First Friday Haps

First Friday’s upon us once again, with its customary batch of art openings and parties on E Burnside and beyond. If you want to see something new, head down to Redux (811 E Burnside #110) for their grand re-opening party (6-9:30-ish pm) celebrating their newly expanded space. Says proprietor Tamara Goldsmith of the expansion, and of doing so in tough times:

As for the risky decision to move forward despite these shaky times, I guess there are several reasons;

The first is we desperately needed more space! We were expanding from what was a closet.. it just wasn’t enough room to contain all the artists and designers we now carry (over 120!) plus a decent office and storage space. We’d needed more space after our first year in business, and had been hoping, planning and waiting for more space to come available long before the economic downturn. I love our building and district and was hoping to be able to stay in it, but if something hadn’t come available soon, we would have needed to consider moving out completely to a larger place.

I have been very impressed by Portland shoppers’ intense focus on spending locally and sustainably, in order to save our small businesses and encourage local economic growth. I hear time and time again, customers constantly let me know that they are spending consciously, and are very concerned that we not lose our vitality as a city and that it’s important now more than ever that we put our money where our mouth is. After the conversations I have had with many locals who tell me that if given a choice to spend money at Walmart or at Redux, they choose us because it is critical in these times to pay attention to where their dollars go. Portlanders are smart, and realize the importance of not just PARTICIPATING in the economy in order to keep it going, but in focusing where and how you spend.

Seeing this amazing level of consciousness and local support since last October, I am looking at this business more long term. Even if retail sales are currently suffering across the board, economies fluctuate and I have faith that consumer confidence will strengthen and continue to ebb and flow has it has throughout the ages.

I also made the final decision after the election, and have witnessed not only local support but also have a tremendous amount of faith in our new President and his policies and administration. President Obama’s philosophy to encourage the individual do his/her part and work together as a community is what will eventually get all of us through this economic quagmire, and make us strong and prosperous again.

What she said. And just to give you an idea of why they need the space:

Other goings on of note:

Frank James (729 E Burnside #103) is hosting artist Katy Parish (6-9 pm), plus they’ve extended their sale through Valentines Day and are even considering barter offers for merchandise.

Nationale (2730 E Burnside) is having its very first First Friday (6-9 pm), with Niles Armstrong, Dana Dart-Mclean, Carson Ellis, Edward Jeffrey Kriksciun, Clea Partridge, Tim Root, and Ryan Jacob Smith. Plus, you might want to pick up some of this soap, which takes multi-tasking to the extreme. The traditional French cube can be cut up and divvied around the house to use on everything from the dishes and stove to your skin and hair. Nationale’s May Juliette Barruel tells me she doesn’t even need to use hair conditioner with it—she’s got a short ‘do and mine’s long, though, so I’m hoping it will work on my tangles, but I have not yet tested it.

Olio United (1028 SE Water) is featuring the work of four artists this month in their PLYWERK-based show (PLYWERK is a local company that makes blank wood panels from sustainably harvested wood, to be used to mount photos or as a canvas), including locals Betsy Walton, Yellena James, and Kim Oahn Nguyen (also the co-founder of PLYWERK), as well as Joanna Bean, out of Los Angeles. Prices start at only $35, and tonight’s opening party is 6-8 pm.

A piece by Nguyen

And if you are so inclined to go the extra mile before heading out, Blush (513 NW 23rd) is having its monthly Flirty First Friday deal, where a $30 makeup application is redeemable in product.