My name is Sarah Shaoul and I own Black Wagon. I’ve been an independent retailer in Portland for 15 years. In all of my time as a retailer, I can say that it has been less about the money and more for love of what I do AND a great desire to contribute positively to my community.
Big business has a great influence and control over the development of communities. They work with government to realize their profitable goals. It is important that more independent, local businesses get involved as do big businesses, meeting with local government, the community at large and other businesses.
I have spent a great deal of my time, as a retailer, advocating for communities and small business. Shopping locally strengthens a community, keeping dollars in the community.
There are so many businesses in this community that are working together, although they are not always in agreement, to improve this community. At business meeting there is always talk about how we can help out Boise Eliot School, AYOS and put on benefits for worthy charities. In the past year, Black Wagon donated to over 2 dozen school auctions.
I know that Eric wishes that we do not judge him, but I feel that he has judged me, my business and the many other businesses on this street that work hard to realize a vision along with the members of the community. Mississippi is a great street with great potential. It is a corridor used by many children to attend any of several schools and youth programs in the area. The businesses and community residents have made it a safe and friendly place for kids and families to walk and travel from school to home and back.
Lastly, I want to invite Eric to come and meet me and the other business owners that he has placed judgement upon. I invite Eric to work together with us to truly give back to the community. Now is also the time to unite, given the developments soon to start on the street. If we are united we can resist the kind of development, like chain stores and profit hungry businesses that don’t give a hoot about our community.

How does that jibe with closing your door and posting a sign to antagonize neighbors, strangers, and potential customers?

And please spare me the “diversity” and “neighborhood” nonsense. Diversity comes about when you’re nice to folks of all kinds.

I’m with Wanda. 100%. The arrogance, rudeness, entitlement, and gold-plated cluelessness on display here beggars belief.

I moved to the cheap and funky Hawthorne district before it became the “Thai Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Spendy Clothing Stores Blvd” that it is today. I’ve learned that this is just the natural progression of things. I guess condos over “cute” shops” is better than a McDonalds even without a drive up window!

All you can hope for when places change are some useful and decent shops. Nothing stays the same and it shouldn’t.

But man, I lament the demise of the NW Music Millennium. A trip there was my excuse to get a slice or 2 of Escape from NY. Even though SE Music Millennium is within walking distance. Now what?

“Maybe I’m a romantic fool for even voicing how broken hearted this has made me.”

No, you are a hypocritical fool for not seeing that you are directly to blame.

Hypocrisy, not romance.
You might want to look those words up.

I know, I know, it’s easier to write middle school vulgarity and hang it in your window to scold everyone else, but look in the mirror, because your villain is YOU.

You gentrify Mississippi.

“we did open during the first wave of serious gentrification on Mississippi.”

That’s you.

“We do contribute to the overall reconfigeration of the neighborhood into a destination spot for shoppers all across Portand, instead of a “town center” for people directly in our neighborhood.”

That’s YOU.

“at least 50% of our customers are young white consumers who could be dismissed as hipsters with a flick of the wrist.”

You again.

“I admit to all of this”

But it’s cool for you to do it, eh? Just not anyone else. Right?

Gee, is the gentrification YOU help to cause also what those you vulgarly rail against refer to as PROGRESS?

Why, yes. Yes it is.

F your “progress.”

You gentrify Mississippi.

The Internets are meaner than my jr. high school cafeteria, but I myself am a Renaissance Man because I put a sign in a window telling people to fuck off.

Well, this is my last communique on this or any other chat board, as these “diologues” are nothing but heart breaking & sad to me.

I will state the following in my defense-

1. I listed ways in which I am complicit in Mississippi streets’ soulless “progress” in order to point out that I am realistic in how my presence on the street has helped to create the situation which I criticize. I still consider myself a different type force in the Mississippi neighborhood overall than those I disdain. Just because I am white & own a business, does not mean that I can’t be a positive member of my community, & a vocal critic of what I see as economic & racial injustice in my neighborhood Call me a hypocrite if you wish, but I go to sleep well at night knowing that I have never screwed anyone over & have tried to run my business in a way that is respectful to the neighborhood I live in.

2.I actually agree with the history of gentrification as summed up by “Himself”…but I believe it is complicated enough to involve some of the “hipsters who discover the neighborhood” to be not entirely ignorant of there effect, & try to balance it with positive action. Just because I have inadvertantly opened the floodgates, does not mean I should not maintain a critical eye of other people & yes, my own actions. I guess the jury can still be out on whether my presence on the street has had an overall more negative than positive impact. I’d be lying if I said that there have not been times where I’ve been haunted by self doubt. Still- overall I have faith that I am not the monsterous hypocrite some seem to want to make me out to be, & that in the end my small store has been good for the neighborhood.

3. I realize that change is inevitable. I don’t expect the neighborhood to be sealed in amber at the point where I liked it & never change. I understand that my disdain for rapid progress that doesn’t take into account how unfair it is to lower income people who want to stay in this neighborhood is not the majority opinion.

Many people who I love & respect have been forced to leave this neighborhood, & many more are sure to go soon. Maybe I’m a romantic fool for even voicing how broken hearted this has made me. Maybe I should just surrender to the inevitability of economic & racial injustice disguising itself as progress.

Or, maybe not.

Keep love in your heart & don’t ever underestimate your enemies by assuming they are evil.

EXACTLY. He even admits that he is part of the problem, and yet he rails out against everyone ELSE for doing the same. Eric was part of gentrifying Mississippi. F HIS Progress.

He’s one of those “Do as I say, not as I do” people.

Eric says: “I admit to some complicity in the progress that I angrily damn on Mississippi.”

Absolutely.

I recommend he re-hang his “F Progress” sign and attach his own picture to it with a note that says “I Gentrify Mississippi.”

Again, using Eric’s own words. He said:
” Yes- Mississippi Records is a white owned business. Yes- we did open during the first wave of serious gentrification on Mississippi. Yes- We do contribute to the overall reconfigeration of the neighborhood into a destination spot for shoppers all across Portand, instead of a “town center” for people directly in our neighborhood. Yes, at least 50% of our customers are young white consumers who could be dismissed as hipsters with a flick of the wrist. I admit to all of this”

And then he said: “I felt a certain level of rage at the rapid growth of this neighborhood.”

He says: “Even minority opinions have a right to be voiced.”
Is that voice of the gentrified, or the gentrifier?

I’ve got a different F word for Eric. He is a fraud. He joins in the gentrification when it suits his own interest, and then rails against anyone else who does the same.

A fraud.

You can look at the history of any gentrified neighborhood in Portland — be it Northwest, Hawthorne, Belmont, or Alberta — and talk about how cool it was when the bohemians ruled, before all the money came in, back when regular slackers could afford the rent. The “cool” phase never lasts all that long in relative terms. It’s only that way until the real estate mongers figure it out and start cashing in.

The hipsters, having served their role, are then priced out and sent packing to find the next undiscovered* neighborhood.

*Undiscovered, as in, only inhabited by the poor folks who have been living there in a state of economic neglect for generations.

It seems to me that you could have avoided all this backlash if you’d simply omitted the “y” when you lettered your sign. That apparently would’ve been more accurate, too.