Three entrepreneurs visited the council to introduce new downtown businesses and preview opening plans.

Liz Star said she will open an upstairs consulting office and a front retail storefront in the historic City Hall property between Freeman and Keeper Coffee. Her retail concept will focus on upcycled home goods, jewelry and gifts made by Oregon and Pacific Northwest artisans; she said contractors were finishing drywall and electrical and she hoped to announce an opening date in one to two months.

Rebecca Savinjord and Jeff Pramchuck described Beeline Records, a roughly 4,200-square-foot space they are converting into a record store flanked by a curated vintage marketplace and a small performance stage. Savinjord said the space will combine local vendors, a curated record collection (including rare pressings) and a small performance program with open-mic and ticketed events; she said their first events were scheduled in April and that the store planned to open before April 11.

Why it matters: Councilors and speakers framed the introductions as milestones for downtown vibrancy and local small-business growth. Both projects emphasize local artisans, employment and community programming.

Details and next steps

Star said the business will keep consulting desks at the rear of the space and a retail storefront at the front near an arched window and that she plans to keep inventory Oregon-focused. Savinjord said Beeline had hired local staff and gathered multiple vendor partners and would feature record cleaning and a mechanical device selection (turntables, tapes, 8-tracks) for sale or repair.

Councilors welcomed the entrepreneurs, asked about local hiring and vendor sourcing, and offered support. There was no council action requested or taken; staff thanked presenters and encouraged them to coordinate permitting and opening logistics with city staff.

Voices from the meeting

Liz Star, entrepreneur: "We're going to focus on upcycled products...we're going to keep it mainly Oregon-based artisans."

Rebecca Savinjord, Beeline Records co-owner: "We're opening a space where there's a record store as kind of a central component...and in the back...a performance space."