Uroboros Glass Company

In 1973, in the early days of the American Glass Studio Movement, the local art glass factory Uroboros Glass was born. Traditionally, glass was a substance suited for commercial production only, demanding the infrastructure of a large industrial plant. All that changed in the 1960’s when craftsmen began to make strides in developing small scale glass studios for individual artists. What followed was a very exciting time in the history of the medium of glass, when independent artists with access to these studios (mostly in universities around the U.S.) began to experiment and create one-of-a-kind objects of their own.

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Eliot’s Best Kept Secret

The Columbia River Model Railroad Club
The Columbia River Model Railroad Club

At a very busy intersection where cars, bicycles and buses pass every day is a building that a lot of Portland residents have probably never entered.  However, each weekend during the month of November, everyone who is simply curious or an avid collector is welcome to join in the fun in exploring the largest model railroad exhibit west of the Mississippi.

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New Art Gallery

Eliot is becoming more of a cultural destination every day.  On October 2nd, Eliot’s newest art gallery opened its doors in the building that houses Bridges Café. Lloydean Presents art gallery, is owned and operated by Jullie Lloydean.  Former office manager turned gallery owner, Lloydean is excited to start her next epic journey with a creative space that hopefully will be officially included in First Friday Eastside Artwalk. Lloydean is trying to get First Friday to expand their boundaries to include her gallery.  The gallery will be open  Tuesday through Friday noon to 6:00pm and Saturday and Sunday noon to 5:00pm.

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Torrain: A Recycled Goods Shop

Torrain Bags
Nyla Jano
Nyla Jano

Nyla Jano, owner of Torrain here in Portland, was designing the women’s line for a skate company in California when she realized she was not doing enough. Her background working with environmental organizations and social work companies sparked a need to help others. “I always felt weird being just a clothing designer,” Jano said. And so, she teamed up with artisan groups in Cambodia to create a bag line made from recycled materials, such as rice bags, fish feed bags, cement bags, and magazines.

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Neighborhood Fusion Fitness Studio

Mod Physique
Jessa outside Mod Physiquue

Mod Physique opened in Eliot September 2013. You may have spotted them on the corner of Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and Graham Street with the A frame sign of a girl in a ballet pose. Mod Physique is a fusion class of high intensity cardio, weights, ballet barre, and Pilates exercises. Their classes work every major muscle group in your body creating long lean muscle vs. bulk. Each week the class changes to keep the body challenged and prevent people from getting complacent. The class also works your heart, coordination, balance, and endurance. The owner, Jessa Freeman created it to keep herself and her Zumba® Fitness students in shape. “I can walk into a ballet class and keep up even after 7 years of not being in the studio,” one customer said. What attracts people to the studio? The challenging classes for a variety of fitness levels with personal attention and the fun environment. You may find yourself working muscles you didn’t know existed.

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Portland Team Fitness has arrived

By Annie Rudwick

PTF Alayne Annie
Alayne Rowan, left and Annie Rudwick, right, at PTF.

Walking around Eliot, there is a wide range of restaurants, coffee shops, and retail, everything from barbershops to the Nike Outlet store. There are parks and a first rate hospital, even a brand new grocery store. With first rate bike lanes, great bars, and public transit, what more could you ask for? Ah, but what about a place to work out? When I moved into Eliot in March 2008, I was hoping for a fitness studio close to my house. Luckily, Portland Team Fitness arrived on NE MLK right across Fremont in the King Neighborhood Area in May 2008.

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Bella Mi Soap Company

By Katie Hughes

Bella Mi Sign
Bella Mi’s sign on Williams

Bella Mi Soap Company is one of the newest additions to the North Williams Corridor. At a time when many products you find on the shelves are laden with chemicals or tainted by greenwashing, it’s refreshing to find a business that actually lives up to the principles of sustainability.

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Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider

Rev Nats Taproom
Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider Taproom

You may recall last September seeing promotional materials for a block party in the southern part of the neighborhood. That same weekend Portland had that unseasonal cold rainy and windy storm. The block party was supposed to be Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider welcome to the neighborhood. Unfortunately it did not happen, but Rev Nat’s is still here.

The cidery and public taproom is located in the newly refurbished “Trade Bindery” building. The bulk of their space is the cidery where apples are turned into bubbly beverages. However, they reserved a small portion for the “public taproom” where you can go and taste a flight of cider, get a pint, or buy a bottle to take with you.

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