December 31, 2008
Page A2
Supporters Rescue Local Bookstore
continued
from Front
year, said Katie C arter, the store's
program manager. Things were fine,
until the econom y threw the store
another curve ball
Like many bookstores. In O ther
W ords periodically takes out a line of
credit to keep its inventory up and
custom ers satisfied, explained Carter.
She said the store recently had an
$ 11,000 loan out to keep its inventory
of Portland State University textbooks
stocked. Holiday sales were supposed
to erase the debt, but they were un­
usually slow this year and didn't cover
the cost.
"The loan was the thing that made
it a financial crises," said Carter.
A ccording to Rebecca Luxenberg,
defaulting on the loan would have
hurt the store's credit, jeopardizing its
ability to get future credit. It would
have also caused the store to discon­
tinue its PSU textbook program, which
provides roughly half of its sales rev­
enue, said Carter. These two factors
would have rocked the store finan­
cially, and forced it to close its doors,
said Luxenberg.
There been news of non-profits
folding due to lack o f funds, but In
O ther W ords isn’t one o f them.
"It hasn't been an option in my
mind to quit," said Carter, who put out
photo by J ake T homas /T he P ortland
O bserver
Northeast Killingsworth Street off North Williams Avenue is the home o f In Other Words Women's Books and
Resources, a non-profit community institution promoting a diversity o f feminist perspectives.
an appeal to its patrons to help erase
its debt. The store had a series of
benefits and fundraisers, and got
checks and calls from around the coun­
try. Three days before Christm as, the
store had raised $13,000, more than
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enough to cover its debt.
"I think it's because w e're more
than just a bookstore," said C arter of
Oldest Man Dead at 112
George Francis, 112, is handed, a newspa­
per reporting Barack Obama s election. He
was the nation's oldest man who lived
through two world wars, man's first, walk on
the moon and got to vote for the country's
first black president. Francis died Saturday
o f congestive heart failure at a nursing
home In Sacramento.
O regon's low est-paid workers will get
some help in making ends meet starting on
New Year's Day, when a 45-cent hike in the
state's minimum wage takes effect.
O regon's minimum wage, adjusted an­
nually to reflect increases in the cost of
living, will rise from $7.95 to $8.40 per hour.
That translates into an extra $936 a year
for a family with one full-tim e minimum
w age w o rk er, a c c o rd in g to M ichael
Leachman, policy analyst with the Oregon
Center for Public Policy.
"It's an econom ic stim ulus for working
families and Oregon," said Leachman. "It
puts money into the hands o f the people
who are most likely to spend it, spend it
quickly and spend it here in Oregon."
"Tying the minimum wage to inflation
has been good for Oregon, preventing the
low est-paid workers from falling too far
behind," said Leachman, adding that the
industries that com ­
p la in e d the m ost
about the voter ap­
proved law , have
done well since the
m easure's passage
in2OO2.
"Keep Alive The Dream "
Tribute to: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
W H EN ? Monday January 19,2009
11:00 A.M. - 6:30 P.M.
W H ERE? Highland Christian Center
7600 N.E. Glisan, Portland, Oregon
Appearances by: City, State and National Dignitaries, Legendary "Beyons", Oz and Company,
University o f Oregon Gospel Choir, Jefferson Dancers, Derrick Duffy and Chosen Generation,
“No Kidding Choir”, Michelle Lang and Still Water, Gospel Music Workshop o f Oregon/Vancouver Chapters,
Royalty, Linda Hombuckle & Janice Scroggins, various schools and community groups.
He cited data on the restaurant indus­
try, one with a relatively large share of
minimum wage workers. O f all industries,
it was O regon's biggest jo b creator - pro­
ducing nearly 21,000 jobs - during the
econom ic cycle that lasted from N ovem ­
ber 2000 to February 2008, according to
Leachman.
Those num bers, he said, refute claim s
that the law would lead to substantial job
losses.
Recently, the Oregon Restaurant A s­
sociation said that it will push the 2009
Legislature "to remove the annual index­
ing from the minimum wage," claiming that
the change is needed to create jobs.
"The restaurant industry was wrong in
2002 and is wrong today," Leachman re­
sponded. "The cause o f rising unem ploy­
ment is the recession, not the minimum
wage. U nderm ining the floor that prevents
workers from falling deeper into poverty
would only worsen our econom ic woes."
W ith the New Year's cost-of-living ad­
justm ent, an Oregon full-tim e minimum
wage w orker will earn $ 17,472 next year.
That's below the federal poverty line for a
family o f three.
Sm oke F ree C o u n td o w n
continued
This event will feature artistic expressions of music, dance, psalm
inspirational speaking and politically motivating speeches.
i
why people were so quick to rally to
the store's cause."
She explained that the bookstore is
the only feminist non-profit bookstore
in the city and has been around since
1993, first located in the Southeast
Hawthorne district. Filling this unique
niche has caused it to become more of
a com m unity space where people can
take workshops, health classes, see
films, and attend discussions among
other events. Because o f its distinct
role people don’t want to see it fail,
said Carter.
However, In O ther W ords isn't in
the clear yet. It still has a $ 10,000 loan
it needs to payoff by March.
"I'm extrem ely optim istic about
that," said C arter o f the loan, which
already has a $2,000 dent in it from
donations to payoff the previous loan.
C arter said that the biggest ob­
stacle at this point is to becom e sus­
tainable so that it doesn't have to
periodically address sim ilar crises in
the future. The store has set up a
m onthly sustainer program , where
people can make regular contribu­
tions. It's also applied for grants, and
restructured its inventory to reflect
current buying trends.
"They're the reason we're here,"
said C arter of the stores patrons, who
hopes that they will help keep them
afloat another 15 years.
f rom Front
ing violations, beginning Jan. 1,
by calling 1-866-621-6107orcom-
pleting an online complaint form
at healthoregon.org/smokefree.
The Oregon Public Health Di­
vision will investigate complaints
and give citations to business
owners who are unwilling tocom-
ply with the law.
The law provides an incentive
for people who smoke to quit. A
smokefree workplace is a proven
way to help people go smokefree
for good. Oregon’s Quit Line is a
free service available to all Orego­
nians at 1 -800-QUIT-NOW or 1 -
877-2NO-FUME.
Also, many private health in­
surance plans cover smoking ces­
sation support, a proven method
to make attempts to quit more
successful.
Oregon Bottle Bill Expands
Special Features: Life Time Achievement Awards Ceremony, Dreamers Village Bazaar
continued
Live Program /Radio Broadcast: KBOO [90.7 FM)
Broadcast/tape delayed on Portland Community Media [channel 11) 1:00 8.00PM
and on Television Services [PPS channel 28) 3:00 - 10:00PM
^k
from Front
ers of the same brand and size
that they sell.
Donation: $5,00 OR 5 cans of non-pcrishablc food.
CHANGE? Yes we can!
IN SPIRED BY TH E
P U R SU IT OF P R O G R ESS
All retail stores can also limit
how many containers can be re­
deemed per person per day. The
law says customers may be limited
toamaximumof 144 containers per
person per day at the large 5,000
square feet or more stores and 50
containers per person, per day at
stores that are smaller.
The Oregon Liquor Control
Commission has set up a tempo­
rary phone line dedicated to an­
swer questions about the bottle
bill expansion.
Consumers and retailers can
call 1-888-426-2009. Youcanalso
visit the O LCC’s web site at
Oregon. go v/OLCC.
Subscribe 1 503-288-°033
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