 Welcome to the Downtown Bend Newsletter, News from the ❤️️ of Bend! With the sunshine on the rise and Covid on the decline, there has never been a better time to get out and enjoy the historic heart of Bend. We are particularly excited to start enjoying all the lovely patios around downtown without four layers of winter gear on!
This week our favorite spot to grab drinks is Velvet, with a cocktail list that will inspire you to try something new! We long for the days when their signature group drink, ‘The Barrel’ is available again. However, for the time being we have been enjoying the sweet blend of maraschino liquor, fresh squeezed grapefruit affectionately known as the Hemmingway Daiquiri. Searching for a great new spot to grab a delicious and healthy snack, look no further than Blissful Spoon. You can find many of their products in your neighborhood grocery store, for an even tastier selection of scrumptious bites, swing by their new to the downtown location right off of Newport Ave. In-person or online, we've made it easy for you to support local Downtown Bend merchants: For a list of Downtown Bend businesses: click here, for online shopping links: click here, for curbside pick-up and delivery from Downtown Bend restaurants: click here.
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 Stroll along Wall Street in downtown Bend and you’ll have a hard time resisting the cheerful window displays of Clementine Urban Mercantile. Step inside the ultra-feminine shop and cheer will certainly be your shopping companion from start to finish. Part women’s clothing store, part high end handbag boutique, part housewares haven, Clementine is a destination that invites you to slow down and explore every display. Visitors can pick up tasteful Bend-branded mementos as well as handcrafted jewelry and soap made right here in Central Oregon. Seasonal items are carried in a constant rotation so there is always something new to discover and to tempt you. Paper goods and desk accessories lend a tongue-in-cheek air to any work spaces. Small paintings and other works of art rendered by the most talented hands are sure to delight. Treat yourself to a gorgeous new bag from Hobo, Ellington or Nino Bossi. Find tunics, yoga wear, sweaters, tees, and more in the softest fabrics and most flattering styles. Whether you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind gift or a pick-me-up for yourself, Clementine Urban Mercantile delights every time.
Thanks @visitbend for the article  Filson Field Flannel, this lightweight, comfortable, and dependable—a new Filson classic in the making. This is the perfect shirt for those transition seasons when you just don’t know what the weather is going to do. Built with durable midweight brushed cotton as soft as it is strong Military-grade melamine buttons are virtually unbreakable. Button-adjustable cuffs. Garment washed for a well-worn feel on day one. Available downtown at Revolvr menswear, as well as tons of other great styled shirts!
 It was a fabulous week in Downtown Bend!
This week we once again took a look at our alleys and invested in some deep cleaning, and some vendor management. Downtown Bend is in desperate need of more full community care in regards to alleyways in downtown. While the DBBA continues to put in every effort to keep alleyways clean, we can not do it alone. We need the support of the businesses, the vendors, and the City of Bend to bring our alleyways up to a higher standard. We also worked this week on getting ready for flowers and flower baskets! Whoohooo! Last year, COVID19 reduced our budget by ~50%, making it impossible for us to provide the usual flowers for our community. This year, even with our budget that continues to be reduced by the impact of COVID19, we are committed to finding the funding for flower baskets. We did, however, notice several flower hangers that are no longer useable, and flower planters that need a bit of refreshing. We are hoping to find ways to fix these assets before May. We are also looking at ways to redistribute our flower assets more uniformly throughout the EID. One of the really fun things that we did this week was begin to plan Oktoberfest 2021. We are reimagining Oktoberfest this year, and planning a 3-week long event. If you are interested in volunteering this year, please let us know. The DBBA is a small nonprofit dedicated to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend.
 Coconut Hibiscus Body Scrub with Organic Sugar at Oregon Body and Bath is ultra-gentle and guaranteed not to sting or irritate freshly shaven skin. Made with organic cane sugar and organic soybean oil, this natural scrub gently cleanses, lifts away dull skin and deeply moisturizes to leave your skin glowing. And unlike other scrubs, it won't separate or create an oily mess in the shower. Do yourself a favor and try this incredibly indulgent treat! The Scent: An intoxicating mix of mandarin, hibiscus blossom and apricot, blended with pure coconut - resulting in a soft, tropical fragrance that will have you dreaming of vacation.  Hot Box Betty is an upscale women’s boutique in the heart of Downtown Bend, Oregon, offering a unique collection of designer clothing, accessories and jewelry. Hot Box Betty strives to provide customers with a warm and welcoming experience while cultivating lasting relationships. With hand-selected pieces from New York, Paris, and beyond, Hot Box Betty stocks everyday essentials in women’s wear while incorporating emerging designers, luxury basics, and functional fashion-forward pieces to help you express your personal style. A local staple, a treasured destination shopping experience, Hot Box Betty strives to provide clients with closet favorites! Pop in, stay awhile; the Betties are here to help! Thanks @visitbend for the great description.  It was a week filled with accomplishments at the DBBA! As we've mentioned before, since the onset of the global pandemic, we've seen an increase in trash, litter, graffiti and stickers in the downtown core. Our team is meticulous in making sure that all of these unwanted items are removed/cleaned up before guest come into downtown and our stores open for the day. We are also looking at ways to add more flowers downtown this summer. We've been evaluating the best way to do this, including looking at redistributing our current 50 flower planters in downtown, adding additional planters, or adding additional hooks for baskets. We are currently in the R&D phase of this project, and should have more information on costs and options soon. We do want to celebrate, however, that we have placed our order for the 100 downtown flower baskets that will be installed in Downtown Bend for the summer of 2021. Due to the fact that we are still suffering a reduced budget due to COVID19, we are not sure at this time how we are going to pay for these assets, if you are interested in donating to our nonprofit that this dedicated to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend, click here. If you are interested in volunteering to help us fundraiser, click here. (Thanks!) After the summer of 2020 when we were unable to have flower baskets due to COVID19, the board hear the feedback from our community on the importance of these assets and is now working to find new ways to fund this important piece of our downtown beautification. This week, we our new Sales and Marketing director started. Developing this position will allow us to grow in several ways.
This week we also held a merchant meeting regarding parking changes in Downtown Bend, and held several meetings with stakeholders to gather all of the information and support needed to roll out the merchant validation program. The scope of the DBBA is vast, and this just touches on a few tiny pieces of the work we did this week, if you like to know more, please contact us. The DBBA is a small nonprofit dedicated to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend.
 It was an exciting week in Downtown Bend as we managed the first real snowstorm of the year. We hired extra seasonal help to make sure that we were able to keep downtown cleared and accessible. The City, DBBA, and downtown businesses worked together to keep downtown looking it's best! We worked with the Chamber of Commerce to learn about new legislation and weigh in on how those might impact small businesses. From issues big and small, the DBBA works hard to advocate for our small business community. We met with the City of Bend and Brooks Resources to further evolve the vision for the development, expansion and modernization of the business district. The DBBA board & staff is planning and preparing for the future of Downtown, that would love to hear from you! Click here if you'd like to share your thoughts. The EID proposal for 2021 was fully decided, and will go to City Council on 3/17. If you have any questions, please reach out to us. Additionally, we worked hard to develop the new merchant validation program, talked to a lot of folks about parking and worked with the COB and DPAC to further parking management in the downtown corridor.
The DBBA is a small non-profit dedicated to improving the economic vitality of Downtown Bend. |
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