PORTLAND, Ore. — With the pandemic in the rearview, Portland has been on a steady incline toward restoring its former vibrancy. And it's getting noticed, despite many of its remaining challenges.
In this week's episode of Straight Talk, three people behind Portland's rebound discuss what's being done to revitalize the city and what more still needs to be done.
More than 255,000 people attended Portland's Starlight Parade in June, said Nick Brodnicki, chief operating officer of Portland Rose Festival Foundation.
"Portland is open for business and people are showing up again," Brodnicki said.
"There's certainly hurdles that are perceived ... to coming downtown and we were able to prove that most of those hurdles they're out of our way," He added.
Berk Nelson, who manages Prosper Portland’s office of events and film, also hinted that multiple events and film productions have expressed interest in Portland, including a show that's currently in production called "Criminal," which features "Games of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke.
In March, the city hosted the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 of the women's NCAA Basketball Tournament, which Jenny Nguyen, owner of the Sports Bra, said had a big impact on small businesses in Portland, particularly hers.
The interest in hosting watch parties was large enough that the Sports Bra wrapped in other Portland bars to participate, Nguyen said.
"Our space was really too small, so we ended up kind of spreading the love," she said.
Efforts to revitalize Portland
One way the city is looking to rebound is through attracting more "unique experiences" that can't be found outside the metro region, Nelson said.
"We gotta give people a reason to come to the downtown core of Portland and really experience everything that it has to offer," he added.
The Portland Rose Festival and all its events proved that some of the stigma to coming to Portland's downtown is getting better, Brodnicki said, with more people from all over the state coming to this year's Rose Festival CityFair.
Women's sports destination
From the Portland Thorns to the Sports Bra, Portland is gaining notoriety as a destination for women's sports.
"We've had a history of celebrating women's sports here in Portland and that's why I opened the Sports Bra here," Nguyen said. "One, it's my hometown, and two, I felt like it could really work here."
In the near future, Portland will have a big opportunity to prove its claim by hosting the women's NCAA Final Four in 2030.
"That just goes to show that even a small place like the Sports Bra can make a dramatic impact," Nguyen said.
Nelson, Nguyen and Brodnicki discussed more during the show on what more needs to be done to revitalize Portland and help small businesses.
"Straight Talk" airs Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m., and Monday at 7 p.m. "Straight Talk" is also available as a podcast.