It's not easy running a business in good times, let alone during a pandemic requiring so many shops, stores, restaurants, and offices to shut down their public facing facilities. Here in Portland, our small businesses--the shops and restaurants, bars and bookstores, artist studios, coffee roasters, yogis, makers, retailers, and manufacturers--are the lifeblood of our city. Here's how you can support them in this era of social distancing. 

As if it's not bad enough to be termed "non-essential," businesses in Portland--from book stores to art shops to music purveyors and more--have been faced with local restrictions that have prohibited them from pursuing any form of revenue stream during the COVID-19 pandemic. I've been hearing from A LOT of folks on this one over the last few days, and here's the gist of what I've been writing in response.