Restaurants and Retail

On a Bender

National chain stores in Bend outperform national averages. The retail sector here is growing faster than almost any other place in the state. What’s driving the boom?

Written by Tim Neville

The Food Pod Grows Up

Oregon’s first generation of food entrepreneurs created a brand based on quality and craftsmanship. Can the second generation sustain it?
Written by Amy Milshtein

Planter’s Punch

Molly Rogers believes she has found the solution to excessively syrupy cocktail mixes. She first just needs people to understand her product isn’t foliage.
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Salad Days

How Portland’s Garden Bar plans to become the Starbucks of salad.
Written by Ben Waterhouse

Store Bought

Market of Choice is on a tear. In 2012 the 35-year-old Eugene-based grocery chain opened a central kitchen/distribution center in its hometown. The market opened a third Portland store in the Cedar Mill neighborhood this year; a Bend outpost broke ground in March. A fourth Portland location is slated for the inner southeast “LOCA” development, a mixed-use project featuring condos and retail. Revenues in 2014 were $175 million, a double-digit increase over 2013. CEO Rick Wright discusses growth, market trends and how he keeps new “foodie” grocery clerks happy.

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Beyond Bodegas

BY JACOB PALMER

Five years in the making, the Portland Mercado — the city’s first Latino public market — will celebrate its grand opening April 11. A $3.5 million public-private partnership spearheaded by Hacienda CDC, the market will house 15 to 20 businesses in the food, retail and service sectors. It has some big-name funders, including the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and JPMorgan Chase. The project goals are equally ambitious: to improve cross-cultural understanding, alleviate poverty and spur community economic development. 

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