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Between warehouses and behind a model train showroom, a small but vibrant flower farm offers a slice of green in the Northwest Industrial Area. Run by Logan Campbell, Best Friend Flower Farm (2537 NW 29th Ave., instagram.com/bestfriendflowerfarm) takes up the backyard of a warehouse in the Northwest Industrial Area. You pass a display of intricate miniature steam engines to get to it—a side door leads to rows of flower beds, all of which Campbell grows and maintains herself.
In 2020, Campbell began working with her father-in-law, the owner of Staver Locomotive, to rehabilitate the land. Now, the two businesses are a quirky duo.
Next door, workers are making galvanized steel—metal bars are clanking into each other all day long while trucks unhitch and rehitch.
“I think it’s kind of funny to find something so peaceful in the midst of something so loud,” Campbell says.
Transforming the hard, gravel ground to soil rich enough to grow plants took years. Campbell says she was initially concerned about soil toxicity given the amount of industrial work surrounding the farm. But her self-taught farming revived the once-desolate grounds into a community space.
Today, Campbell grows zinnias, dahlias and forget-me-nots from seeds produced by independent seed growers across Oregon, and sells her own seeds and flowers grown on the premises. Best Friend Flower Farm also hosts community events, like flower pickings, art shows and meetings of the Botanical Arts Society.
“It’s like all these buildings that were toxic—having a greenspace here kind of makes me feel like the area is still living,” Campbell says.
See the rest of Willamette Week’s Best of Portland 2026 here!
