It's been about 18 months since a small little seed was planted and I started dreaming of having our own warehouse to accommodate our growing food buying activities. That dream is still alive and well and has been growing and taking root in my mind. Last April, I applied (unsuccessfully) for a commercial location just a block from our home, pretty much right at the same time I found out I was pregnant. I took the denial of the application as a sign that I should rest and not overdo it while expecting our 3rd child. But now that the little man is already 2 months old, I feel ready to take on the project of finding Portland Green Parenting a commercial location once again. Thanks to a tip from a friend, I have found an amazing 5,670 sq ft space in the Brooklyn neighborhood, and am in the process of going through the permitting process to change the occupancy classification to something that will accommodate all of PGP's varied needs.

Tell me more about the space!

The space is located in the Brooklyn neighborhood, which is a bit of an under served area, but a nice working class neighborhood with lots of families. The space used to be a bakery for thirty years, but most recently it was an interior decorating store that sold window treatments and flooring and went under when the housing market crashed. The space is centrally located close to Ross Island Bridge and freeways, has lots of street parking, and is across the street from Brooklyn Park. There is a theater, a tavern and a bookstore within a couple of blocks. It has a 860 sq ft store front retail space, some offices, a large indoor courtyard, a small kitchen, and a large warehouse with a roll-up door in the back. There is also a huge walk-in cooler available. The rent is appx $1/sq ft for the front retail and office spaces, and $.50/sq ft for the warehouse, although I hope to negotiate reduced rent for the first year.

Why is this space perfect for Portland Green Parenting?

My dream is for PGP to be an active, thriving community hub where families can get together to share resources, make friends, and combat the isolation that is so common when you become a parent or just in the city in general. PGP was formed with the vision of having like minded parents of young children come together to grow, learn, have fun and support each other around the theme of creating “greener,” more sustainable lives (with just a little bit of peer pressure mixed in to help us achieve our goals). The idea was to foster an environment where members can inspire and learn from other families on a similar journey, build lasting friendships for themselves and their kids, and cultivate a stronger, more vibrant local community. PGP seeks to do this by offering a home for many different Family and Earth friendly products and services, such as:

• Know Thy Food – a food cooperative through which families can source organic, local and sustainably grown food while sticking to a budget
• Children's Resale Shop – a consignment shop for used children’s clothing and toys
• Indoor "Courtyard Café" – a cafe/community room that will house a playspace, offer a snack bar with sandwiches, smoothies and coffee for sale, and host a variety of special events (puppet shows, story time, mommy and me yoga, support groups, workshops and classes, farm dinners and lots more)
• Office space for family oriented professional services
• Community kitchen for canning parties and other food related workshops

This sounds great! How can I get involved?

The easy way to get involved is to become a member and shop with us! PGP is offering memberships on a "Pay What you Can" basis in 2010 in order to be accessible to all. The membership gives you access to our private online forums, social calendar and food buying group, and once we secure our commercial location, you will have access to lots of Family and Earth friendly activities and a space to hang out at and connect with friends and like-minded families. We will be looking for professional service providers, instructors and facilitators for things like massage, acupuncture, yoga, children's music and movement, support groups, and more. We will need lots of help connecting with local farmers and producers in order to keep up with growing demand for fresh, seasonal produce, meats and eggs. We intend to host monthly Farm Dinners and invite guest speakers. We will have classes and workshops on topics of interest. Current members have already expressed interest in tool and toy lending libraries... in short, there are many ways to get involved and help PGP manifest as a welcoming and supportive community hub!

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I hope to welcome you to PGP soon!