Survey finds optimism among downtown Portland businesses
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While some familiar problems persist, downtown business owners are feeling good about the future. Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Five years after COVID shutdowns left downtown Portland deserted, there are new signs of life — and optimism — among those who do business there.
Why it matters: The city's small business owners say they have seen substantial improvements in safety, cleanliness and have renewed optimism about the future, per an annual survey from Downtown Clean & Safe.
Context: The nonprofit that provides services to a 213-square-block area of downtown said that 322 businesses responded to the survey conducted in January.
By the numbers: The number of businesses reporting theft or shoplifting incidents dropped from 47% in 2023 to just over 30% in 2024.
- In 2023, more than 45% of businesses reported some employees quit over safety concerns. That number dropped to less than 30% last year, per the survey.
- There was also a 20% decrease in reported physical damage to storefronts.
What they're saying: Jared Bradley, co-owner of the spookily-themed bar Raven's Manor, said he's seen big changes since his establishment opened in 2021 near SW First and Oak.
- "When I first got here, it was an absolute ghost town," he told Axios. "Really just this last year alone, it's been changing a lot. It actually feels like a real city again."
- Jade Joseph, co-owner of the hybrid cafe-marketplace Based General Store, which opened downtown last year, said Portland's reputation as a city in decline doesn't reflect her experience.
- "People have decided they're not going downtown, and they haven't come to see for themselves the change," she said. "There's new energy."
Yes, but: Some of the area's most intractable problems still persist.
- 78% of businesses said the city still needed to make improvements on homelessness.
- More than half said the city still needed to work on safety, crime, cleanliness and vandalism.
- When asked about business performance, 75% said it was the same or worse than the previous year, up from 70% in 2023.
Bradley also noted that businesses in Portland pay some of the highest tax rates in the country, and sometimes it can feel like they don't get much in return.
The big picture: Despite all that, Joseph said she's found downtown Portland to be welcoming, with a tight-knit community among small business owners and residents.
- "We know our neighbors. We know the folks that live around here. We see the same folks walking to work," she said. "Everyone's checking in on each other. Everyone's investing in each other."
What's next: Bradley feels confident enough in the future of downtown that he and his business partners are planning an expansion with a new "witchy" frozen custard shop and an espresso speakeasy set to open downtown in May.
- Joseph said the seeds for regrowth have been planted, and "with genuine, authentic, good experiences, downtown will have the foundation as a great place to be."