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gone but not forgotten
Nov. 26th, 2020 08:01 pmSaw the news this week that our local independent music store, Bull Moose, is closing its Portland location (their lease was up). They have multiple locations, so they aren't closing entirely.
We bought the condo in the old port at the perfect time. It was after Portland had suffered a downturn and before it became completely gentrified. And we were in the perfect spot. Directly across the road we had the best independent video store, the best independent music store, a decent pizza place, and a comic book store. A block away was the best local pizza joint (in my opinion), a couple of bookstores, another independent music shop, a local coffee shop, two movie theaters (one arthouse, one mainstream). At that time Portland hosted many independent and used bookstores and a half dozen music venues of various sizes. We could easily walk to the best clubs, bars, and restaurants, even in winter. The only thing the place didn't have was any provision for parking and that was a major drawback.
The best pizza joint closed down while we were still there. The video store and the comic store both went away a long time ago. Most of the bookstores in Portland have closed. Many of the businesses have been replaced by tourist oriented enterprises: pottery shops, art galleries, high end eateries. But Bull Moose was the last of those old "go to" places to depart from the old port. People talk about the Golden Age of Science Fiction. I didn't live through that. But I think I did live through the Golden Age of Portland.
We sold the condo when I had to relocate to Boston for my job. For a long time I regretted that. To buy back into the same building today would cost me more than six times what it cost back then. But looking at it now, I think we left the old port at the perfect time. When we returned to Portland, we lived in the West End as it was enjoying a bit of a renaissance.
We bought the condo in the old port at the perfect time. It was after Portland had suffered a downturn and before it became completely gentrified. And we were in the perfect spot. Directly across the road we had the best independent video store, the best independent music store, a decent pizza place, and a comic book store. A block away was the best local pizza joint (in my opinion), a couple of bookstores, another independent music shop, a local coffee shop, two movie theaters (one arthouse, one mainstream). At that time Portland hosted many independent and used bookstores and a half dozen music venues of various sizes. We could easily walk to the best clubs, bars, and restaurants, even in winter. The only thing the place didn't have was any provision for parking and that was a major drawback.
The best pizza joint closed down while we were still there. The video store and the comic store both went away a long time ago. Most of the bookstores in Portland have closed. Many of the businesses have been replaced by tourist oriented enterprises: pottery shops, art galleries, high end eateries. But Bull Moose was the last of those old "go to" places to depart from the old port. People talk about the Golden Age of Science Fiction. I didn't live through that. But I think I did live through the Golden Age of Portland.
We sold the condo when I had to relocate to Boston for my job. For a long time I regretted that. To buy back into the same building today would cost me more than six times what it cost back then. But looking at it now, I think we left the old port at the perfect time. When we returned to Portland, we lived in the West End as it was enjoying a bit of a renaissance.
