December 22. 2004
æ,!‘‘IJnrthuth (OhsrruiT
Last Thursday on TUbgrta
continued
from A d
“People were afraid lo come Io
Alberta. They would ask, ‘Will we
get shot?’ So we went lo the televi
sion stations and put out the word
that we were doing something posi
tive up here," she said.
Interest in Last Thursday grew
as more and more galleries and
shops opened on the street. In 1998,
two significant events occurred to
bolster pride from the entire com
munity, not just art-related busi
n e sse s. T he c ity b e g a n a
Streetscape Plan to refurbish the
entire thoroughfare and on May 12,
1998 the first com m unity-w ide
Alberta Street Fair was held.
M eanwhile, as local property
values skyrocketed, realtors and
property management firms began
advertising listings in the "Alberta
Arts District,” and more and more
young fam ilies and first-tim e
homeowners moved into the neigh
borhood.
A lm ost overnight, com m ercial
sp a c e s th a t h ad b ee n w o rth
$20,000 or $40,000 w ere worth
hundreds o f thousands o f d o l
lars. The ow ners had to cope with
new zoning regulations. B uild
ings that w ere previously zoned
“ light ind u strial" had to m eet
earthquake safety standards be
fore they could be used for res
taurants, residences and retail
sh o p s.
The upgrades could cost as
much as the price o f the property
itself. T o recoup expenses, the
businesses had to raise prices
and attract business from o u t
side the neighborhood.
“Last T hursday was w onder
fu l fo r th e s e b u s in e s s e s ! ”
G uardino said. "They knew that
every month anyw here from 1 .(MX)
to 3,000 people w ould be com ing
to A lberta Street, and they could
m ake enough m oney in that one
night to co v er their operating
ex p en ses.”
PageA5
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ON
Donna Guardino and her husband Sal show o ff a display at Guardino Gallery on Northeast Alberta
Street. Donna played a large hand in establishing Last Thursday, the monthly art walks that draw
crowds to the northeast neighborhood.
R eggie Petry, ow ner and o p
erator o f the A lberta Arts Pavil
ion, 2315 N.E. A lberta, feels the
new ly created business com m u
nity needs to do a better jo b of
reaching out to the original co m
munity.
“Hire people from the neighbor
hood. They will spend money in the
neighborhood. There are always
people hanging out in front of the
coffee shop," he said, referring to
the Star E Rose, 2403 N.E. Alberta.
"They want to work. Hire them to
do odd jobs. T hat’s what I do, and
I encourage other people to do it
too.”
His storefront, painted bright
blue with the American Hag prom i
nently displayed, occupies a rect
angular concrete building that once
served as a meat packer and an auto
detailing shop.
Petry moved his business there
in the late ‘90s because zoning regu
lations made it difficult for him to
run the business out of his home.
Originally focusing on African-
American artists and their work,
economic pressures forced him to
broaden the gallery’s focus to in
clude all artists o f color.
As well as being a venue where
artists can display their work, Petry
began a venture known as the Port
land Community Market. It gives
I entered a building that had
a large event room, classically
restored, on the first floor.
Upstairs, a man gave an
entertaining slide lecture on
the Second Law of
Thermodynamics.
-MarthaS. Fletcher
TriMet Called on Double Standard
“W e’re offering kind o f a hyper
se rv ic e b ecau se th e re ’s m ore
people that work on Martin Luther
King Jr. Day than on a typical
h o lid a y ,” s a id M ary F e tc h ,
spokesw om an for T riM et. “Be
cause ridership is higher on that
e x t. 84
www.theReverseMortgageQueen.info
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural
al
Center, 5340 N. Interstate Ave., is hold d-
ing a Kwanzaa celebration on Friday,
Dec. 31 to recognize the African-Ameri
can harvest with workshops, storytell
ers, drumming and a community din
ner.
The event will begin with children
makinggifts with the Les Femmes Debu
tantes from 10a.m. tomx»n. Storytelling
with LaVem e Green is from noon to I
p.m. Drumming with Habiba Addo
Hakim, M ohammed and O. B. Addy is
from I to 2 p .m .L a ter,fro m 2 to 3 p .m .,
Joyce Harris Kamau Sadiki and Art
Alexander will have a presentation on
the history o f Kwanzaa and the pour
ing o f libation. A reception by Les
Femmes is from 3 to4 p.m., followed by
the Karamu Feast.
In addition, the IFCC currently is
showing a Kwanzaa art exhibit featur
ing Portland African-American artists photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Silas Clark, C. Terrance Burton, Sharon LaVerne Green volunteers for Kwanzaa storytelling at the
Duracy, Mafu Ahmed and Roslyn Hill. Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center.
from Front
1-1888) 2 0 8 -7 9 4 5
W e b site:
Kwanzaa at Interstate Firehouse
continued
FREE recorded Hotline:
T O L L -F R E E : 1-1877) 7 2 3 -3 8 2 8 ext. 116
from A 4
ing microbrew beer in their homey
back room.
After appreciating plentiful wine
tables, I stopped at The Know, a
gallery and theater. While the art
was unremarkable, the atmosphere
was friendly. In the theater area, a
political documentary was playing;
in the main room, people o f ail ages
mingled. Next I went to Onda Arte
Latina, 2 2 15 N.E. Alberta, agallery
and shop that showcases the art
and handicraft of women from Latin
American countries.
Next door was Alberta’s newest
more information or
seminar dates.
For more information on this exciting new
government program, call me directly at:
local entrepreneurs o f all types a
place to promote their businesses,
no matter how large or small.
“We have people here who sell
food. We had a guy who restored
old electric toasters and sold them.
W e’ve even had people set up
booths to sell insurance,” he said.
Petry’s goal is to provide an ex
ample o f a minority-owned busi
ness and stim ulate the m icro
economy of the immediate area by
hiring and buying in the neighbor
hood, while encouraging others to
do the same.
Petry also rents out his pavilion
for special events.
day, m aybe they w ork on that
d a y , m a y b e th e ir e m p lo y e r
d o esn 't recognize M arlin Luther
King Day, we d o n ’t believe we
should leave those people w ith
out a transit option."
She said TriMet operates al ap
proximately 75 percent of capacity
on King Day versus a normal week-
day.
“W e’re very proud of the fact
that it started on a bus. I think more
transit service is appropriate on
Martin Luther King Day. Taking
service away doesn't seem to be in
the spirit of Martin Luther King
Day. We want fairness. We want
access," Fetch said.
A LB E R T A
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Cheddar, Egg & Salsa Crumpet Sandwich With Fresh Fruit
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Half Order Ham Benedict
Two Eggs Any Style, 2 Maple Sausages & Yukon Potatoes
* * * Heisers Also Provides Catering,
Food To Go & Boxed Lunches
Observations from the art walk
continued
Call me TODAY for
C A N N O N 'S
fine dining restaurant. Ciao Vita,
2203 N.E. Alberta, w hich occupies
the former Chez What Cafe space.
I noticed the couples I’d seen at
Everyday Wine, eating dinner un
derneath a miniature crystal chan
delier. Behind the restaurant and
the gallery, several businesses
have recently opened around a
newly constructed courtyard space.
Among them was Tribe of the
Winds, 2217 N.E. Alberta, which is
not so much a gallery as it is a store
where indigenous handicrafts and
artifacts from around the world are
collected and sold.
- = = RJB EXPRESS
(FORMERLYCHUCK HINTON’S)
Catering & Take-Out
O ur S pecialty :
R eal H ickory S moked B ar -B-Q
• Sandwiches • Salads
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HOURS:
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CATERING ALL EVENTS
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Call 5(1-288-1)033
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Sunday
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T uesday
Wed-Thurs.
Fri. & Sat.
11 am - 8 pm
11 am -9 pm
closed
11 am - 9 pm
11 am - 1 0 pm
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Watch for more
coming dates
Lets Do it again!
DJ Chata Man
Friday, D ecem ber 2 4 th
Kenney Polson
$ 3 Cover
Sunday, December 26th - No Cover