Earlier this year, the store has grown. Wren & Wild expanded their location to offer a larger space for their employees and customers to find what products work best for them through hair classes and make-up tutorials. "We get such a kick out of helping our clients find the perfect skincare routine and makeup," Butera said. "It feels so good when we know we have made someone feel good about their complexion and have started a long-term relationship with us." 

Wren and Wild
112 NW Minnesota Avenue
541-480-3252

February 14th is always a special day in Downtown Bend. A day where families, lovers, and community come together and share love throughout Downtown. For the past eight years on Valentine's Day, students, teachers, and families from The Waldorf School of Bend have come down early in the morning to Downtown and hang up knitted hearts. Each heart can be found on businesses, telephone poles, and trees. They are meant to be taken from the spot they are found and given to someone as a way to share love to family and friends. 

"Hearts have been lovingly made by our school community, residents at Fox Hollow, employees of WoolTown, and volunteers from Healing Reins," teacher, Rebecca McGuire, said. This year over 2,000 hearts were made and delivered throughout the town. 

​Love was also shared by the Boys and Girls Club of Bend. The children wrote 40 Valentine's Day cards that were delivered by the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) staff to businesses in Downtown Bend. 

"We are so happy that Boys & Girls Club of Bend could help spread the love across our community," Baylee Maloney, Development and Outcomes Associate, said. "We're so grateful to partner with the businesses Downtown and spread kindness this Valentine's Day!" 

Bronwen Jewelry has been a treasure in Downtown Bend for many years. Recently, the business is getting Olympic-level attention. Bronwen Jewelry has teamed up with U.S. Olympian Nordic Skier, Novie McCabe.
 
McCabe is from Winthrop, Washington. She is a rising star on the Nordic racing circuit. “Nordic skiing is a lifelong sport,” McCabe said. “I’m excited and passionate about it, not just the results, but for the lifestyle.”
 
McCabe and her mom have been customers at Bronwen Jewelry for many years and a friendship was formed. Now, McCabe is their newest ambassador. “Our ambassador team is very small and we are like family,” Bronwen Jewelry owner, Bronwen Lodato, said. “We have grown our team of awesome women through organic, authentic connections just like this one.”

​As an ambassador, McCabe will be wearing Bronwen Jewelry in photoshoots and at the Beijing Olympics! When asked how she feels about her jewelry being worn at the Olympic games, Lodato was giddy. “Our customer community literally does amazing things all the time and I’m equally thrilled for them,” she said. “I’m no less thrilled that Novie feels RAD wearing our jewelry in Beijing and every other day for that matter.”
 
McCabe says she loves wearing jewelry and has worn Bronwen Jewelry’s line of active, water-friendly necklaces, earrings, and bracelets for years. “I’m almost always in athletic clothes,” she said. “I’m sweaty and gross. Wearing jewelry makes me feel better.”
 
Novie’s favorite pieces include; Stretch Halo Bracelet, Double Beleza Bracelet, Goldweave Necklace, and the stacking Sun Disc rings. You can find all these items on Bronwen Jewelry’s website.
 
Be sure to watch Novie McCabe and all the U.S. Olympians on NBC from now until February 20th.

The Community Tree Lighting, hosted by the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA), and the Bend Christmas Parade, hosted by the Christmas Parade Committee, are annual events in historic Downtown Bend, Oregon that take place the first weekend of December.

Thank you, Miguel Edwards Photography, for the great photos of this lovely community event! 

​Bend, Oregon –
The Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) is a small nonprofit dedicated to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend by enhancing the experience, image, and lifestyle of the Downtown Bend Economic Improvement District (EID).  This includes everything from the daily sweeping of sidewalks and removal of debris and graffiti to large-scale advocacy and grant writing. 
 
Recently the DBBA submitted a grant to Greetings Tour for a large-scale ‘Bend’ mural to be installed in the historic downtown core of the City of Bend.  For more information on this grant selection process, click here.

​“We are incredibly excited about this partnership,” says Mindy Aisling, Executive Director of the Downtown Bend Business Association, “Tourism is the catalyst that transformed our community when we set aside the historic resource extraction trades, and we rely on it to this day for the well-being of our Bend residents.  This mural will directly impact the draw to visit our historic downtown and it will help our small business community thrive for years to come.”
 
Bend City Council recently changed City of Bend code to allow for murals throughout the City of Bend, paving the way for this project.  This was made official by a vote of City Councilors on June 5th, 2019.
 
Teafly Peterson said, in her 2019 Source article, “Murals give us a platform to speak to each other and to our visitors, telling the story of the people who live here and their dreams for the future.”  The Downtown Bend Business Association is eagerly awaiting the collaboration of this new art piece, and thrilled to be able to connect to our community residents and visitors through art.
 
In Visit Bend’s 2017 report, they noted, “Respondents were asked to indicate which attractions or locations they had visited or planned to visit during their winter visit to Bend. Downtown Bend (74 percent visited), the Old Mill Shopping District (57 percent), and breweries (54 percent) attracted the greatest proportions of visitors, the same top three attractions visited historically. Other notable locations include Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort (31 percent), Sunriver (27 percent), Sisters (18 percent), Bend Factory Outlets (16 percent), Deschutes River Trail (15 percent), High Desert Museum (12 percent), Smith Rock (12 percent), and local Sno-Parks (8 percent).”
 
As the number one tourist destination, his makes Downtown Bend the ideal placement for a Greetings Tour Bend mural. Tourism is a huge industry, and it has been an integral contributor to the growth of many cities, including Bend. 
 
One of, if not the biggest benefit, that tourism offers is that it provides a way for the economy to receive an influx of wealth. Money is spent on popular tourist attractions and activities that help to fund local tour operators, small businesses, events, vendors & makers.

In turn, this influx of wealth into the community allows for the construction and improvement of a city’s infrastructure.  Due to the flow of wealth gained from tourists, local communities can afford to upkeep and build upon their roads, community areas, schools, hospitals, and parks.  Additionally, as most tourists want an authentic experience, this means that the locals can showcase and celebrate their traditions and culture.  Local history can be celebrated & our community stories can be shared.

Tourism is one of the industries that is reasonably reliable and it offers a constant flow of income into the city. There are a handful of industries that make up the backbone of most cities, and when these industries fall short, the entire economy becomes strained. Tourism can, in some cases, even be considered somewhat of a safety net that allows for communities to become increasingly more recession proof.

​When it comes to the massive amount of opportunities that tourism offers, the best of them is the opportunity for local businesses. Entrepreneurs get the chance to start up their own new businesses or sell their own unique products to tourists. This is something that comes only with a booming tourism industry, as more often than not, the businesses would not be able to sustain themselves without the flow of tourists.  This, of course, also creates a multitude of job opportunities for locals. Job creation is perhaps the most obvious benefit of tourism within every city.  As the entrepreneurial hub of the city, and the largest employer in Bend, Downtown Bend celebrates this opportunity. 
 
If you're passionate about the vitality of Downtown Bend and would like to donate to DBBA non-profit 501c3, please visit their website, www.downtownbend.org. 

The Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA), a small local non-profit, is hosting a contest to celebrate the holidays this year.  Between 11/27/21 and 12/21/21, visit Downtown Bend, and enjoy all the holiday décor.  While you are there, take a photo of your favorite holiday display & enter to win $500 in Downtown Dollars! Plus, while you are downtown, make sure to eat and shop local to support local Bend businesses! 

"Downtown is a place where community members have been creating magical memories for over 100 years. It remains the heart of our community, and we want to celebrate that." says Aisling, Executive Director of the DBBA, "Plus, there is nothing we love more than celebrating local entrepreneurship & small locally-owned businesses in our community."

The Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) is a small nonprofit dedicated to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend by enhancing the experience, image and lifestyle of the Downtown Bend Economic Improvement District (EID).  Operating under a very small budget, and taking responsibility for a huge scope of work, the DBBA relies on volunteers and community donations to keep downtown thriving!

For the 2021/2022 winter season, the DBBA is proud to announce that, due to a sponsorship from Lowes Home Improvement and the Doubletree Hotel, they will be hanging new lit wreaths throughout the Downtown EID.  This past week, volunteers from the community gathered to prep these new wreaths for hanging in the downtown district and they installed each wreath with solar lights to bring more cheer to downtown during our winter months. 

In addition to new wreaths, you might have noticed that the DBBA funded and installed all new lights wrapping each lamppost in our historic downtown.  You'll also see new winter ribbon and, thanks to a sponsorship from Brilliance and Branding, new 'Welcome Winter' banners this holiday season.  All of these improvements are courtesy of the hard work of the board, staff, and volunteers of the Downtown Bend Business Association, a nonprofit dedicated to the vitality of Downtown Bend.

“Much of the work that our nonprofit does is assumed to be provided by the City of Bend,” says Aisling, the DBBA Executive Director, “However, unlike other downtowns, including our neighboring City of Redmond, the City of Bend does not provide for the cleaning, decorating, landscaping or promotion of the historic Downtown Bend district.  This makes the work of our nonprofit extremely important to the health of our community.”

If you are passionate about the vibrancy and future growth & development of Downtown Bend, the DBBA invites you to get involved!  Contact them to see how you can make a difference. 

The 2021 Halloween in Downtown Bend event was a huge success! We'd like to thank our Bend community for coming out and sharing a wonderfully fun day with us.  We'd like to thank the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) for providing this event, and all of the free community programing in the downtown district, and we'd like to thank Miguel Edwards Photography for being THE Downtown Bend photographer.  ​🧡

​Barrio is a Latin-inspired restaurant serving lunch, dinner, and happy hour.  Barrio is Spanish for “neighborhood” and in this neighborhood, you’ll find bold, flavorful food, craft cocktails, daily specials, and friendly service.

Their downtown restaurant is now available for private holiday parties! Celebrate with your team, family or friends in a safe, lively atmosphere that's all yours for the evening.  Ideal for parties from 30 to 80 guests, with room for 60 people seated.  All food will be served buffet style, accompanied by a bar menu based on your preferences.  The rental fee is $200 with a minimum $1,800 food/beverage purchase.

You can rest assured, everyone who works at Barrio is fully vaccinated, and they continue to follow strict health and safety standards.