From: Leota Childress

Sent: Fri Oct 18 10:51:48 2019

To: Becky McCray

Cc: Keith Swigart; Elizabeth Klein; DeLise Palumbo; Jody Newland; Terry Shankle; Dan Huff; Alice Cannon; Gerald Fisher; Chaunee Seifried; Christie DeSantis; Frank Schoenfeld

Subject: Re: One year after my visit, Colfax has a new shared space!

Importance: Normal

Hi Becky,

Thank you for sharing the story of Colfax. It is exciting to see what small towns across America are accomplishing. And, thank you for asking us to share. I am a City Councilor, Co-Project Manager for Community Visioning, and Community Builder. It is often easy to get bogged down in the present and plans for the future that we fail to look at the past. There have been so many exciting things happen her in Molalla over the past year or so.

Molalla is a rural town in Oregon with a population of roughly 10,000. Portland State University will provide their bi-annual report soon so we'll have updated numbers. We are a crossroads in that two State Highways intersect in Molalla. One, Hwy 211, is Molalla's main street. We are fortunate to have a City Council and City Manager who have no political agenda and work very well together. Each one is dedicated to Molalla and the community.

I am copying the City Council and Management staff on this email. Like me, they may not realize how much has been done. I'm sure they'll have even more accomplishments to add!

1. 1. A new sushi restaurant opened and is very popular. Within a month or so after opening, there was a fire next door and they had to close due to damage. They persevered and opened again in about six months. They are thriving.
2. 2. That same fire destroyed a local feed store that had been in business for three generations. The historic façade was saved. The community rallied around the owners and collected money for them to purchase new inventory. Within a month, the business was up and running in a nearby warehouse. We look forward to the store re-opening in downtown.
3. 3. In September 2018, we held the first Celebrate Molalla, a street festival celebrating history, arts, culture, diversity, and most of all, fun. There were approximately 2,500 people and over 70 vendors at the first event. We held the event on the same weekend that the Molalla Historical Society held the annual Molalla Heritage Apple Festival, an event that had seen a downturn in recent years. That year they sold out of pie by 1pm, there was standing room only in the museum and two historic houses, and people who didn't even know the museum existed, got an education. The community loved the Celebration and asked for more. This September we held the 2nd Annual Celebrate Molalla: bigger car show, bigger corn-hole tournament, more food vendors, and more arts and hand-crafted vendors.
4. 4. The City installed a Molalla Heritage Art Walk, an outdoor art display with seven metal sculptures that honor the original inhabitants of this land, the Molalla Indians. We collaborated with artists from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Chachalu Museum to ensure the pieces truly represented native culture.
5. 5. A new dance studio opened downtown.
6. 6. The newspaper office moved their business to a nearby town where they also had offices. The building was soon purchased, and it now houses a new business, Molalla Works, that offers shared office space. Rent a desk and/or computer by the hour, day, week, or month. David Jackson Photography, another new business in Molalla, is housed in half of the building.
7. 7. Sadly, a downtown business the Man's Shop, that had existed for two generations closed due to the death of the owner. After a short while, the building was purchased, and the new owner opened a first-of-a-kind in Molalla art business. Local area artists consign their wares. The business is booming. This new business owner is on fire for building up the downtown area and is taking steps.
8. 8. The owners of a drive-in coffee shop purchased a historic bed and breakfast building close to downtown. They now serve breakfast, lunch, coffee and pastries which they purchase from a local small business, Sweet Thangs’ Baked Goods. They also offer five lovely rooms for travelers and out of town guests. This was the first sit-down coffee shop near the downtown area.
9. 9. A local resident saw a man throwing pianos in the dump. He engaged in a conversation and before long, a "Pianos in the Park" project was underway. That resident, the piano repairman, the art shop owner, and a muralist got their heads together. They will soon install the first beautifully painted piano. The piano is a mural of so many features in the Molalla area. Two will go in downtown parks and a third will be placed in a gazebo at the historic Adams Cemetery.
10. 10. A delightful little place to get breakfast, lunch, pastries, and coffee opened in a space that had been vacant for about 10 years. The owners are chefs from Portland and handcraft all their offerings, even pasta. It is great to have a sit-down coffee shop in the heart of downtown. They are doing a booming business and offer a second option for a sit-down coffee shop.
11. 11. A local businessman is developing a mall. The anchor store in the mall is a grocery store. For several years, there has been only one grocery store in town. There will also be a fast-food establishment and drive-thru coffee shop. Yes, we love our coffee here in the Northwest! .
12. 12. Dollar General is coming to town!

Again, thank you for your updates. I heard you speak at a Rural Development Initiatives conference a couple of years ago and still refer to my notes. You further inspired me to revitalize downtown.

On Thu, Oct 17, 2019 at 2:14 PM Becky McCray <becky@saveyour.town> wrote:

"https://town.us1.list-manage.com/track/open.php?u=ffa03598c2894cc939218d450&id=26d08e2221&e=e55ec3a01a"

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Leota