This Saturday, September 23rd, Montavilla Brew Works (MBW) will hold its first annual Deadtoberfest. This Grateful Dead infused Oktoberfest celebration will feature German-style Bratwurst and several beers from the brewery’s collection. Founder and head brewer Michael Kora, inspired by MBW’s successful Street Fair beer garden, decided to create this new fall beer and food festival.
Kora has wanted MBW to host an Oktoberfest event for several years. The enthusiastic showing from last July’s Montavilla Street Fair showed that people are ready to come out and enjoy gatherings again. The Grateful Dead tribute group The Weir Dose will provide music from 6 to 9 p.m. for an all-ages performance. From 3 to 9 p.m., MBW will pour selections of their beers brewed in-house, including the Körabräu Helles-style German Lager, Plywood Pilsner, and FH IPAs. Along with the beverages, people can purchase German-style Bratwurst from Zenner’s Sausage Co. throughout the event.
This Saturday’s festivities will occur in the covered outdoor patio area connected to the taproom. Kora has wanted to offer more community gathering opportunities since opening MBW in July 2015. Building the brand and moving past the pandemic hampered those desires, but MBW has now moved past those barriers. 2023 seems to be the year of new traditions for the microbrewer at 7805 SE Stark Street, and they hope people will stop by for a listen, a drink, or a bite on the 23rd.
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A team of spray-paint artists recently completed a multi-building mural on SE Stark Street at 81st Avenue. The resident business, ATC Auto Body, worked with the local arts non-profit Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) to create this wrap-around graphic presentation honoring local Asian-Americans in East Portland. Artist Demecio “Dre” Sierra designed the art installation, painting over 200 feet of wall with the support of fellow street artists.
Earlier this year, the property’s owner and tenant at 8120 SE Stark Street worked with the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association and the City of Portland to secure financial support for a mural on his two Montavilla buildings. The city provided grant funds to the PSAA, who hired Sierra and rented an aerial lift required to paint the project’s higher elevations. The property owner eventually settled on a theme honoring the local Asian-American community around 82nd Avenue and East Portland. Initially, Sierra considered options that would highlight the automotive nature of the location but failed to find much inspiration around that concept. “The first idea was different. They wanted to keep it auto-body related, and I really didn’t know what to do for that exactly. They ended up telling me that the business owner wanted a multicultural Asian mural,” remembers Sierra.
That multicultural directive helped drive the project forward, with Sierra sketching ideas on an iPad. He used bright colors to add vibrancy to the dark Pacific Northwest winter skyline and incorporated Maneki Neko, pandas, and origami birds into the culturally inspired design. The scope of the mural project was initially smaller, focusing on SE Stark Street. However, the contract permitted him to continue painting until he ran out of supplies or time. Sierra ended up having extra material and reached out to his artistic group of friends. The team filled unpainted gaps along the building, each contributing their unique style to the extended piece. “I tried to include a lot of artists that don’t get opportunities to have their art on the walls. It’s a challenge to try to wrangle up a bunch of people, but it was a good challenge, and I’m lucky to have that group of friends willing to put their time and effort into helping beautify our community,” said Sierra.
Sierra faced other challenges working on this project, utilizing new tools and working outside his comfort zone. The height of this project required the use of a self-propelled scissor lift. Having never used that equipment before, Sierra became a certified lift operator and quickly learned the dangers of elevated painting. Uneven ground demanded the use of tire shims before the device would rise, and overhead power lines presented deadly obstacles. Additionally, the size and texture of the building also demanded more involved tools. “I used mostly spray paint. [However], there were some spots where I had to use a cordless sparer for the first time to do some of the radiating lines that came off the top. That thing is like a giant spray can, and it was a really great piece of equipment that I’ll be using again in the future,” explained Sierra.
Although continually learning new skills, Sierra has over a decade of experience creating mural artwork in the city. “I’ve been in Portland for 15 years. I came up here after leaving a city job I had. I pulled out my retirement and said, ‘You know, I could work for the city for another 20 years and retire, or I could go fulfill this dream of being an artist.’ So I came up from Arizona with some money in my pocket and my dreams,” said Sierra. It took several years to establish himself as an artist, and he attributes much of his success to working with the PSAA. He also attributes it to a change in city policy that rewards art over advertising. “I think it’s great that the city has allowed us to start building murals again. There was a period where there were no murals in the city due to Clear Channel,” explained Sierra.
In 1999, Clear Channel – doing business as AK Media – won a legal challenge to Porltand’s strict signage regulations. As a result, the city could no longer differentiate between murals and commercial signs. That ruling allowed property owners to sell blank wall space for advertising, so the Portland leaders opted to restrict billboards and murals under the same city code. Over the next decade, public art advocates led by muralist Joe Cotter worked to repair the broken system, eventually freeing murals from the city’s sign code in 2009. Three years later, PSAA began its work to facilitate street art projects throughout the city, and Portland has seen a resurgence in the mural craft.
Demecio “Dre” Sierra takes substantial pleasure in painting murals around Portland. Not only does he have large canvases to fill, but he can rotate through communities, meeting people and hearing their stories. “That’s part of the job, getting to go around all these neighborhoods and spend maybe a week or two in them, see it from their eyes,” said Sierra. That helps shape the art and makes it a rewarding career. He thanks his fellow contributors on this project, including Rile, Abnr, Mctools, and The Earwig. The project is complete and available for anyone walking around the Historic Downtown Montavilla area to enjoy.
Update – September 17th, 2023: Added the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association as a city partner on the project.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association board but did not work on this project.
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Road crews returned to SE Stark Street this week, reducing travel lanes in half and closing through traffic at 80th Avenue. Monday’s work focussed on grinding down the top layer of asphalt while patching the road’s base, where previous work required open trenches. Later this week, workers will repave 150 feet of Stark Street adjacent to where cement masons recently created new expanded sidewalk corners.
Construction at this intersection is part of the 70s Greenway Project that will create a safer north-south connector for people walking or riding to their destination. This portion of the infrastructure improvement project added new curb ramps, improved stormwater handling, and road resurfacing. Later, crews will install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) and crosswalk striping on the west side of this intersection. As part of this work, The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) removed a few parking spaces to accommodate expanded sidewalk corners, with the north side protruding into the parking lane further to the west than the extended corner across the street. The added pedestrian space makes the historically skinny sidewalks wider and shortens the distance for people crossing SE Stark Street.
Clipping from PBOT intersection design document showing expanded sidewalk and corners
During this project, crews installed new stormwater pipes and electrical conduits for the RRFB signals throughout the intersection, creating a grid of asphalt patches. PBOT anticipated the need to repave the roadway but postponed that work until after the 2023 Street Fair when it would have interrupted those festivities.
Traffic disruptions at this intersection will conclude after crews apply the crosswalk and lane striping on the new road surface. Until then, drivers and cyclists should plan for occasional detours and lane reductions. Pedestrians may need to find alternate crossing points and should look for loose gravel in the area. RRFB installation will likely occur later in the year, around the same time as the SE Washington Street work at 80th Avenue concludes.
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Starting this Wednesday, Montavilla Movie Nights return with free outdoor screenings in the Plaza at the corner of SE Stark Street and 79th Avenue. The monthly events began around dusk at 8 p.m., and people are encouraged to bring their own chair, blanket, or cushion.
The summertime event is organized by the Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association (METBA) and sponsored by Mr Plywood and Adventist Health. The three film series offers a new movie on the last Wednesday night of the month for July, August, and September. The July 26th event will feature the 1999 comedy Galaxy Quest. Then on August 30th, attendees can view the 1996 film Kingpin. The summer fun concludes with the 1979 movie Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, featuring the Ramones, on September 27th.
Event organizers encourage people to arrive early to order food and drink items from area businesses before finding a spot in the SE 79th Avenue Plaza. The Academy Theater across the street will sell concessions to Plaza viewers wanting the complete movie experience. Threshold Brewing & Blending will sell beer for people to enjoy while they watch. Montavilla Movie Nights is in its second season, and its continued popularity could bolster its return in subsequent years. As the sun sets on the last Wednesday of the month, consider heading to the Plaza for some free community-based entertainment.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the METBA board.
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Next Sunday, July 30th, Montavilla will celebrate its tenth street fair with music, food, beer, and over 140 vendor booths. The event will close SE Stark Street to vehicle traffic from SE 82nd to 76th Avenues, welcoming attendees to stroll the roadway between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. People can sample regional brews at four different beer gardens and listen to a wide range of music performed on three stages. Last year marked the return of the community gathering after a pandemic pause, and now event organizers expect crowds to meet or exceed the 2019 attendance level.
Image courtesy event organizer Montavilla/East Tabor Business Association (METBA)
The Montavilla Street Fair had modest beginnings when it launched in 2011. Instead of closing the main street, organizers set up the booths on several side streets and parking lots north of SE Stark. It rained that day but had respectable attendance, including Mayor Sam Adams. The mostly annual event continued expanding, growing into a city-wide attraction in 2019 that brought 15,000 people into Montavilla’s historic downtown. After a two-year Covid hiatus, it returned slightly smaller but still attracting substantial crowds. This year, organizers have positions for more booths than last year but still sold out ahead of the registration deadline. There is a sizable wait list for vendors looking for space, and all signs point to a larger event with an increased community turnout.
People interested in attending should plan on a fair amount of walking, first from their parking spot and then along the 1,500 feet of booths on SE Stark Street. Attendees able to walk, bike, or take transit to the site should allow for easier street parking in the neighborhood. Band schedules and vendor lists are available at the METBA.org website but expect this article to update with additional information on the day of the event.
Update: The street fair exceeded expectations with an estimated 16,000 people in attendance. Many businesses participating in the event reported selling thorough supplies and record setting sales for the fair.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the METBA board and will work in a booth at this event.
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Next weekend, on July 22nd and 23rd, HONK! PDX will host its first festival of brass bands at two locations in SE Portland. Next Saturday, festivities will run from noon to 7 p.m. at Revolution Hall field and then transition to three Montavilla venues for a Sunday celebration. HONK! bands draw inspiration from Klezmer, Balkan-Romani music, Brazilian Samba, Afrobeat and Highlife, Punk, Funk, Hip Hop, and the New Orleans second-line tradition. Area residents and visitors to Montavilla Town can enjoy free music in the SE 79th Avenue and Stark Street plaza from 12:30 to 6 p.m. However, more music will kick off a block away at Milwaukie Lumber from 1 to 6 p.m., followed by a Beer Bunker hosted stage starting at 3 p.m. until closing. The final event features an Open Jam where organizers encourage the audience to join the festival, playing their own instruments.
Article images courtesy HONK! PDX
HONK! PDX positions itself as a free celebration of community, collaboration, and creative expression dedicated to creating a community of inclusion. It is an all-volunteer organization fiscally sponsored by SE Uplift. This style of event began in Massachusetts in 2008 as an activist street band festival, later expanding to New York, Detroit, Seattle, Austin, Brazil, Australia, and now Portland. Organizers designed the multi-day musical celebration to be accessible, representing various ages and abilities. Anyone who wants to bring an instrument and play can join pick-up bands throughout the festival.
HONK! PDX is seeking volunteers to help out during the festival. Event coordinators ask that interested participants fill out the sign-up sheet at the HONK! PDX Volunteer site. This free event does not need advanced tickets, and children are welcome. More information is available on the event website honkpdx.org.
Breakside Brewery recently announced plans to open a summer pop-up inside Moto PDX at 8826 SE Stark Street. Starting this weekend, they will transform the motorcycle cafe into a music-rich venue featuring a bratwurst-centric menu alongside a collection of the company’s beverages. The Breakside Pop-up is open Wednesday through Friday from 4 to 11 p.m. and on weekends from noon to 11 p.m.
The Breakside pop-up is family-friendly, with kids welcome inside the shop until 7 p.m. and even later for outside seating, where children can stay until 9 p.m. The June 30th launch features an indie-folk showcase. The Breakside team is excited to open a space in Montavilla and looks forward to meeting many of the residents.
After 46 years, Natural Furniture will permanently close its SE Stark Street home decor business. Shop owners Tammy and Rick Slagter plan to retire when the location’s lease ends in September. Store staff are selling through all inventory over the remaining months offering special discounts to clear out household furnishings from both the retail space and company warehouse.
Rick Slagter started Natural Furniture in 1977, and his wife Tammy joined the business in 1989. Seven years ago, the Slagters moved their unfinished-furniture store to Montavilla from its original location in the Lloyd District after losing their lease. “The people that owned the building over on 8th and Broadway sold it. We had been at the other store for 40 years. I was like, ‘Oh no, it’s just terrible.’ I hate change, but it all turned out for the best because this location was so nice,” remembers Rick Slagter.
The move to Montavilla prompted some changes for the business. They began to sell more home accessories alongside the furniture and expanded the number of finished pieces sold in addition to their unfinished product. “We didn’t do accessories at the other location,” explained Tammy Slagter, noting that 95 percent of items sold were unfinished wood furniture before the move. Now she estimates 70 to 80 percent of their business is related to unfinished furniture. They have also expanded to more exotic wood furniture in recent years as the industry shifted to meet changing customer demand.
The decision to close was complicated for the couple as the business is strong, and they enjoy the work. However, after a recent birthday, it seemed like a good time to plan for a new chapter in their lives. “I turned 70 last month in May, and our lease is up in September. I just didn’t want to sign another lease,” said Rick Slagter. “I’m ready to relax and go play, go to the beach, go do things.”
Since announcing the pending store closure, customers have come in talking about how sad this news is for them. Although the Slagters will miss the welcoming community and the multiple generations of customers, this spin-down is a happy event for them. They had not tried to sell the business, but that is still an option they would consider. “It’s been a great business for all these years. We did really well, and it’s a fun store too. There’s no hard sell. You just answer questions and write tickets. The furniture sells itself,” said Rick Slagter.
Some of the four staff have already found new employment, and the Slagters have provided a long lead time for people to find other work. Although the lease ends in September, the store will close to the public when they sell through the remaining inventory. Most of the shop’s 20 vendors have existing relationships with other retailers. However, Carey’s Unfinished Furniture worked almost exclusively with Natural Furniture, and its owner will also take this opportunity to retire.
Tammy and Rick Slagter are grateful for their customers and thank the Montavilla community for the support they have received over the years. They hope to see some of those people stop by before they close and pick up something special. They feel this storefront at 7960 SE Stark Street is a great location and are excited to see another retail business take over the space. Until then, they will be at the shop saying goodbye and letting the items sell themselves.
By
Jacob Loeb
Disclosure: A relative of the author worked for Natural Furniture several years ago.
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POIC began in 1967 as part of the national OIC of America network, an organization dedicated to providing black Americans access to job training programs. In 1983, the Portland group shifted services to struggling youth, later opening its first high school named after Executive Director Rosemary Anderson. That initiative has grown to support over 3,000 students across four high school campuses and one middle school. The education and opportunities nonprofit continues to use work training to reduce violence and improve lives.
Serving the community from the SE Stark Street location, Hiag Brown is Co-Director of POIC’s Community Care Team and the Trauma + Violence Impacted Family Program. Brown explained that people come to the organizations primarily through referrals from Police, school district staff, faith-based groups, or community members. “Once they come in, we do a risk analysis and figure out where they fall. Are they extremely high-risk? Do they really need a life coach or an intensive case manager? Or are they on the verge of getting into a gang, where we can find them a mentor,” said Brown.
After evaluating the person’s needs, the Community Care staff determines the next steps. Those steps can involve setting up a safety plan for individuals needing immediate guidance. “Safety plans are with the intensive case managers. It’s intensive because, for the first three months, it’s daily contact, meeting with them three times a week face to face. It’s consistency that is needed over time. They haven’t had somebody guide them in the right direction. It’s an 18-month process and part of best practices,” said Brown. That process involves developing a cooperative strategy stemming from a series of questions. “Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? What can we do? So it’s keeping them safe, keeping their family safe, making successful choices.”
A desire to remove yourself from a dangerous life is only the first step. It requires overcoming many barriers present in people’s environment. Brown explained that diverting someone into a job apprenticeship program is an essential part of their counseling work and a necessary step to making positive changes in people’s lives. “If they’re into that lifestyle, into drug dealing, that’s their source of income. So if you’re taking that away from them, what are you replacing it with?” Asked Brown. Even in a strong employment market, having a felony on your record can dramatically limit work opportunities. “As soon as they have a felony, people will just give up.” However, according to Brown, working around that limitation is where the organization excels. “We’re good at finding people jobs they can do with a felony and make a decent living. We’re putting them into these apprenticeship programs. We’re finding jobs through our work source, putting them into the culinary program if they want. So we’re finding all these positive things for them to do.”
Focusing on the future is insufficient to keep people on their chosen positive path. Counseling, mentorship, and continued support through life events contribute to POIC + RAHS’s success rate. “When there’s somebody that’s shot, our people get the call, and they’ll say, ‘my homeboy just got shot,’ ‘my brother got shot,’ whoever, it’s our life coach and intensive case managers there keeping them on track. ‘Remember what we’re doing. Do not lose sight of where you’re at. We’ll not step back into that lifestyle,'” explained Brown.
Hiag Brown acknowledges that gun violence is astonishingly prevalent despite the organization’s decades of work. He does not fully understand why there was a sudden increase but sees a few recent events contributing to the problem. “COVID did not help at all, but it was my opinion that when they got rid of the gun violence reduction team and didn’t have anything to replace them with, that hurt. Because those officers had built relationships with those high-risk individuals, and they weren’t as brazen as they are now, with carrying weapons and not worried about being pulled over.”
Despite that setback and increased community violence, Brown sees significant success in the organization’s work. “So they’ve done a great job of keeping them out of that lifestyle, and I couldn’t imagine what our shooting numbers would be like if we weren’t connecting with these people.” The increased attention to their work has helped expand operations, including opening up this centrally located office on SE Stark Street and raising pay for employees, many of whom come from the same background as the people they are helping. However, even as POIC + RAHS grows the scope of their work, keeping that support going after the shooting numbers come down will be a challenge. “Finding sustainable funding is a big part of it. [Eventually,] somebody says, ‘OK, now these shootings have gone down, we’re going to cut your funding.’ That’s usually what happens,” remarked Brown. A funding cycle that diminishes with signs of success can undermine the lasting effects of violence prevention programs like those that delivered historically low shooting numbers in the city before the pandemic.
The SE Stark Street POIC + RAHS location is closed to the public. The office hosts many support groups for people who have suffered trauma from violence or need the support of a community with shared experiences. It is a safe space where the turmoil of a person’s life does not follow them. Instead of greeting people as they walk in the doors, POIC + RAHS staff are out in the community serving Portland’s Eastside residents. People looking to support the organization can donate or partner with the group by offering internship opportunities at a business.
By
Jacob Loeb
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Today, Monday the 9th, one lane of SE Stark Street is closed to traffic west of SE 80th Avenue as crews working with NW Natural service a buried natural gas line. Excavation equipment and crew vehicles are currently blocking the north travel lane of the street. The planned maintenance required an open trench in the parking lane in front of 7821 SE Stark Street. When work completes for the day, the roadway can fully reopen. However, the parking space over the worksite will require payment repairs.
Expect traffic pattern disruptions throughout the day and future road repairs in this area.
By
Jacob Loeb
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