Biz Beat 4-30-2015

We hear The Barn Light is looking at opening a new pub and restaurant down on lower 8th Avenue in the bottom floor of the new Northwest Community Credit Union. Sam Bond’s Garage opened Sam Bond’s Brewing across the street last year. That area near the U.S. Courthouse has a lot of potential with The Hub student housing nearby nearly completed and redevelopment coming for the EWEB riverfront property across the tracks. The EWEB property will bring 400 to 600 new housing units, a row of restaurants, offices and shops, maybe even a museum, and we hear Ed King of King Estate is eyeballing the old EWEB operations building with its bow truss roof. It’s a huge, open building, but not yet earthquake safe. We imagine a great winery on the high-ceiling main floor and a restaurant on the big balcony upstairs.

Eugene Yoga plans to open a new studio downtown in early May. Extensive renovations have begun to a 3,000-square-foot ground floor space at 245 E. Broadway, previously occupied by Lee World Travel and across the street from the Eugene Hotel. The new studio will bring a wide range of yoga styles to people of all ages, levels and abilities that live, work in or visit the downtown area, says Diane Butera, who co-owns Eugene Yoga with her husband, Lou Butera. “Yoga is about living vibrantly. We are thrilled to be part of the revitalization of downtown Eugene,” she says. Eugene Yoga’s original location is in the Tamarack Building at 3575 Donald St. The new studio downtown will offer more than 60 classes from early morning to late evening. Diane Butera can be reached at 520-8771 or through eugeneyoga.com.

Dean’s Famous Salsa was founded in Eugene in 1982 and evolved into La Salsa, LLC, and the International Food Court brand. The business will be expanding soon, according to owner Dean Miller. He will be taking on a partner who has “grown and packaged and distributed organic fruit most of his life and has deep roots in Oregon. I do not want to mention his name because we are about to close the deal, and I want his permission before I mention him.” Miller says the partnership will bring in “funds to grow the business big time.” La Salsa products are sold in most natural food stores in Eugene and all Market of Choice stores in Oregon, along with Whole Foods and Natural Grocers. Miller has lived in Eugene since 1973 but came here from Arizona. On one of his many trips to Mexico, he says, he fell in love with pico de gallo and discovered he could make it himself. 

Mountain Rose Herbs will host the Free Herbalism Project from 11:30 am to 5 pm Sunday, May 3, at Mount Pisgah Arboretum. Lectures will include author Susun Weed talking about “five simple herbs with pain-relieving, mood-improving and health-supporting properties.” All profits will go to support United Plant Savers. See freeherbalismproject.com.

New dates have been set for a series of workshops on Nonviolent Communication with Kristin Collier, titled “Growing Peace Through Compassionate Communication.” The Saturday morning sessions, a fundraiser for the nonprofit Eugene Peace Choir, will be May 2 and 16, and June 6 and 13. Suggested donation for the series is $100, but no one will be turned away. Call 968-5896 or email julia@eugenepeacechoir.com. 

Local entrepreneurs and enthusiasts will gather on May 2 for Fertilab Thinkubator’s second annual Pitch Stream, an event that will feature 15 startup companies pitching their ideas to judges for the chance to win a $2,000 cash prize. The event will begin at noon Saturday at the Wildish Community Theater in Springfield. The winners will be announced at an after party at a location to be announced. 

Hoodoo Ski Area ended its 2014-15 season last week after a second bad snow year and is offering season pass holders some options, including rollovers to next year and even refunds of this year’s and last year’s season passes. Hoodoo, owned by Chuck Shepard for the past 15 years, hopes to make up some of its losses with a longer camping season. Hoodoo manages 150 campgrounds in Oregon and Washington, and some of those campgrounds have opened early due to the warmer weather. Campgrounds on the Metolius River and in the Deschutes National Forest opened in late March due to receding snow.