangling, construction on a convention center hotel in Portland is slated to start this summer. But debate over project financing continues.
Launch
BY JESSICA RIDGWAY
October’s Launch article features Soul Kitchen, Easy Company and Slick’s Big Time BBQ.
Gone Fishing
BY LORI TOBIAS
Business has been good to Laura Anderson, leading some to suggest she must be awfully lucky to find such success in a business notorious for failure. But luck’s had little to do with it.
A Recipe for Success
Two businesswomen, two iconic food brands and one food-obsessed city.