News

Farmers Market Pavilion and Plaza Makes its Debut

By John Adair

June 4 was a standard Saturday morning in the Pacific Northwest. A light rain fell on shoppers as they wandered the Lane County Farmers Market and Pavilion. Tom Murray, 44, of Slo Farm, admitted he hoped for sunnier weather but said...

Tens of Thousands to Visit Eugene for July's World Athletic Championships

The World Athletics Championships are fast approaching, and for 10 days in July, Eugene will be the epicenter of the track and field universe.

Running from July 15-24, Oregon22 was supposed to happen in 2021 but was postponed because of the COVID...

Learn about Hearing Loops Available in Downtown Eugene

Article by John Adair

On Saturday Feb. 12, Loop Lane County Committee, a special committee of The Shedd Institute, hosted its monthly workshop to showcase its hearing loop installment. Hearing loops are a technology that has existed since the 193...

New Mural in Downtown Eugene: Rising TOGETHER

Article by Kelly Johnson, Executive Director of the Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene (ABAE)

Art ignites change. That was the message at the heart of the City of Eugene Cultural Services’ We Rise project. We Rise, a program that th...

Downtown Eugene Spaces are a Hotbed for Tech and Innovation

By Sally Bell, Vice President and Executive Director, Technology Association of Oregon, Southern Willamette Valley

Eugene’s downtown tech scene is stronger than ever, thanks to a variety of spaces that offer coworking, collaboration, in...

Community Sporting Events Boost Recovery Efforts in Eugene

Photo courtesy of Run Hub Northwest 

When the pandemic hit, the owners of Run Hub Northwest knew they would need a strategy to keep their local running supply shop thriving. Like many brick-and-mortar stores, sales plummeted in 2020 when closed to...

A new spark downtown for students

by Becky-Jo Samples, Connected Lane County

A new spark downtown for students

Connected Lane County opened SparkLab in 2021 to help teach youth technical skills

If you’ve been in downtown Eugene recently, you may have noticed the new SparkLab sign on West 7th...

Park Blocks Pavilion: A View From the Other Side of the Fence

If you’ve had a chance to visit downtown over the past few weeks, you may have seen the huge changes that have been made since the City of Eugene began the demolition of the Butterfly Lot. Now we would like to show you the scene from the other s...

Bringing Vibrancy Downtown

by Caitlin Caldwell, Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene Intern

This month we sat down with Kate Ali, City of Eugene Public Art Manager, and Chanin Santiago, Downtown Program Assistant, to learn more about the Windowfront Exhibitions. These temporary in...

Popular Downtown Eugene Socializing Spots Reopen with New Owners

The pandemic has been tough on small businesses, but two couples have brought a pair of formerly popular gathering places in the heart of downtown Eugene back to life.

Eric and Karen Nelson reopened The Barn Light on Feb. 26. in the Broadway Commerce Cente...

Downtown Performing Arts Venues Invest in the Future

By Kelly Johnson

Many of us have been patiently waiting for the moment when we can safely gather at live performances. As we inch closer to this often dreamed of moment, you might be wondering what's been happening at the venues in downtown Eugen...

Downtown Coworking Spaces Support Digital Workers and Create Community

By Darby Giannone

Coworking spaces–businesses offering workspaces, high-speed internet, and officelike amenities–provide resources to support digital workers. The shared space allows freedom and flexibility yet provides an opportunity t...

Multi-tasking Ambassadors a Valuable Presence in Downtown Eugene

Eugene’s Downtown Ambassadors perform different duties, but all of them are meant to achieve the same outcome -- making people feel welcome and safe in downtown.

Recognizable by their blue attire, the ambassadors are the City of Eugene’...

More People Making Downtown Eugene Home

A welcome trend is underway in downtown Eugene.

More residents are moving into new housing in the City center -- adding vitality to the area and helping the community make progress on key goals.

Four residential projects with apartments and townhomes were f...

Downtown Program Fund Available for Artistic and Cultural Programming

Artists and organizations encouraged to apply through Feb. 7

The City of Eugene Cultural Services Downtown Program Fund offers artists and organizations an opportunity to transform downtown outdoor spaces into arts and culture destinations. Funding of up t...

More Of A Good Thing – City of Eugene Extends “Streatery” Program for Restaurants

The City of Eugene is extending an outdoor café seating program for another six months to help restaurants stay in business during the pandemic while complying with physical distancing requirements.

Restaurants can expand their serving areas onto sidewalks...

Iconic Downtown Eugene Coffee Shop Transfers to Familiar Hands

Michael Phinney wanted to find the right person to take over Full City Coffee in downtown Eugene. After all, he had spent 30 years making the Pearl Street business an institution in the city’s highly competitive coffee shop scene.  

“I didn’t want...

Downtown Eugene Continues to Inspire, Attract Entrepreneurs

Two stores and a restaurant have opened recently in downtown Eugene, proving that while COVID-19 has disrupted daily life and the economy, entrepreneurs remain confident in the commercial and cultural center of the city as a place to start a business.

Two ...

Supporting businesses in downtown Eugene may never be as important as this holiday season

After enduring months of COVID-19-depressed sales, downtown merchants hope to get a boost from holiday shoppers in the weeks ahead, even as the pandemic continues and they operate under new restrictions. For some merchants, the seasonal sales could make t...

Downtown Eugene is a Beacon for Visual Arts

A vibrant arts scene is a vital piece of any city's downtown. Artists define the character of communities. In Eugene, we have a wealth of places downtown where we can see art, find supplies to make art, and buy pieces from the local artists we love.&n...

A Place For People to Belong: 50 Years of The Kiva

by Micah Elconin

Entrepreneurial dreams from a half century ago led to The Kiva, one of Eugene’s cherished food institutions.  

Owned and operated by Melissa and George Brown, The Kiva is a downtown grocery store long popular with people who prefer...