Biz Beat 3-28-2013

Eugene Bicycle Works is a new nonprofit community bike shop in Eugene. It partners with local retail bike stores to collect used bike parts as part of the Bucket Full O’ Parts project at the Center for Appropriate Transport. Donated parts are used to build affordable bikes for youth and people with limited resources. The public can drop off used bike parts at any of the participating shops, such as Arriving by Bike, Collins Cycle Shop, Hutch’s Bicycles, Life Cycle Bike Shop, Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life, REI, Simply Cycle or 10/10 Cycles. See catorgeon.org or call Noah Roberts at 683-3397.

Dates have been set for the 30th annual Art and the Vineyard Festival at Alton Baker Park. The festival is always associated with the Fourth of July and last year the holiday was on Wednesday, which complicated scheduling. This year is better. The Fourth falls on a Thursday so that day and that evening’s Freedom Festival Fireworks will kick off the popular art, wine and music event, which will run through Saturday, July 6. The festival is a major fundraiser for the Maude Kerns Art Center, supports regional artisans and attracts about 30,000 people. The deadline for applications for artists who want to participate is March 29. For information on sponsorship, vending, performance and volunteering, call 345-1571 or visit mkartcenter.org

The Many Rivers Group Sierra Club will have its first official office in Eugene starting in early April, according to Sally Nunn, club chairperson. The office will be in the Growers Market building, 454 Willamette St. No phone number yet, but to volunteer in the office, contribute or otherwise help out, email sally.nunn@ore gon.sierraclub.org or find the local chapter at oregon.sierraclub.org

Kitsch-22, the vintage clothing store and art gallery at 1022 Willamette St. in Eugene, will have a grand opening under its new ownership from 6 to 9 pm during the First Friday Artwalk April 5. Featured works will be from local artists Richard Quigley, Wendi Kai, and Marie Slatton-Valle. New owners are Allison Ditson, Rebecca Welton and Norman Lent. Kitsch was bought in December from Mitra Chester of Deluxe and Aaron Chester of Perk Espresso. It was renamed Kitsch-22 by the new owners.

We mentioned Springfield Farmers Market in this column back on March 7, but failed to say that it changed its name last fall to Marketplace@Spout! It’s located at 4th and A streets in Springfield and is open from 3 to 7 pm on Fridays. Sprout! is planning a “Stalkholder Meeting” from 4 to 8 pm Saturday, April 20, with lots of food, beverages, live music, dancing, auction and prize giveaways. Suggested donation is $5.

SheerID is a new national business based in Eugene providing merchants and service providers with opportunities to offer discounts to verified active duty military personnel and their families, and other targeted groups. David Shear, Marci Hansen and Jake Weatherly are co-founders. “We are a team of marketing geeks, programming whiz kids and creative account advisors who are transforming the world of ecommerce,” reads the company’s mission statement at sheerid.com

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!