January 13, 2003
Ladd's Neighborhood Hub
Today's Oregonian has an interesting look at the now-closed Ladd Circle Grocery, which stood at the center of Ladd's Addition -- and stood as something of a neighborhood hub:
Audra Carmine worked at the Ladd Circle Grocery in Southeast Portland for six years, before the store closed its doors for good Dec. 31.
She left the job at times during those years to have children and travel, but she always came back to the store. Stocking the shelves and selling the products were not the first priority -- being a crossroads for the community was.
"This wasn't a capitalist endeavor," said Carmine, who lives in the Ladd's Addition neighborhood where the store was located. "It was a humanist endeavor."
Local residents are apparently preparing a business plan to open a cooperative grocery in the same location. Admittedly, part of what drew me to this story was the owner's focus on community over money, and his self-professed "lack of business experience" -- both of which pretty much sum up my failed career as operator of the Millennium Cafe (which existed not all that far away from Ladd's Addition, at the intersection of SE 21st and Clinton.
So, feeling his pain (as it were) -- and that of his customers and community -- I wish the neighborhood's residents well in their attempt at a cooperative venture.