Joanie Kleban tells us Greater Goods will be ending its regular hours after Saturday, March 29, and will be open off and on during April. Kleban is retiring after 23 years and is selling off her extensive inventory of hand-crafted, fair-trade goods from around the world. The store is on High Street across from Fifth Street Public Market. What’s next? She already has an online store, greatergoodsonline.com, but is talking about taking a “sabbatical for a while and see what’s next.” Track her and the April store schedule, including a big sales event April 11-12, on her website or on Facebook. She is also collecting email addresses at her store.
That new construction happening across from Crescent City Park on Coburg Road is a new senior complex called Crescent Park Senior Living. The facility is slated to open in the fall and will accommodate 119 residents and employ about 50 full- and part-time employees. The executive director will be Jill Krupoff, who has had experience in senior living administration both locally and in Seattle. Crescent Park is owned by the Colorado-based Spectrum Retirement Communities, which operates 27 facilities in 11 states.
AppNexus Engineering Manager Eric Anderson will speak at SmartUps at the Pub from 5 to 7:30 pm Thursday, March 27, at the Oregon Electric Station, 27 E. 5th Ave. Other presenters will include InStove, which will be opening its first foreign stove factory in Nigeria, and SurpaSensor Technologies, which is applying scientific methods to entrepreneurship through the development of nitrate sensors for agriculture. Oregon Electric Station has new owners and will be closing soon after this event. The April SmartUps event is expected to be at the Downtown Athletic Club.
Exceptional Health Care in Eugene is a membership-based medical practice beginning its third year in business. Owner is Steven J. Butdorf, M.D., who has been in practice for 30 years in the Eugene-Springfield area. He says his clinic is providing “a new option for individuals, families and businesses looking for an alternative way of obtaining primary care medical services in this era of the Affordable Care Act.” The clinic is located at 1755 Coburg Road, call 746-7073.
A second free small business clinic is planned for 5 to 7 pm Thursday, March 27, at the Eugene Public Library. Sponsored by the LCC Small Business Development Center and SCORE. Topics include “Start and Grow an Arts & Crafts Business.” Pre-registration required, call 682-5450. The next clinics will be from 5 to 7 pm April 3 and April 24, also at the Eugene Public Library. Focus will be on running or starting a small business. Sign up in advance for a no-cost, individual and confidential 30-minute session with a SCORE counselor.
Eugene Weekly’s free Spring Wellness Summit will be from noon to 6 pm Saturday, March 29, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th Ave., sponsored by International Fitness and 20 other local businesses and health care providers. Bev Smith of Kidsports will be among the speakers and the event features fencing and martial arts demonstrations, organic makeup makeovers, group yoga, live music and much more. For more information, call 484-0519 or see our special pull-out section this week.
The Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference that sold out in Ashland will be repeated on a larger scale from 10 am to 5 pm Sunday and Monday, March 30-31, at the Hilton in Eugene. Medical marijuana business owners and political leaders from across Oregon and the West Coast will be there, as well as an exhibit hall for cannabis-related industries, says organizer Alex Rogers. Speakers include Troy Dayton, Don Duncan, Aaron Smith, Oregon Sen. Floyd Prozanski, Anthony Johnson and attorney Amy Margolis. Registration is $349. See ommbc.com.
The 15th annual That’s My Farmer! celebration will be from 6 to 8 pm Tuesday, April 1, at First United Methodist Church, 13th and Olive. Representatives of a dozen local farms will be on hand to talk about Community Supported Agriculture and raise money to subsidize the cost of CSA boxes for low-income families. Sliding-scale donation of $5 to $15 suggested.