Mississippi Records pokes fun at the fair
This past Saturday was the Mississippi St. Fair. I wandered down around 2pm and it was crazy busy. Honestly, I was in a hurry to get to Amnesia and the crowd was so thick, I had to relax and just go with the flow. I am glad North Portland continues to get such love these days.
Now for the second year in a row, Mississippi Records, a store that has been on the street for a few years now, decided to close and make a statement instead of enjoying this great event. Last year, they chose to put up handmade cardboard signs stating “Fuck you Progress” and I took them to task over on Metblogs for being such douche’s. The Mississippi St. Fair is a family event and I felt that was inappropriate. Further, the only reason Mississippi Records is on Mississippi and succeeding is because of the progress the owner hates so much.
This year though, they chose to go the tongue and cheek route. Instead of getting all political, they put up signs that a Starbucks would soon be opening. This got a lot of attention and many even wrote on the butcher paper how much they despise Starbucks. If one stood back and thought about it, Starbucks is actually closing 600 stores, so why open here.
I appreciate the joke even though it is played out. I remember seeing this stunt on NE Alberta about 6 years ago with signs like “Future home of GAP” or “Abercrombie and Fitch coming soon.” People actually freaked out. It is too bad the owners of Mississippi Records can’t just accept that they made a great decision opening on N Mississippi and embrace the love of the great American dollar when you have 20,000+ people wandering by on a Saturday afternoon.
Last year’s photo:
While improvements have been nice, the “progress” has been a little over the top and N. Mississippi has been completely mutated. If you can’t see it, that’s cool, enjoy. I know a lot of people, including myself, that grew up in the area and feel intentionally excluded, like the improvements weren’t for the people there but the people they WANT to be there. Mississippi has been remade into something that’s no longer for the people that are from here–now it’s just about the hipster/transplant set. I thought they had the Pearl.
Interesting that the owner decided to do this stunt again after your post last year and the responses it received from those in the community.
What’s that saying about gift horses and mouths? Perhaps someone should stick that on Mississippi Records’ window next year should they decide to do this again.
Or, if the owner wants to relocate to the NE MLK area, we’re probably a good 2-3 years behind the Mississippi neighborhood on gentrification.
Maybe it’s because I’m a wage slave who’s apparently doomed to work weekend jobs until I die (and wouldn’t have enough cash to come out if I didn’t) but I got a laugh out of it.
Well, I laughed until I stopped, anyway.
I was one of the people who wrote on the butcher paper. I have grown up in Portland and used to live on Albina and Fremont until last year. I have not been back to that neighborhood since I moved to outer NE. I would not have been surprised that ‘Big Business’ was moving in, but I don’t think that the local business owners or residents would go for that.
My opinion, the fad is waning. Anyone who has been to that street fair in years past know that the turn is diminishing. It’s too bad.
The cliche Pearl/H-ster types have migrated north and infected a solid, rebuilt, community minded neighborhood.
I know people who are business owners and have lived in that neighborhood for years; during the crack house days of the 80’s and 90’s.
Progress. To what? And at what cost?
To Steve…and if one of those business owners were making this sort of statement that Mississippi Records has done, it would be more valid a point. Instead, it’s from a business who has directly benefited from the folks who are now moving into the area and probably wouldn’t have been there if it were still a bunch of abandoned homes or crack houses.
It’s all fine and good to question progress, but that dialogue really needs to be in some sort of context beyond a cutesy protest. Neighborhoods and communities change for a variety of reason, some good, some not. All I see is a local business thumbing their nose at other local businesses who are trying to stay afloat.
I hear you A.L.–the tight jeans, bike riding set that keeps Mississippi’s businesses and restaurants afloat is no doubt the same hand that feeds miss. studios. I think that beyond a cute little stunt not much can be read into this butcher paper crap.
What’s with “street fairs” anyway? As someone who lived in the area before 1990 (born here), I gotta say that these really weren’t the norm back in the day… and I miss that.
Sincerely,
Grumpy and Nostalgic in NE Portland
Hey all, thanks for the lively discussion.
Arby, I’m confused. What’s wrong with Street Fairs? Are you against inviting others into your neighborhood to see what you and your neighbors are all about? I for one love the Street Fair as I have loved everything that has gone on in the past few years. Normally, the nightly news would report any shooting even remotely close to North as happening in North when it actually was Gresham or Vancouver because North was where all the crap happened. Now, all the news is ga ga about bikes and fairs and well, the love of North.
I for one am happy about that.