Category: New Business

New Business

B2T Boxing Gym Opens at NE 80th and Burnside

B2T Boxing Gym opened on April 1st at the corner of East Burnside Street and NE 80th Avenue, providing a new fitness resource to a neighborhood that recently lost 24 Hour Fitness and Cascade Athletic Clubs. Owners Bryan Sanchez and JC Wade are rebuilding the community scattered by an August 2019 fire that closed the Grand Avenue Boxing Club. Now, around 30 members work out in this new location from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, training for matches or meeting their personal fitness goals.

A boxing coach observing a young male boxer practicing punches while surrounded by boxing-themed posters and memorabilia on the walls.
JC Wade providing instruction to gym member

For 19 years, the Grand Avenue Boxing Club stood behind the building now housing The People’s Courts facility on NE 82nd Avenue. A brush fire that started in the fields now owned by Bird Alliance of Oregon spread to a car lot and a decommissioned poolhouse structure around the gym, causing damage that later prompted the demolition of the boxing club’s building. The gym – with roots dating back to 1949 – closed, leaving a void for the adults and youth who gravitated to the space for physical activity and camaraderie. “We had nowhere to train, so we were setting up boxing bags at the park and doing it old school. A lot of us spread out, but a couple of us stayed together and merged into MMA (mixed martial arts) gyms,” recalled Sanchez. However, he wanted to recreate the pure boxing gym experience that his community built within the Grand Avenue Boxing Club.

An aerial view of a boxing ring in a gym, featuring black and red padding, surrounded by chairs for spectators, with workout equipment visible in the background.
Sparring ring

JC Wade was a coach at the boxing club and brings a sense of continuity to the new B2T (Bottom-2-Top) Boxing Gym. Members pay $150 a month for access to an assortment of punching bags, double end bags, speed bags, and a sparring ring. They also have some standard workout equipment, including jump ropes, a classic training tool for boxing that improves footwork and rhythm. Members also receive guidance and direction from staff. “There’s always a coach here to work you out if you want it, or you can do your own thing. But we’re always here to show you how to use all the equipment,” said Sanchez. They are also building a lounge area with a kitchenette space and tables away from the main training room. “If you come in early and want to do some homework, this is the area,” explained Sanchez, who envisions people spending significant time in this place and bringing their family.

Interior view of B2T Boxing Gym showing various workout equipment including dumbbells, kettlebells, a weight bench, and training tools on a concrete floor.

Bryan Sanchez, now 33, says he has boxed since age 16, winning Oregon Golden Gloves three years in a row and competing in 50 fights. He sees it as an excellent sport for people of all ages, working with kids 5 years old up to older adults. “Nothing beats a good boxing workout. It’s not just physical, but mentally and spiritually [engaging],” explained Sanchez. He wants to make the space welcoming to all people, regardless of their goals, skills, or background; “people wanting to lose weight or people wanting to compete, even if you just want to come hang out to be around the environment and get out of your house, it’s a little bit of everything.”

Neon sign displaying 'B2T Boxing' in red against a reflective window, with a security warning sticker visible.

People using the gym do not need to focus only on training for matches but can instead hone their capabilities and build confidence by knowing how to use their bodies in the sport. “Mentally, I like the discipline that martial arts gives you, especially boxing. You make better choices. It gives you confidence to walk away from conflicts,” said Sanchez. He says for a young person facing bullying, it helped him know his strength without the need to show off to others. It also taught him respect for the outcomes of his actions. “Boxing will teach you to be humble and that you don’t always have to be the aggressor.” He thinks that is why it is so important to teach young people early, giving them a channel for their energy and an understanding of what their actions can do to others. The gym’s mixed-age environment helps all members see examples of what they can build towards. Kids will start with shadow boxing, hitting mitts, jump ropes, and ladder drills where they can perfect foot movement.

Three people training with various punching bags in a boxing gym, decorated with international flags and boxing posters.

People interested in seeing B2T Boxing Gym in operation are welcome to stop by. Sanchez explained that adjusting to people watching you while working out is critical to a boxer’s performance. “You’re supposed to get used to spectators; it’s not just all physical in the gym; you gotta get used to being around people and still being able to perform.” One of his favorite features of the metal-clad building is the two rollup garage doors looking onto the 70s Neighborhood Greenway running along 80th Avenue. He anticipates members running around the block or up Mt Tabor between sessions on the heavy bag, connecting the fitness location with the Montavilla neighborhood.

Two men posing inside a boxing gym, standing in front of a boxing ring with equipment marked 'TITLE BOXING.' One man wears a gray hoodie and red pants, while the other wears a black shirt and cap.
Bryan Sanchez (left) and JC Wade (right) in the sparring ring

Sanchez is excited to open in this location, having grown up in the neighborhood and still living in the East Portland area. He hopes the gym at 7935 E Burnside Street will become part of the community, serving people of all ages and drawing in all those who lost the camaraderie of the Grand Avenue Boxing Club. B2T Boxing Gym has space for new members, and they are continually adding to the location’s amenities to meet the growing needs of gym users. They encourage people to follow the company’s Instagram account for information about activities planned at the gym and opportunities to connect with this fitness resource.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant

Tréla Greek Brunch Weekends

Tréla Greek Kitchen opened at 6000 NE Glisan Street on December 16th, 2024, and introduced weekend brunch service the following March. By summer, the restaurant owner’s parents will open Yiayia’s Greek Sweets shop in an adjacent space, serving the dessert items made for Tréla, along with Greek beverages and soft-serve ice cream. Since opening, people have flocked to the casual fine dining restaurant’s dinner service, in part due to built-up demand and generational Greek food traditions expressed with a mix of imported and local ingredients.

People first learned about Tréla in 2023 with a fundraising campaign and some early reporting. The group received substantial praise for the concept, with its proximity to the Greek Orthodox church 30 blocks west on NE Glisan Street and its revival of a cuisine disappearing from the Portland restaurant landscape. “One of the reasons there’s not a lot of Greek restaurants right now is because my father’s generation had restaurants, and none of the kids wanted to take over. So once they retired, they just shut down one by one,” explained Tréla owner Napoleon Tzakis. Although Tréla is new, its origin comes from the experience of family-run restaurant culture, with Napoleon’s parents having a long history of feeding the public. Now, their children have this new space, with Anthony Tzakis running the kitchen, Katerina Tzakis overseeing the front-of-house operations, and Napoleon leading the group. The road to opening this next generation of Tzakis-run restaurants started with working alongside their parents, but launching their own place took years of hands-on work and a supportive property owner.

Left to right: Anthony Tzakis, Katerina Tzakis, Napoleon Tzakis, Helen Tzakis, and Denny Tzakis

Napoleon Tzakis recalled signing the lease in November of 2019, with hopes to open in a reasonable timeframe dashed by the pandemic. The building needed substantial work to convert the location from decades of bar operations into the warm dining space that the team envisioned. The building owners took on initial updates as part of the lease agreement. However, the property management is out of state, and that caused delays in renovating the space. By the time they could step into the building, a significant amount of time had passed. “We took possession, and it was our turn to do work. I would say about 85% of the work here is DIY (do it yourself), me and my brother with a couple friends did it,” said Napoleon Tzakis. They next encountered delays from a contractor’s issue installing the commercial exhaust hood in the kitchen, which is a critical part of opening and is often part of fire suppression system certification. Despite the delays in opening, people packed the restaurant nightly from the onset. Napoleon Tzakis attributes some of that early success to the delayed opening. “When we opened, they were excited for us to finally be open. It wasn’t like we just showed up out of nowhere. They knew we were coming, and I think that really helped with the popularity of this place.”

The public support pleasantly surprised Napoleon Tzakis, but his brother Anthony Tzakis was not shocked at all, seeing as this area has such a strong Greek community. Thursday through Sunday dinner service remains well attended, and the restaurant recommends reservations after 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome whenever they can accommodate them, and they offer bar seating where people can order from the full menu. They are open for dinner starting at 4 p.m. every day except for Tuesday and may consider opening every day if demand remains high. Napoleon Tzakis explained that the new brunch service from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays is the only expansion he expects beyond dinner, not seeing a demand for lunch service in the area.

The Greek brunch service is still evolving and features items like traditional Greek Loukaniko sausage, Bougatsa Greek custard pie, Greek yogurt, and an assortment of other brunch items with a Greek touch. People are still learning about the new meal time at Tréla, making it an accessible drop-in option for people wanting to become familiar with the restaurant, as the 80 available seats fill up fast for dinner.

They also offer a bar with imported Greek spirits and a selection from Washington, Oregon, or Utah. “We try to have a Greek liqueur in all of our cocktails, and then our mocktails use Roots Divino, a Greek non-alcoholic liquor,” explained Napoleon Tzakis. “The reason we picked Utah is because me and my brother were born in Utah. We still have family there. Then Oregon and Washington, obviously, because we’re here in the Pacific Northwest.” The regional adherence to the bar’s assortment sometimes bewilders brand-loyal drinkers. However, it is part of the owner’s commitment to supporting other small businesses and sourcing locally whenever not importing from Greece.

Diners will find many traditional Greek dishes on the menu relying on fresh and lightly seasoned meats from local suppliers. They are also known for the fresh pita bread, and dips made in-house daily. They produce 150 to 200 pitas for dinner service, seasoned with local honey and dry oregano to give it a distinct Greek flavor. Visitors also appreciate their calamari due to its rigorous preparation. “We buy whole calamari, cleaning, cutting, and seasoning ourselves. That’s very time-consuming. We’ve tried buying the pre-clean stuff, and they’re just kind of rubbery; we don’t want to lose the quality of the calamari, so we’re continuing to clean our own,” said Napoleon Tzakis. “I think that’s something people should definitely try. I would say it’s one of the best things on the menu.”

For head chef Anthony Tzakis, traditional cooking methods are at the core of how he runs his kitchen. “We try to preserve the heritage here in Portland. Not only our family’s but all the Greek families that we grew up with,” explained Anthony Tzakis. “A lot of recipes my dad passed down, and my grandparents used to cook. We want to try to make it a rustic, old-world feel. Greek food is very simple. It’s more about the little details that make it unique, the preparation and the care you put into making a simple dish.” Two sous-chefs, Caleb and Emmet, support Anthony Tzakis in the kitchen with four line cooks, prep cooks, and a dishwasher rounding out the back-of-house staff. They have a solid starting menu but will work with seasonally available ingredients to keep the offering fresh and the staff passionate. “I want to bring new things, and I want to make the kitchen excited to cook,” remarked Anthony Tzakis.

Helen Tzakis married into the restaurant business but had already absorbed the cooking traditions handed down through her family traditions. “My mother taught me. We learned how to do bread, all the pastries, and the cookies,” recalled Helen Tzakis. Even after leaving the restaurant world, she continued in commercial food production, now running the cafeteria at Stoller Middle School in Beaverton. That is one of the reasons her bakery and sweet shop opening needs to wait until Summer break. Additionally, Yiayia’s Greek Sweets shop still needs updated electrical service to support all the equipment necessary to serve her menu. Helen Tzakis is quick to separate herself from Tréla Greek Kitchen, noting that her children are responsible for its success. She is just the producer of desserts served there. Her shop will have all those items and more based on a wide range of adapted recipes from her homeland.

Yiayia’s Greek Sweets shop can produce many Greek pastries as people have made them for generations. However, Helen Tzakis explained that other items need modifications for large batches or to expand on the base flavors. Her galaktoboureko custard wrapped in phyllo required a tweak to the recipe, making it less tedious to produce at scale. It took considerable effort for the modified galaktoboureko to pass the harshest food critic she knows, her husband and lifelong Greek chef, Denny Tzakis. Her menu will also expand on tradition with baklava cheesecake and a baklava sundae. People visiting Yiayia’s Greek Sweets can also order Greek Coffee and a special imported mountain tea made from a wild growing plant in Greece that everyone from the family home village drinks. Helen Tzakis hopes to open in May but has to contend with her other job. She is training Denny Tzakis to bake her recipes so that Yiayia’s Greek Sweets will run smoothly when the school year starts this fall. They hope to have complementary hours to the restaurant, but it has its own entrance and signage and can adjust hours independently.

The Tzakis family is no stranger to this neighborhood and is excited to establish roots in this corner space. They have a lease renewable for another 21 years and intend to become a fixture for the community. In the early pre-opening days, Napoleon Tzakis had concerns about how people would receive Tréla Greek Kitchen, but that has changed over these last few months. “I didn’t realize how big of a demand for Greek food there was in Portland until we opened up this place. The city actually knows about Greek food,” remarked Napoleon Tzakis. He is now looking forward to growth plans, including live music. After a successful Greek Independence Day celebration, he is considering hosting quarterly Greek nights to deepen the cultural experience. The team also has other unannounced ambitions to serve the community’s needs better, growing this family business for future generations of Greek Portlanders.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Greg Beddor – SEO Specialist, an Oregon based digital marketing consultancy. The company markets customer’s websites and provide SEO services to grow their business. We thank them for their support.

Community, New Business

Oak Street Village Shelter Opens

On February 19th, representatives from Multnomah County, the City of Portland, and Montavilla community leaders joined the Oak Street Village shelter operators at 333 SE 82nd Avenue for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. This event officially opened the temporary shelter site that can house up to 40 adults in 29 sleeping pods with 33 parking spots so residents can store their personal vehicles. This opening follows years of delays while the Joint Office of Homeless Services, now transitioning its name to the Multnomah County Homeless Services Department (HSD), worked through its community outreach efforts to sufficiently include area residents and business owners in a Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA).

  • ADA parking next to accesible pods
  • 24-hour staffed office
  • Accessibel restroom

Before invited guests help cut the ribbon, marking Oak Street Village‘s launch, they addressed the gathered crowd of neighborhood visitors and TV news crews. Montavilla East Tabor Business Association president Neil Mattson and Montavilla Neighborhood Association president Laura Mulligan both expressed their appreciation for the efforts undertaken to develop a GNA that should mitigate many concerns Montavilla residents and business people expressed in the several community meetings held ahead of opening this shelter site. They also voiced their appreciation for the support of Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards, who helped align the site’s construction schedule with the community outreach and GNA work. When addressing the crowd, Commissioner Brim-Edwards remarked on the success of the community engagement’s outcome.

  • Montavilla East Tabor Business Association president Neil Mattson
  • Montavilla Neighborhood Association president Laura Mulligan
  • Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards
  • Commission Chair Jessica Vega Pederson
  • Pastor Dwight Minnieweather
  • HSD Director Dan Field

Multnomah County Commission Chair Jessica Vega Pederson joined Commissioner Brim-Edwards in stressing the importance of shelters like Oak Street Village in addressing homelessness. The County’s efforts to address the housing crisis include layers of support that attempt to prevent people from losing their housing and transition people off the street through various shelter formats. This unique village configuration allows those living in cars to move into more suitable shelters with electricity, heating, and cooling. The Pallet shelter branded sleeping pods have locking doors and an integrated bed. Oak Street Village also offers residents trash services, showers, restrooms, laundry facilities, and a communal kitchenette in shipping container-style units surrounding the site. Similar shelters offer the same amenities, but this location allows people to keep their vehicles, which may be their most valuable possessions. Giving up a personal car can remove one’s ability to find employment or travel to places to receive services. Oak Street Village’s configuration may better support certain people’s transition back to regular housing and jobs by not requiring them to give up their vehicles before receiving help.

  • Inside sleeping pod
  • Shower room
  • Pet relief area

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson celebrated this shelter’s opening and thanked the Montavilla Neighborhood for its support. His fondness for the community predates his elected position. While running for office, he helped open the PDX Saints Love Day Services Center across the street from Oak Street Village. Both locations complement the Mayor’s plan to end unsheltered homelessness in the city. He also thanked the former Montavilla Neighborhood Association president, Spencer Knowles, for his work bringing the neighbors into the GNA process for both facilities. Knowles stepped down from the board to take a position on Portland City Councilor Steve Novick’s staff. Knowles and Councilor Novick attended Oak Street Village’s opening ceremony along with Portland City Council Vice President Tiffany Koyama Lane.

  • Council Vice President Tiffany Koyama Lane
  • Councilor Steve Novick

Pastor Dwight Minnieweather leads this shelter’s service provider, Straightway Services. His remarks focused on the importance of encouraging people to see their self-worth. He shared his story of addiction recovery from decades ago and how it was the words of one person who set his life back on track. He intends to offer the same supporting guidance to as many people as possible coming through his shelter. His organization recently rented office space across SE 82nd Avenue from the county-owned shelter site, and he intends to make roots in the community. HSD Director Dan Field spoke about his appreciation for Pastor Minnieweather’s commitment to his work and acknowledged that as a black man, Minnieweather faced heightened expectations. Field also talked about the challenges of creating shelters like Oak Street Village while being good stewards of public funds, and he thanked all those public employees involved for their dedication to delivering this project.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson

Residents and staff will soon begin moving into the Oak Street Village. Outreach specialists invite people to become residents, prioritizing people living in a vehicle, excluding recreation vehicles or motor homes. Straightway Services will focus on serving people in the Montavilla area first before inviting others from around Portland, ensuring the shelters keep people in their chosen communities and reduce unsheltered homelessness around the Village site. People should anticipate seeing activity at 333 SE 82nd Avenue within the coming weeks as people slowly take residence at Oak Street Village.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Greg Beddor – SEO Specialist, an Oregon based digital marketing consultancy. The company markets customer’s websites and provide SEO services to grow their business. We thank them for their support.

Construction, New Business, Top 2025

99 Ranch Construction Resumes

After a long permitting and planning process, construction is beginning again on East Portland’s first 99 Ranch Market location at 10546 SE Washington Street. The highly anticipated Asian grocery store’s progress slowed after the property owner made exterior modifications to the storefront and installed new demising walls to create smaller storefronts flanking 99 Ranch’s entryway. The Plaza 205 buildout created a larger floor plan for the grocer at the back of the space while making room for complementary businesses along the shopping center’s frontage.

Since 1984, 99 Ranch has grown from its Westminster, California, origins to become one of the largest Asian grocery chains in the country. Store designs prioritize vibrant interior signage and constant display themes. Visitors can find an array of imported or domestic packaged food, freshly prepared dishes at the deli, and grocery staples that support most Asian culinary traditions. Since the company revealed this location’s planned opening in 2023, many Montavilla News readers have expressed their excitement for its arrival and have lamented the build schedule’s length.

Recently, crews began cutting trenches in the concrete floors to run electrical, water, and drain lines for the new food display and storage equipment. Workers are erecting metal stud walls separating the backroom operations from the large sales floor with its exposed wood-beam ceiling. Crews will polish and seal the concrete flooring throughout the store, adding a stone element that complements the darker color pallet used in many of the company’s grocery stores. When completed, this location will offer up to four sub-tenant spaces for restaurant and retail vendors within the entryway area. Each space has full-height walls between units, and 99 Ranch Market provides all utilities.

Eight standard conveyor-belt-fed registers and four self-checkout lanes near the front of the store separate the vendor area from the grocery operations. Along the west wall of the market, designers placed the hot deli, extensive meat department, and seafood area with live seafood tanks. Produce displays will occupy the frontmost half of the eastern edge of the store, and coolers will wrap around from the produce department’s east wall along the back wall.

Applicant Illustration of sign size increases included as part of LU 24-073292 showing 99 Ranch sign would increase from 60 SF to 150 SF

The Plaza 205 property owners adjusted the exterior design of the building to promote 99 Ranch Market as the anchor tenant, raising its entry arch to become taller than the adjacent parapets. This increased wall space allowed for a larger store sign but required a Design Review approval to allow the 99 Ranch Market sign to exceed the 100 square feet of maximum area per sign standard and increase the allowable sign sizes for the new tenants taking over the other retail areas around the grocery store. LU 24-073292‘s reviewing Staff Planner concluded, “The proposed signs are designed to be well integrated with the building as well as the neighborhood. The addition of signs identifying the building occupants will strengthen the relationship of the building with the neighborhood and enhance the visual interest of the streetscape while bringing a greater sense of identity to the area. The proposed signs do not produce a negative effect to the pedestrian environment in the adjacent sidewalk rights-of-way and adds visual interest to the building, both day and night.” The building sits over 300 feet back from the street, and the increased sign area should improve visibility for people passing the shopping center on SE Washington Street.

Crews will continue to work on this new grocery store over the coming months. Businesses interested in becoming a sub-tenant at this store can contact TAWA Leasing by calling 714-521-8899 or emailing leasing@tawa.com. Shoppers can expect to hear more about opening dates by following 99 Ranch’s social media or the company’s website.

Article and Photos by

Jacob Loeb

Note: Title image digitally edited by MV News to show 99 Ranch sign as originally proposed in permit drawings. Finale store signage will differ and include FRESH PRODUCE, LIVE SEAFOOD, HOT DELI, and BAKERY under the 99 Ranch Market logo based on LU 24-073292 DZM documents

Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Otter Wax, a neighborhood producer of small-batch specialty goods handcrafted in Portland. Using only natural ingredients, they make modern care products that are steeped in tradition. We thank them for their support.

New Business

Fine Things Studio and Ceramics Shop

In January, Mary Carroll Ceramics and Alexandria Cummings Ceramics relocated their shared production studio to a long-vacant storefront at 6900 NE Glisan Street. The corner storefront allows the partners to expand their businesses to include a membership-based multi-use space and retail storefront to sell homeware alongside their creations. Taking the new business name from the signage of past tenets at the location, Fine Things Studio and Ceramics Shop will open in phases as the team fills into the ground floor of the 1911-era mixed-use building. They anticipate completing work in late spring with the opening of the storefront selling pottery made onsite alongside accessories, gifts, and women’s and kids’ clothing.

Community ceramics studio space with racks on the left and pottery wheels to the right

Mary Carroll and Alex Cummings began sharing studio space two years ago, each having six to eight years of prior ceramics experience. In 2024, with their studio lease ending, they decided to explore ways to expand beyond ceramics production to include a retail space for their work and other complimentary products while making space for other ceramicists. They embraced the concept from Alex Cummings’s past workspace and Carroll’s long-held dream for a shop. Before co-locating with Carroll, Cummings ran a small community ceramics studio called Hey Studio in Northeast Portland on 42nd Avenue. Reimagining that prior space was a way to assist others needing studio space and provide a retail opportunity for creators. In her 20s, when planning her adult life, Carroll had envisioned running a vintage store and coffee shop. As she began working in ceramics, the vision became a pottery-vintage-coffee-shop. Now, her shop idea centers on ceramics but with various homeware products from an array of creators, including products from their community ceramics studio members.

In this new building, Carroll and Cummings want to create space for up to 28 potters to work on ceramics and store projects, sharing the studio’s resources. To start, they will limit the facility to 15 members, ensuring participants have enough tools and workspace during peak times. The owners geared the community ceramics studio toward people who have progressed beyond the basics but have not moved to production-level ceramics, where they would require more studio space than is available to members. They will not offer any classes and anticipate that people will know enough to work independently. However, people don’t have to be seasoned pros to become members. “Honestly, if they’ve never had a class but they’ve watched YouTube videos, and they’re able to come in and just throw and make things ready for the kiln, that’s fine,” said Carroll. The studio staff will take care of firing pieces for members, so people need to understand clay types and the firing process enough to communicate with kiln operators. Each member has a bank of racks to store their work in progress, and people can rent extra rack space if they need additional capacity regularly. The studio may also have the capacity for people outside the ceramics community who need creative space.

Small production space looking onto the retail showroom

Finding the storefront on the western edge of Montavilla materialized quickly for the partners after seeing a Craigslist posting for the affordable storefront. “It happened fast,” said Cummings. “September, we looked at it, and a week later, we were like, ‘We have to jump on this because we don’t want to lose it,'” recalled Carroll. They were thankful to find this location because other places they looked at prohibited the mixed-use vision they shared. “The terms were weird. We couldn’t have a retail component, or we couldn’t have a community component,” said Cummings. “To find all three is super tough,” explained Carroll. To build the space, they launched a Kickstarter funding campaign and had to develop branding and information within a week. That was a challenge, made a little easier by signs still hanging in the window. Carroll and Cummings visited the property and looked through the windows, which displayed a stylized Fine Things decal. They looked at each other and agreed to keep that part of the former tenet’s, Di Orios Fine Things & Sharons Dolls & Bears, business name. The name felt right for their business, and it respected the work of the companies that came before them.

Production studio space

With the help of supporters, Carroll and Cummings have made the first two phases of their storefront come to fruition. Half of the available slots at the community ceramics studio are in use at the east end of the building. Both owners have established their ceramics businesses in the center of the main floor, and soon, they will open the retail space at the western corner of the property. Guest shopping at the store will have a view into the production studio to watch the speckled clay creations take form. Each function of Fine Things is viewable behind large windows along the NE Glisan Street sidewalk.

Mugs made by Mary Carroll

Until the Fine Things retail shop opens, people can purchase items online at Mary Carroll’s or Alex Cummings’ websites. Although they both use the same type of clay, they present differing styles of ceramics. “I like to make things that I hope people would use every day. Lots of dinnerware that’s colorful and playful but also feels pretty utilitarian” explained Cummings. “I like being playful, but it’s very important to have crisp, clean lines. Most of my work has some type of circle or geometric shape or straight lines but still has that really fun, handmade vibe to it,” said Carroll. They hope people will enjoy seeing their work created and displayed at the shop alongside the talents of studio members and other local artists. People can track their progress on the Fine Things Instagram account.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Food and Drink, New Business

Sleepover Pizza Replaces Pie Spot

In early February, Sleepover Pizza will open in the former Pie Spot storefront outside the Rocket Empire Machine food hall at 6935 NE Glisan Street. The new school pan pizza maker takes inspiration from Detroit and Sicilian styles, offering eight-by-ten-inch rectangular pies with classic flavors that aim to excite families and pizza lovers alike. The shop will expand into more adventurous menu offerings for its pizza Sunday brunch program.

Aaron Manter has called Montavilla his home for nearly a decade after relocating with his wife from Greenville, South Carolina, where they both ran a New American-style restaurant called The Owl. After closing that business, they eventually followed friends to Portland. Together, the couple managed the now-closed Fillmore coffee shop that Futura Coffee Roasters replaced in 2022. Aaron Manter went on to receive accolades for his following two positions: cooking at the 1905 Jazz Club and as executive chef for Scholar Restaurant on NE Broadway. Recently, Manter worked as a chef at Fressen Bakery down the street from this new location. Despite 25 years working in kitchens creating complex menus across various disciplines, pizza was where he started his culinary career, and it continually reemerged as a favorite dish. After experimenting with some popups hosted by Blank Slate Bar in June 2024, Aaron Manter was ready to become a restaurant owner again—however, this time in a smaller space with affordable rent and a more universally approachable menu.

Sleepover Pizza’s name and primary menu originate from Manter’s nostalgia for his time with friends growing up in South Florida. Some of his best memories stem from having people over while his parents were out, ordering a pan pizza, and staying up late watching a VHS tape of Predator. During that stage in life, he started cooking for Little Caesars at a time when the pizza chain made everything in the shop. Those foundational experiences linked cooking, friendship, and youth with pizza. Through this project, he wants to share that experience and those flavors with his community. “It’s really meant for people to grab a slice with the family and, like the name implies, bring it back home to eat while you watch a scary movie and hang out with kids,” said Manter.

When open, Sleepover Pizza will serve guests from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday from the standard menu, offering a classic cheese, pepperoni, or tomato pie with garlic and pecorino Romano. Manter plans to provide a rotating white sauce pie option, rounding out the main selection to four pizzas. All pies pull from the Detroit style, where the sauce is on top, and the cheese covers from edge to edge, giving it a pronounced caramelization where it meets the pan. To speed up the cooking process, he will pan-proof the crust to about an inch thick and then briefly bake it to set the dough ahead of a customer’s order. “I can’t ask people at a food pod to wait 20 minutes for a pizza. I just don’t feel like that’s realistic or right. Parbaking (partially cooking a bread product before fully baking it at a later time) lets us get that out in maybe ten minutes, and I didn’t find any decrease in quality,” said Manter.

Image by Audrey Willcox, courtesy Sleepover Pizza

People can order a whole pie or a half as the by-the-slice option, and they will have an assortment of sodas. “I plan on doing a slice and a drink for 10 bucks. I’ll offer Coke, Diet Coke, and some sort of root beer. I think root beer and pepperoni are a very underrated combo,” explained Manter. He also intends to expand his drink offerings to meet his customer’s tastes. However, with Gigantic Brewing’s Robot Room adjacent to his space, he will keep to non-alcoholic options. Sleepover Pizza will be on some food delivery apps, and its sidewalk-adjacent location will make quick pickups easy for to-go orders.

Pie Spot location closing sign directing people to visit them at 521 NE 24th Ave

Sleepover Pizza will also open on Sundays but targeting the brunch crowd, with hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu will feature unique flavors inspired by traditionally un-pizza origins. Aaron Manter envisions a shakshuka pie made with Moroccan tomato sauce and a fried egg on top. Or, a lox bagel approach with cream cheese, smoked salmon, chives, capers, and pickled onions.

The small kitchen space that will become Sleepover Pizza

The small kitchen space, not much larger than a shipping container, is nearly ready to reopen. Manter is only waiting on Multnomah County to approve the commercial kitchen. He explained that he has worked at eight different pizzerias over the years, learning all the best techniques to bring to his creations without losing the core qualities that make pizza great. “I’ve learned everything I can from every place I’ve worked, and I’m just trying to do a good job without being too cheffy, as it’s meant to feed the people and the families of the neighborhood.” Future customers waiting to try Montavilla’s newest pizza location should watch the Sleepover Pizza Instagram account to learn about the official opening date or visit the company website when it launches at sleepoverpizza.com.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Updated January 22nd, 2025: Add Pie Spot closing note image.

Community, Government, New Business

Oak Street Village GNA Moves to Signing

On December 9th, the Montavilla Neighborhood Association (MNA) voted unanimously to sign the Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) for the Oak Street Village shelter site at 333 SE 82nd Avenue. The Multnomah County-owned property will open to temporary residents in early 2025, and formalizing a community agreement is a significant step toward launching this shelter. The 32-page non-binding document covers the signers’ shared commitment to adhere to their agreed responsibilities and follow set communication standards to resolve conflicts.

The GNA signers include the Joint Office of Homeless Services, the City of Portland, shelter services providers Straightway Services, the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association, and the MNA. Each party has distinct responsibilities and roles in the agreement, and the GNA can update through its duration with the consent of the signers. The MNA sees the Community Advisory Committee formed by the GNA as a critical part of the document’s strength. That committee meets monthly with members from each signing party and village residents to review operations in a collaborative problem-solving format. This continual engagement ensures the parties maintain strong lines of communication and identify opportunities for collaboration between the village participants and the Community.

The GNA establishes an Engagement Zone bordered by the west side of SE 80th Avenue, the east side of 83rd Avenue, the north side of SE Ash Street, and the south side of SE Stark Street. The City will grant high-priority services within the defined area, and the site operator commits to regularly engaging with people in the zone to limit community impacts around Oak Street Village. The prioritized city services include the removal of unsanctioned campsites or abandoned vehicles, emergency calls, non-emergency calls, and cleaning services. The City has to adhere to its policies regarding each service but agrees to rank occurrences higher in the Engagement Zone.

Zone map from GNA (Engagement Zone – Red, Good Neighbor Zone – Blue)

The GNA states that the service provider will initially favor referrals into Oak Street Village from Montavilla’s unsheltered population, potentially reducing the number of persistent unsanctioned campsites in the neighborhood. This site prioritizes individuals living in vehicles who want to keep their car while moving into sleeping pods. Oak Street Village supports people making that transition by offering onsite parking for one personal vehicle per resident. This somewhat unique shelter feature generated many questions from neighbors during community engagement meetings. The GNA includes Straightway Services’ written policies, which outline the provider’s prohibition of onsite vehicle repair, prolonged idling, sleeping in a vehicle, or extensive property storage in the cars. The cars must fit within the marked parking stalls, blocking the storage of recreational vehicles or other oversized trucks. Owners of parked cars leaking fluids must use drip pans and properly dispose of hazardous materials to prevent runoff contamination of the stormwater system.

The agreement also covers future site placement, limiting Multnomah County’s expansion of the JOHS Community Sheltering Strategy within the Good Neighbor Zone. The Good Neighbor Zone surrounding the Engagement Zone is bordered by SE 75th Avenue, SE 88th Avenue, E Burnside Street, and SE Yamhill Street. It also has an extension from E Burnside Street up NE 80th Avenue and NE 82nd Avenue to incorporate the Vestal School. This agreement and other potential sites with a similar GNA will significantly reduce the potential for more County-owned sites along Montavilla’s section of 82nd Avenue.

The GNA mandates the regular collection of metrics to track the shelter’s impact on the neighborhood. Members of the Community Advisory Committee will monitor the data, which will become publicly accessible through existing dashboards and other group communications. As the County prepares a second site at 1818 SE 82nd Avenue, this GNA will likely play an influential role in that site’s Good Neighbor Agreement. The other parties will have to sign the document, but JOHS leaders expect that will happen before the residents begin moving into the 333 SE 82nd Avenue site.

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account for monthly support or you can pay for a full year directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Business Relocating, Community, Food and Drink, New Business

Stone Soup at Glisan Landing

The culinary training organization Stone Soup PDX recently relocated its operations from downtown Portland to the Beacon at Glisan Landing building on the corner of NE 74th Avenue and Glisan Street. Educational programs are currently underway inside the storefront space, and their publicly accessible cafe will open in March 2025, when they expect residents to move into the apartments above the shop. This location will provide people facing employment barriers with critical job skills through a 12-week program.

Stone Soup occupies three adjacent storefronts in the newly constructed NE Glisan Street building. The corner cafe will operate as a community-facing space, selling morning coffee, pastries, and cookies. Throughout the weekdays, they intend to have a more extensive menu in the cafe, offering soup and other meals prepared in the training kitchen next door or from the group’s production kitchen on SE Powell Boulevard.

The third Montavilla storefront serves as Stone Soup’s classroom. In the space, program participants receive basic instruction and engage in weekly “check-ins” with the support services coordinators who work to ensure students have the supplies needed to succeed in the program. According to Ellen Damaschino, Executive Director at the nonprofit, this can include help with transit, work-appropriate clothing, or USB cables needed to keep their phones charged. Damaschino explained that culinary skills are the central curriculum in the program. However, the instructors also teach workplace success tactics to help people find jobs and stay employed in various fields. “Some of our participants are also interested in using the skills we teach in resume building, getting to work on time, and working with others to maybe enter other fields, which is OK with us. Culinary is [just one] way for us to get people into work,” said Damaschino.

Stone Soup PDX opened in its original location on NW Everett and Broadway in 2019. They operated primarily as a cafe and training kitchen until COVID-19 forced a shift in the group’s operations. “So it slowed down a lot during the pandemic, and that is when we really kicked up the Community Meals program,” recalled Damaschino. “We make about 1,500 meals a week for the community. Those are for places like shelters, mental health facilities, and transitional housing. So exactly the places that our participants come from.” That shift allowed the organization to open a production kitchen on SE Powell Boulevard, where program participants spend their final four weeks cooking meals that volunteer drivers transport to Portland locations.

When Stone Soup backed away from serving walk-in customers downtown in favor of providing delivery meals, they expanded training operations wherever they could. However, that downtown space was not ideal for the growing program. “It was originally opened as a restaurant and a cafe, and they were making the basement downstairs into a school. So when Catholic Charities approached us about this space [on NE Glisan] that would have an externally facing cafe again, a brand new kitchen, and a classroom space, it was very enticing to take that space and jettison our old space, which wasn’t really working for us,” said Damaschino.

Classroom kitchen on NE Glisan courtesy Stone Soup PDX (Julia Granet)

The Beacon at Glisan Landing offers 41 Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units above the ground-floor storefronts. Damaschino sees an opportunity for a symbiotic relationship with the building’s residents and the families living in the adjacent affordable housing complex. They want to create programs teaching home cooking to their neighbors and work to assist those around them with access to healthy foods. PSH program operators may also guide some residents into the program. “We mostly have a referral in program, you can join just by signing up, but we have found that it is better if people are in some kind of housing, whether it’s transitional or shelter. We have found that people who are housed have had better success in the program,” explained Damaschino.

Many students are recently houseless and need help finding employment that can secure stable housing. However, Stone Soup designed programs for anyone with employment barriers, including young people without any work experience, people who recently transitioned back into the workforce, or those looking to switch jobs but have limited resources. “We recently had a graduate in his 60s who wanted a career change. [He was] on a fixed income and felt worried about retirement. Now, he’s working at a retirement community as a chef. So that’s a success story for us,” remarked Damaschino. Program instructors segment the classes into three tiers, each lasting four weeks. All tiers currently have eight people learning culinary and workplace skills. Damaschino explained that they intend to grow the program’s 24-person capacity to 30 with this new location. The organization often has around 35 to 45 people waiting for a place in the program, providing a sustainable flow of participants.

The menu taught to students changes with each class and the season. “Our community meals vary in what we make. We also try to engage the participants and meet them where they’re at. In the first and second tiers, we ask what they want to learn, matching them with skills that are also going to get them jobs. Often, in the community kitchen, we’ll make lasagna or enchiladas. We always have salads, and we [make] nice soups and stews in the winter,” said Damaschino. “We tend to make meals that shelters respond to. We want to make things that kids are going to eat, and the parents are going to eat in the shelter. We want them to be nutritious and we follow the county’s guidelines, so we have a dietitian that we work with.”

As Stone Soup transitions into this new space, they hope to build the same level of community integration they developed in their years downtown. “We partner with our community. So, if we had too many onions, we would offer them to other nonprofits in the area. People were giving us food, and we were giving them food. We want to make ourselves visible and useful,” explained Damaschino. The group works to avoid food waste and shares practice meals when they have a surplus by allowing participants to take food back home to their communities.

In addition to a core group of instructors who came to the program from culinary or social services professions, Stone Soup relies on ten to 20 volunteers per week who distribute prepared meals to the customer organizations. Damaschino explained that they intend to keep growing their educational offering, filling the gaps in Portland’s food-related employment sector. “We want to see Stone Soup as the premier workforce training program. All the culinary schools are gone from the area,” remarked Damaschino. She feels Portland has a significant need for what this organization can offer the community. People can already see weekday activity in the storefront now and should expect to see the cafe open in March.

By

Jacob Loeb

Community, New Business, Property Sale

Abandoned Driving Range to Become Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary

The Bird Alliance of Oregon recently completed its purchase of a 12.51-acre property on NE 82nd Avenue across from Leodis V. McDaniel High School. For decades, this overgrown field was known for the graffiti-covered remnants of a golf driving range built on top of a landfilled quarry. Within the next several years, it will become a new wildlife hospital and nature sanctuary for the 122-year-old organization formally known as Portland Audubon.

The organization plans to restore much of the land to its native habitat with nature trails and park space for public use. The site’s proximity to schools and connectivity to the MAX light rail and Portland’s most active bus line made it an ideal location for the Bird Alliance of Oregon to host educational programs and showcase its wildlife viewing opportunities. Portland has limited sites that offer the continuous acres needed for a wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center. The organization operates year-round, providing injured native birds and other wildlife opportunities to return to the wild. This site will support a new building expected to double the floor area of the Bird Alliance’s current Center with the capacity to treat more than 6,000 animals a year. The site’s topography is challenging for any development, and other potential buyers have failed in past attempts to transform it into a large shopping complex.

Aerial image from Portland Maps

The Rose City Sand and Gravel company excavated an 80-foot-deep hole in the center of the site during its many years in operation. Around 1972, site owners converted operations to support the H.G. LaVelle landfill. Over the next ten years, they filled the pit with construction debris, including wood products, metals, and rubble, comprising approximately 2 million cubic yards of solid waste. Landfill deposits included rubble from Interstate-205’s construction. When the landfill closed in 1982, operators covered the site with a clay cap, installing a landfill gas extraction unit and methane monitoring equipment to treat decomposing organic material. Building a substantial structure over the clay cap takes significant engineering. However, the perimeter of the former pit is stable ground and suitable for conventional construction.

Former pro-shop building and offices for golf driving range

The Bird Alliance of Oregon embraced the site’s past and actively supports the remediation of brownfield sites like this one, bringing them back to productive use. Earlier this year, the group secured a Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) grant to restore native habitat across the property. They plan to plant hundreds of native trees and create a pollinator habitat underneath and around a two-acre community solar array on the sloped land at the property’s south side. The multiple PCEF grants received by the organization will power the new structures and offset utility costs for around 200 low-income community members while strengthening the urban tree canopy.

Long unused golf driving range

The plans for this site align with the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s commitment to climate resiliency and habitat protection. These principles complement the work that started over a decade ago at the adjacent Dharma Rain Zen Center. That group purchased the nearly 14 acres to the east in 2012, restoring it to an urban greenspace with habitat for native plants and animals. They created walking trails open to the community and built several small buildings at the center of their property. Together, these two organizations and Glenhaven Park across the street will preserve a green band in the urban core that will support the surrounding community with accessible natural spaces.

With grant funding available, work could begin next year, clearing old structures. The group plans to add additional soil to the property, giving tree roots the depth needed above the clay landfill cap. Developing new structures on the site will take years and require additional funding. This location will become the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s second Portland metro area site, and they will continue to operate in Northwest Portland along with this planned new facility.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account for monthly support or you can pay for a full year directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Food and Drink, New Business

Tusi’s Deli Creation Brings Samoan Food to NE Glisan

During weekends in October, the area’s only Samoan restaurant eased into opening at 6824 NE Glisan Street. However, enthusiastic customer response soon attracted attention from social media, and Tusi’s Deli Creation experienced its first back-to-back sellout days. The wife and husband team are enjoying the warm reception from the community, which has countered negative feelings caused by a pre-launch burglary that nearly stopped them from opening their doors.

Family tradition and cultural identity shape the Samoan menu served in Tusi’s Deli Creation. Restaurant owner Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano explained that her father’s passion for cooking propagated to her seven siblings. Tusigaigoa Wilson worked as a carpenter in American Samoa but honed his culinary skills by cooking for community events. Wilson-Kerisiano recalls he had high standards for what he would serve at his table, throwing out expensive food rather than dishing something of poor quality. “My dad always says, ‘If you can’t eat it, don’t serve it. If it doesn’t look pretty like you, don’t even give it out.'”

By the time Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano’s father, Tusigaigoa “Tusi” Wilson, passed away in 2020, most of the family had relocated to Washington State. Wilson-Kerisiano needed to take over catering her father’s funeral because COVID-19 closures prevented the family from finding a vendor for the extensive Samoan food service that is part of their traditional mourning process and funerals. After the community discovered that her father’s cooking skills were alive in Wilson-Kerisiano, she and some family members began receiving requests to cater other community events. That grew their cooking business, taking on several forms over the years, but things changed after another family loss. “Then our mother passed, and we kind of gave up on the dream.”

In February 2024, Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano, her husband Natanielu Kerisiano, and sister Christina Wilson-Pini moved down to the Portland area with the idea of restarting their food service ambitions. They found the affordable commercial space on NE Glisan Street and committed to the former juice bar storefront on a significant anniversary. “The lease was signed on May 18th, which was the date my father passed,” said Wilson-Kerisiano. They began earning money for the shop’s buildout by cooking items for resale at area stores with a focus on their baked goods and drinks.

Spam Musubi

Christina Wilson-Pini had become an accomplished baker, while her sister had focused on learning her father’s cooking style. The early opportunity for Wilson-Pini to practice baking came after a storm took away much of what the community had. “I remembered we grew up with one of those kerosene stoves; every Islander had one. Then, there was a hurricane, FEMA came in, and they funded the families. That’s when we bought our first oven, and then all the baking came alive during those times of our lives,” recalled Wilson-Kerisiano. Wilson-Pini developed a lengthy recipe book, and sales of her baked creations helped furnish the shop with the supplies they would need to open the restaurant. The extended family also chipped in to support the restaurant’s opening. “My siblings in Washington, my nieces, and nephew all helped during the summer months to fundraise for the shop,” said Wilson-Kerisiano.

With the storefront full of supplies and the team close to opening, things turned for the worse. “In August, we were busy vending and trying to earn money for the shop, and we were broken into,” said Wilson-Kerisiano. Then, on the Tuesday after the weekend burglary, Christina Wilson-Pini passed away. “I wanted to give it all up because we lost all of our life savings. They took everything that we needed,” recalled Wilson-Kerisiano. With another family death and needing to start over on the restaurant, it was almost too much to overcome.

Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano and Natanielu Kerisiano developed a solid connection to the Samoan community in Washington State, providing food at many celebrations and becoming central to numerous events. That integration into the community led to Wilson-Kerisiano publishing the State’s first Samoan newspaper, the Samoa Northern Star. They were fixtures at cricket matches and charity drives. After the setback in Portland, they found that strong community bonds had not dissolved after moving to Oregon. The support network mobilized and came to their aid, helping them fund the purchase of used equipment to replace the stolen items. Christina Wilson-Pini’s daughter gifted her mother’s cookbook to Roshina Wilson-Kerisiano so she could keep baking her sister’s pies and pastries at the shop, and the couple quietly opened Tusi’s Deli Creation.

Turkey-tail

Due to weekday obligations providing stores with packaged items, the restaurant is currently only open on weekends. On November 9th, they will begin regular service from Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The menu features traditional Polynesian island food with unique Samoan twists like green bananas and the popular turkey-tail. Selections change regularly, and they are open to hearing requests from customers. People who have experienced Hawaiian food will feel comfortable ordering at Tusi’s Deli Creation. However, most guests will encounter some items not often found in Portland. The shop owners encourage everyone to experience Samoan culture through food and family traditions. “My dream is [creating] a place where they have everything I ate growing up,” said Wilson-Kerisiano.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account for monthly support or you can pay for a full year directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.