“It is my utmost hope we all can navigate these times with a listening ear searching for understanding and receiving with compassion. ”
Martin Rasmussen
I wrote this last November “2020 has been rough. November, rougher. My heart broke last week when two of my favorite businesses closed….PERMANENTLY. This on top of the restaurants and other shops that closed before the current freeze. This has been hard on all of us in various ways. ” Now in 2021 we’re seeing companies rally, transitions to online sales while venturing into ecommerce. Communities are coming together! There are still some great ways to support each other, locally. We didn’t know last year what 2021 would look like. Now on this first day of Fall, with a few months left, we can be compassionate, optimistic and support each other into 2022. Here are some things that are still providing support for local businesses.
Bright Spots
Buying & Selling – and Supporting Local! Here’s how
The BUILT MARKETPLACE is incredible. It is designed to help consumer goods companies grow through the holidays and to help us as consumers buy local and help support our local economies. More importantly, the Built Marketplace is for the long term and Mitch shared that the focus is well beyond 2020, the goal is to help businesses as much as possible into 2021 and beyond. Take a look, and if you have products, you can easily register on Built Oregon Marketplace We can easily shop local on the Built Oregon Marketplace which includes My People’s Market! Diverse Marketplace of Multi-Culture Makers!
The Built Festival is coming up at the Redd! Safely, in person! Built Oregon supports businesses. This includes: the PIE Incubator, and the surveys they’ve done about how covid and the fires have affected businesses. This data is to help show the need we have in our state for businesses that are going through a very rough year. Built Oregon is providing one of the awesome business support systems that Oregon is blessed to have! We can use the help! They support all businesses and are actively inclusive. There’s so much here for the greater good for Oregon’s makers and consumer goods companies!
The Gallery Go Go in Pioneer Place is trying to save downtown by supporting local artists in an amazing space! Azure of Project Portland is doing great work here.
Local gift boxes are available from With Love From PDX
Help for local Bookstores:
Love books? We can still support local independent bookstores. One way to do that online is by choosing bookstores to shop from here on the Mighty Epiphyte affiliate link Bookshop.org * Buy books online, locally while bookshop.org give $$ back to bookshops across the US (and you can shop UK and Spain!)
SBDC programs and advising
Small Business Development Centers, SBDC’s around the state have programs for businesses. They also have no cost business advising. I work part time for the SBDC in Portland and see how companies are being helped by the the advising teams and Capital Access team which works through downturns, recessions and now, a pandemic.
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
Japanese Proverb
Benefit Corporations for Good
Fundraiser to help businesses throughout Oregon
Portland has some amazing organizations that are rallying to help. This represents just a glimpse. Social media is one of the places I seek and find what’s current and share from @mightyepiphyte
I wish you better times. Be well. Thank you
Kim Allchurch Flick is the Founder and Impact Consultant Mighty Epiphyte Consulting | mightyepiphyte@gmail.com | @mightyepiphyte *Bookshop.org is a client
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