Biz Beat 9-10-2015

Last week in this column we wrote about Barbara’s Soaps, a booth at Saturday Market, and we hear from owner Barbara Hascall that her booth has been banned from the market pending mediation. “We went to the board meeting Wednesday (Sept. 3) and thought we had a sympathetic audience,” Hascall says. “I’m still surprised by this.” The market had gotten complaints about excessive odors emanating from the booth with its 50 soaps, shampoos and lotions. Last week Kim Still of the Market told EW that Hascall would not get the boot right away, but rather the Market’s Standards Committee will “make a guideline that she and any other producer of scented products will be required to follow in order to sell their product,” and “at that point it will be her choice whether to adjust her products or her display to meet the guidelines or not.” Barbara Hascall and her husband, David, are trying to expand their business online at barbarasoaps.com and etsy.com.

Big buzz in the 5th Street Public Market about the new Provisions Market Hall. Its grand opening will be from 5 to 9 pm Thursday, Sept. 10. Provisions has expanded into the former Hartwick’s Kitchen & Store space and this is a classy European-style market with the best of local products for sale — meat from Long’s, fish from Newman’s, produce from Farmers Market, expanded bakery, cookware and gifts, specialty food and groceries. Blackboard is a new cafe and bar in the middle of it. We wonder how it will compete with Whole Foods coming nearby soon. Not to worry. Stephanie Kimmel, the brains behind the new venture, knows the way to this community’s belly better than anybody out there.

The national nonprofit Girls on the Run has a Willamette Valley chapter that “focuses on teaching girls in elementary and middle school self-empowerment and confidence while also running workouts with the girls in order for them to achieve the feat of running a 5K at the end of the program.” An informal gathering to learn about the organization is planned for 7 pm Monday, Sept. 14, at RunHub Northwest, 515 High Street. For more information, email carleen.mckillop@girlsontherun.org or visit gotrwillamette.org.

The Clean & Sober Motorcycle Club is hosting a fundraiser from 11 am to 1 pm Sunday, Sept. 13, at 2525 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. across from Autzen Stadium. Donations go to Candlelighters, a charity for children with cancer. The event features a motorcycle show, facial hair and tattoo competitions, a barbecue and more. Call 868-4474 for more information.

The seventh annual Eugene Pearl District Block Party will be from 4 to 7 pm Thursday, Sept. 10, downtown along Pearl Street. The free event attracts thousands of people and a raffle this year will be a fundraiser for Ophelia's Place — A Community for Girls. The event features free food, drinks and a variety of activities provided by each participating business. One of the organizers is Sean Vierra, a massage therapist who is the owner of The Pearl Day Spa. Call 683-3377, ext. 104 for more information.

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