The Spovangelist

Peaceful Valley is a gem but the secret is out and running up the hill. The scenic location and closeness to downtown are too much to resist for developers. For several decades, the neighborhood has resisted drastic changes and remained a sweetly paced, unique community in the heart of Spokane.
Our first Indians fished here, wood-frame [...]

Just one year ago a handful of Spovangelites cemented my resolve to start a (mostly) young women’s group called the Spokane Shrinking Violet Society. It is startling what has grown in its place since that time. Hundreds of participants, dozens of lifelong friendships, and nearly 80 events later, we have firmly established what we [...]

Recession be damned. Young entrepreneurs in Spokane are taking the opportunity to switch gears, plan smart, and open up the small businesses they’ve always dreamed of running.  And why not? Retail space is plentiful and relatively affordable in downtown Spokane, offering a variety of price points that make starting a new business a bit less [...]

They say an effective communication technique is to “tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em, tell ‘em, and then tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” That is what I appreciate about Gabriel and Rimas’s proactive three-pronged approach to marketing Chicken Sh@#: Exploring Urban Ecosystems. Instead of issuing a wan invitation to an opening night event [...]

Was anyone else able to make this event? We’d love to hear your impressions or take home messages.
Join us for our Downtown Spokane Annual Meeting

Keynote speaker Dr. Wim Wiewel, President of Portland State University, will talk about the positive impact that a great Downtown has on higher education.
January 27, 2010 at 3:30pm (doors open at [...]

Wednesday night I taught a worm composting workshop in the Saranac Art Projects gallery Chicken SH@# exhibit with local permaculturist Bea Lackoff. It was a blast.

All photos courtesy of Gabriel Brown.
Next class will be held from 2:30-3:30pm at Fresh Abundance on N. Division as part of their Feb. 20th Seed Exchange event. I look forward [...]

What is the best way to respond when you learn that a building in one of Downtown Spokane’s most beloved neighborhoods is potentially threatened with demolition?
The first step is to get your facts straight. Who owns the property in question? In this case it is the Main Street Antiques building located at 7 W. Main. [...]

“In Death and Life Jacobs described in detail how powerful forces were hurting cities, both physically and metaphysically. She discussed the importance of neighborhoods, and what made one block friendly, but another deadly. She talked about the need for old buildings, and faulted restrictive zoning regulations as often harmful to a neighborhood’s vitality. She castigated [...]

It is no secret that I’m a huge fan of local artist Gabriel Brown. Gabriel is part of a growing handful of young locals (without university employment or a large commercial following) who shows his work outside the greater Spokane area. Most recently his Great Tasting Goodness exhibit was displayed at the Mt. Hood Visual [...]

Every day I ride my bike past the sea of parking out in front of the INB. What little hope I had for development, sparked by those misleading “hotel property” signs last summer, was trounced when a friend explained that all the construction was for another surface lot. The nail in the coffin for my [...]