Laughing Horse Book Collective has lost its lease!

Books will never be obsolete. Internet cannot compare. I love the solid feel of a real book in my hands, something i can take anywhere with no hassle. I love LHB & will go buy a book & will follow it wherever it goes. Btw, it has more than books, as i noted in a previous post.

This is just another example how urban renewal to the upscale chases out existing tennants. One warning to southeast Portlanders, as you neighborhoods upscale, you can expect rents and property taxes to rise.

Rents are way cheaper, vacent buildings abound, and we really need a bookstore--you'd fit right in. I know you will probably run into the same problem in another 20 years as this area cleans itself up, but in the meantime, you could have another good run in a great neighborhood.

Foster Road is another area with cheaper commercial spaces for rent, and that neighborhood could certainly use a good bookstore.

This is a terrible loss. I hope somehow things work out.

however, the rent might be more than expected....worth lookin' into. good luck lhb!

Gentrification at work. Unfortunately, I live in Eugene, but if worse comes to worse, theres more than a few nice locations here that I could point you to.

Lents Town Center has several vacant storefronts that are available CHEAP! Contact the Portland Development Commission for details. Bus 14 stops nearby, plus the new light rail will be just blocks away. Hurry, hurry , hurry, before the yups start sniffing around!

Not sure if it is even available but at least it is somewhat close to the current location would be old Info Shop on SE Clinton.

North Interstate would be great! There are some low cost storefronts to be had between Killingsworth and Lombard, just a step off of MAX. Plus SE Division and SE Hawthorne have turned into Hipstervilles anyway. It sure ain't the Hawthorne of 10-15 years ago. It's like the sandal and poncho clad people who live around Golden Gate Park these days, or off Telegraph in Berkeley, who don't at first look like yuppies until you see them climb into their BMW SUVs and strap their $3,000 set of snowboards on the roof. The real grass roots progressives these days are in North/Northeast--Mississippi, Alberta Arts, Cathedral Park, Columbia Park, etc.

Is there a buisiness that laughing horse could take on that would make a space profitable enough to buy? Maybee the collective could buy a space. Start a cafe, bookstore? Renting is a trap. If you continue to rent you are subject to future inflation, gentrification, and all that. If you buy then eventually the payments go away. Is it true that reflections books closed down a while back? Maybee you could team up, and get a grant for a down payment. Are there any groups that would be interested in going in on somthing like this, and saving our community book store, and meeting center?

A (cheap?) space just opened in Hollywood at 42nd and Sandy where the fabric store just moved out of next to the 42nd street station. Hollywood is central to SE and NE too.

Workerbee - could you post an e-mail so the community can start throwing you contacts we may have...

Thanks,

hey folks, perhaps some of you dont realize that there is already a radical/community bookstore in the interstate area, it is called blackrose collective bookstore and it is at 4038 N mississippi. it sucks that laughing horse has to move, but there is no reason to saturate an area with radical bookstores.

alberta also isnt the greatest idea because in other words recently moved to killingsworth and expanded their selection.

the hollywood idea sounded good, or some place where there isnt a radical bookstore nearby. its tough to think of a place for laughing horse to move, becasue radical bookstores bring radical people/artists/eccentric people and those type of people are what draw attention to an area. and that attention usually brings more business which brings more different types of people and then more people want to live closer and then the radical bookstore is pushed out by rising rents, as well as the artists and other eccentric people.

i hope laughing horse finds a good place, and maybe even looks at buying options.

A new concert space called The Artistry recently opened in a pretty large building at 4315 se Division, I don't know what kind of people run it, but it might work at least as a temporary spot until you can find a more permanent place.

Areas of the city marked as Urban Renewal areas by the PDC will have a) lower rents and b) money available to businesses that want to move in and fix up a place. Check it out:

 http://www.pdc.us/ura/default.asp

Hey don't some of the people work with City Bikes ? Is there any space the store could fit at one of the city bikes stores ? It would have probably been an idea to start thinking about and saving 20 years ago to save and possibly buy a space...

NoPo guy....There are already 2 Community bookstore in North Portland...



Blackrose Collective Bookstore & community Freecycling Space is in the Boise neighborhood,which will be celebrating it's 1 year anniversaryfor the bookstore on June 3rd, and 5 year anniversary for the free porch,4038 N.Mississppi Ave,between N.Shaver & N.Mason..Blackrose Collective bookstore,Is a community owned,all volunteer run business based on the principles of cooperation not competition.Serving the cultural and economic diversity of our neighborhood.Blackrose seeks to provide the education & tools for people to recognize and respond to all forms of oppression.

4038 N.Mississippi Ave,Portland,OR 97227
 blackrosecollective@riseup.net
OPEN: Tuesday thru Sunday Noon till 8pm

And there is also the newly opened

In Other Words books,in the Humbolt neighborhood at, 8 NE Killingsworth, on the corner at N. Williams:/www.inotherwords.org/NASApp/store/IndexJsp

I would not move to the BLACK ROSE AREA if ya put a gun to my head
first you put the anarchist bookstores then comes the starbucks!
We will not move in on our sisters and brothers in struggle, and of course help spread the evils of gentrafication.

so much support for us is great and much appreciated. does anyone have a specific address for us to check out? we are trying to stay in s.e., but are running out of options for viable spaces. and we appreciate spreading radical info throughout the city, so don't worry black rosies.

keep up the ideas and info and cut the competition sass. we can all get along and need to focus on saving laughing horse.

We have no no no (no, etc...) ambitions for a spot in North Portland. We realize that you folks are making making grand progress there. We need help finding a joint here in S.E. In order to keep all of most progressively-minded bookstores available to the Portland order, please help us find a great spot here in our back yard.

Thank you,
Juniper
Laughing Horse Collective Member

Hey, what about the old cascadia rising info shop, I think that's still empty ?. There is also an old community grocery store that went out of business soon after New Seasons opened, and that still sits empty.It needs some love and attention both on clinton below se21st.

What about the idea of utilizing a city bikes space ?

As the title say, a rest home. It is about time you folks got moved aside for something better and new. EVOLUTION BABY

Habitat for Humanity Portland is leasing space on 15th and Killingsworth- I agree that Alberta neighborhood would be a great place for the bookstore, because there isn't one in the neighborhood and your store would be great. I used to work at Big Brothers Big Sisters which previously used that space.

L.h.b.
has had many members-former black panthers, revolutionaries, anarchists, feminists, and the ocasional crazy person.
Oh yeah communists, and socialists too but no aging hippies as far as I can see.
We will continue to fight for the people's right to a safer space to meet and have events, as well as educational materials, look for our book tables and although we sometimes can't even agree on lunch, we all agree however that we are forever the people's servants!

I missed the email that about Other words moving in on N. Killingsworth- ( young baby tugging at me, got distracted) I guess a positive for people in NE looking for a progressive neighborhood bookstore to walk or bike to. Good luck on a spot in SE- Laughing Horse is such a great community resource.

Scientology moved out of their place on NE Sandy and 20th a couple months ago and place is still for leae.

Ever thought about Milwaukie? Things are changing and new energy is coming in now- - alternative health practices. a new coffee house, a riverfront park in the planning stages, some new commercial construction, etc. The downtown could really use a book store like Laughing Horse. You would have good stablemates like Darkhorse Comics and the Wind Horse Coffee House.Check it out!