- BLUE OREGON: Vancouver comic-book publisher Bluewater Productions is headed south of the Columbia. The companyâwhose upcoming releases include comics based on Kurt Cobain, Tyler Perry and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christieâis moving to Beaverton. âI always wanted to live in Portland,â says Bluewater editor Darren Davis, who says he has family in Newberg and his partner attends the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Portland. âBut I really just moved here to be closer to Veggie Grill,â he says of the chain, which has locations in Beaverton, Hillsboro and Portland. For more on Portlandâs comic-book scene, see âNew Bountyâ here.
- FUNGUS KILLER: The Pearl District outpost of Mellow Mushroom, the stone-oven pizza chain, will have its final day of business April 13. âThey kept us all in the dark until last Friday,â says one of the shopâs employees, who told WW that 10 Barrel Brewing Co. of Bend is the rumored buyer of the pizza shopâs lease. Employees at 10 Barrel could not confirm at press time have nowthat they would move into the Northwest Flanders Street space and said nothing had been finalized; they confirmed, however, that the brewery was in talks to expand into Portland. 10 Barrel has confirmed they'll be expanding into a brewery house and pub int he space, with an expected opening date of mid-summer.
- STUBBORN âTHORNE: Music fans gazing up at the marquee of the Hawthorne Theatre were probably alarmed to see a âFOR SALEâ sign affixed to its side. No need to worry. While the building is on the market, a change in ownership wonât affect the venueâone of the few in town that regularly hosts all-ages showsâwhich has two years left on its lease, according to promoter Mike Thrasher. Landlord Anthony McNamer, a Portland lawyer and founder of the Expunged Records label, says he and the buildingâs other owners were looking to rent out an empty space on the second floor, and decided to test the market. He told Scoop that current tenants, including Szechuan restaurant Lucky Strike, will remain if there is a sale. âIt shouldnât change the underage-music landscape of Portland at all,â McNamer says.
- FEEL THE BURNS: Portland Playhouseâs just-announced 2014-15 season has one particularly eye-catching entry. The scrappy theater company, which operates out of a converted church in Northeast Portland, will be staging Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. The play, which The New York Times hailed last fall as âdownright brilliant,â is set in a post-apocalyptic world where people sustain themselves by recounting episodes of The Simpsons. Playwright Anne Washburn used to live in Portland, as did Simpsons creator Matt Groening, so kudos to Portland Playhouse for snagging the playâs regional premiere. The show opens May 2015.
- EAT MOBILE: Both regular and VIP tickets for WWâs Eat Mobile food-cart festival were still on sale as of press time. However, this yearâs version of the popular festival has been scaled down at the request of attendees, meaning youâd be wise to buy sooner rather than later. Youâve been warned.
WWeek 2015