I am so excited to introduce you to Michele Reeves, I just met her myself this week at the Waluga Masonic Lodge in Lake Oswego. The meeting that Michele was presenting was “Fundamentals of Thriving Downtowns”. You all know how I thrive to promote urban downtown living and that I am very active in being a stakeholder for a vibrant downtown for Lake Oswego, marketing two condo projects, Stafford Commons and 555 2nd st Condos for the last five years.
Foothills Park
Michele is an urban strategist with extensive background in commercial real estate, development consulting, project management, and retail leasing. She founded Civilis Consultants to help cities improve their downtowns by teaching the building blocks found in successful commercial districts. Working together with stakeholders, she takes those essential elements and uses them to help communities construct detailed and achievable plans for revival.
Who would not love this savvy consultant and her fast paced informative presentation- she is known nation wide!
Lakeview Village
The next series of workshops will included the following- Analysis and Recommendations Presentation- short term goals and concrete steps
Field Trip of “Do’s and Don’ts” in the City
Marketing and PR workshop “every downtown should have a clear idea of the experience it wants to provide”
Be sure to connect with Michele at www.civilisconsultants.com and www.cityoflakeoswego.com for more information.
See you downtown at the Saturday market for all the Turkey fixins! Cheers ck
George Rogers Park
Aging in Place, architecture, Community, downsizing, education, Events, Lifestyle, Local News, Parks, Real Estate
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555 second street, candace kramer, community, design, downsize, downsize my space, downsizing, downtown, oregon, parks, portland, Real Estate, urban
Hello friends! You know I’m a total sucker for re-used, re-cycled and re-purposed when it comes to building so when I found this fabulous bar in Portland it was love at first sip! Meet one of the newest, hippest and greenest bars in Pdx – KASK!
This intimate cocktail lounge serves up delicious concoctions on their rough-hewn walnut bar that is supported by a rock-filled gabion wall. I saw this kind of construction when I was in Austria - it was everywhere! They would make benches and fences out of it!
Can’t go wrong with good ole’ rock!
The eco-friendly cork floors keep the green vibe and instead of wasting paper, ever-changing black boards inform patrons of what’s on the menu. Love that!
Kask is owned by the restaurateurs from neighboring, Gruner – another fine establishment with a focus on the warm, rich flavors of “Middle Europe”. Go check out both destinations for amazing food, drink and a peek at some creative green building materials!
Hope your week is going well!
All images via here.
architecture, Community, downsizing, food, interior design, Local News, Portland Love
| candace kramer, community, design, downsize, downsize my space, downsizing, environmental, environmental design, green, interior design, lifestyle, oregon, portland, restaurant
Hello! Hope your week has been going well! Right now, I’ve got sheds on the brain. You see, after much thought we have decided to renovate the detached garage of our rental home. Inspired by the many garage remodels that I have seen recently, I’ve taken the leap and started my own! Don’t worry, I will be documenting and sharing the process with you too! Turning this rather dilapidated garage into a fabulous living space will be quite the adventure but now that the picture is becoming clearer, I believe a shed will be in order. A quaint little outbuilding with character, style and of course, functionality.
Thankfully, sheds have come a long way. They are not longer the forgotten shack in the corner of the property where you keep the lawn mower and rake. These days sheds have taken on a new importance and aesthetic, often mirroring the style and architecture of the home. Some use them as a retreat, an office space or dining room. Check out these magical little sheds I’ve come across…via Houzz…
I especially love this dining “shed”. It reminds of my beach house, where we converted the garage into our dining hall.
See below…
This space gets so much use and we’ve made so many good memories around that old table.
Okay well, I better keep gathering my ideas and plans for the remodel. I will keep you posted!
Do you have a shed or garage that you use as a living space? I would love to hear about it!
Have a fantastic weekend!
architecture, downsizing, Garden, interior design, Lifestyle, pre-fabricated, Remodel, Small Space Design
| beach house, candace kramer, community, cottage, design, downsize, downsize my space, downsizing, garage, Garden, houzz, interior design, lifestyle, out building, remodel, renovate, retreat, shed, small space, small space design, small spaces
Just wanted to pop in and do a quick post about what’s been going on at Windermere this week – It’s Community Service week where the whole team over here does our bit to help out!
This year, I’m heading up the program and I’m so happy to be helping out a wonderful local organization – Community Warehouse. This volunteer based organization helps low-income family turn their houses into homes by providing home goods such as dishes, glasses, pots and pans, sheet, blankets, towels etc. Here’s a list of exactly what is needed and what they do not accept.
Locals have been going through their households, cleaning out what they don’t need and dropping off goods at the Lake Oswego Windermere office. It’s been fantastic seeing the residents really pitch in and donate some great items! We only have one more day – so go thru your stuff and see what you can part with. It’s a win win. You get a more organized house and the great feeling of helping those in need!
Community, Events, Local News
| candace kramer, community, community service, community warehouse, donate, downsize my space, downsizing, lake oswego, local, portland, Real Estate, volunteer, windermere
The last couple of days here in Portland have been absolutely gorgeous! Sunny with a light breeze – it’s the prefect conditions for a spin on the bike! Cyclists are always seen in Portland but as the rain begins to stop, more and more people hit the streets on their bikes – including me! While it can be hard to pass up my charged up little Vespa, nothing beats a ride around the lake on my beloved bicycle.
Like most bike enthusiasts, I always have my eye on the latest and greatest bikes on the market…this one is drool worthy and so sleek…don’t you think?
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Meet the Vanmoof! Fun to say and even more fun to ride this sexy urban bike is aiming to be the “car” of the future and might end up on my Christmas list…
Oh, and did you know that tomorrow is the official Bike to Work Day? Yup…so now you really have a good excuse to dig that bike out of the garage!
Here is a little sunshine & bike inspiration round up…
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Hope the sun is shining in your city!
p.s. If you are a local and want more info on biking in Pdx check out this.
bikes, Community, downsizing, Portland Love, Transportation
| bicycle, bike, candace kramer, community, downsize, downsize my space, downsizing, environmental, lifestyle, oregon, portland, transportation, vanmoof, vespa
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