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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2017)
November 2017 BUSINESS THE COUNTRY STORE (Continued from Page 4) ness fair and the weekly Hillsdale Farmer’s Market also take place but Hillsdale wants to find other reasons for customers to come and stay. As for holiday time, the busi- ness association hasn’t had holiday themed event for quite some time. No Santa, no holiday lights, no events. “The community didn’t support it unlike Multnomah Village,” Baack said. Multnomah Village holds its an- nual Multnomah Days each August, a holiday gala the first weekend of December, and trick or-treating on Halloween. These and First Fridays seem to cement Multnomah Village as a destination place with traditions. Mike Roach, co-chair of the Hills- dale business association, said Hill- sdale tried for about a year to hold a Third Thursday. It was suspended the following winter and the busi- ness members could not generate the energy to start it again in the spring. “We just did not have enough re- tailers or restaurants in Hillsdale to make a go of it,” Roach said. “It should be noted, as well, that Hillsdale began its blueberry pan- cake breakfast 41 years ago when very few business districts had an- nual events. Even Multnomah Days had not happened for a number of years until it was resumed in the 1980’s after many years of not hold- ing one.” Jill Crecraft, owner of Sip D’Vine, attends the Hillsdale meetings. She recounted how long it took Multnomah to succeed with their First Friday event. “It took a lot of work and time,” Crecraft said. “We had to have buy-in from business members.” Merchants incur a variety of extra costs such as discounts, keeping employees later, and providing wine and cheese and other delicacies. “We have our Sunday Farmers Market,” Roach said. “It continues to thrive and it will make for a vibrant business district of which we can be proud.” Food Front grocery store director shares insights Food Front Cooperative Grocery in Hillsdale has had a new store direc- tor for eight months. Grace Morgan took over the reins this past Febru- ary from the previous manager, John Conlan. “I’ve been with the co-op since 2013,” Morgan said. “I was the meat and seafood manager for the Hills- dale store and our other location in Northwest Portland.” Morgan has been a veteran of natural grocery stores since 2004. She said that there are no new plans for the Hillsdale store in the near future. “Right now we are focusing as a company on stabilizing sales at both locations,” Morgan said. “We have Golden Ticket 2017 ec 31 hru D v 16 t No Your Ticket to Local Holiday Savings Special Thanks to Our Gold Sponsors Shop Local, Think Local, Be Local Support Multnomah Village & Hillsdale Businesses The Southwest Portland Post • 5 had a lot of turnover in the past year in upper management. In one year alone, the store went through four general manag- ers alone. “We were also re- covering from the strong hit in sales after the opening of a New Seasons market just five blocks away from the Northwest location.” Morgan said that the company is focus- ing on being a strong community-involved organization to dis- tingush itself from the competition. Hillsdale Food Front has been open just shy of a decade but the original Food Front has been open Grace Morgan is store director of Food Front Grocery Co-op for 45 years. Accord- in Hillsdale. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand) ing to Morgan, it was the first co-op in Portland. Farms, Hawley Ranch, and Wilder “Although anyone can shop at our Land & Sea. stores, most of our sales are com- Morgan is also a journeyman prised of people who hold a share butcher, and has occasionally held and ‘own’ part of the co-op.” private community workshops Morgan said that she has a huge in everything from whole carcass passion for locally sourced food and breakdown, at-home butchery, and has been heavily involved in helping sausage making. many local ranchers get their busi- Food Front is located at 6344 SW nesses up and running and into the Capitol Highway in the Hillsdale Shop- Portland market. Some of the ranches ping Center. The co-op is open daily from she mentioned include Lan-Roc 8 a.m.to 9 p.m.
