Dear Valued Hawthorne Business and Property Owners,

In June, we opened the Heart of Hawthorne Plaza - now a vibrant, well-loved gathering space for neighbors and visitors. In PBOT’s districtwide survey this fall, the plaza earned an 87% approval rating, helping secure its new designation as a permanent public space.

With this milestone, HBBA businesses now have more opportunities to activate the plaza, promote their services, and connect with the community through programming.

This year’s Street Fair was one of our most successful yet, with more than 165 vendors and a waitlist of 160. An estimated 20,000 attendees visited Hawthorne to shop, dine, and explore. Events like this bring significant foot traffic to the district, introduce new customers to local businesses, and showcase the creativity and diversity of our commercial corridor.

In 2025, we partnered with a professional marketing specialist to grow the HBBA social media presence and highlight more of the incredible local businesses along Hawthorne. With their help, our following grew 185% in 2025 and continues to rise - we’re approaching 4,500 followers with a ‘reach’ of nearly 19k monthly views. A strong social media presence helps drive visibility, attracts new customers to the district, and strengthens the collective brand of our business community.

This year, we launched our first ever Summer Concert Series, bringing 10 evenings of live music to the Heart of Hawthorne plaza. These events enlivened the boulevard, brought a sense of community to the neighborhood, and attracted new visitors to our local businesses.

The Boulevard Beautification Bunch is a partnership of Rotary, Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association and Solve. The community meets on second Saturdays 10:00-11:30am to pick up trash along Hawthorne and adjacent streets.

Businesses want a cleaner, safer Hawthorne. In response, we’ve begun exploring sustainable strategies to improve street security and cleanliness throughout the district. HBBA joins monthly meetings with the City of Portland’s PEMO Problem Solver Network. PEMO's goal is to streamline solutions to issues in the public realm, such as trash, graffiti, illegal dumping, abandoned cars, and more. By working together, the network addresses community challenges in a comprehensive, creative, and timely manner, while maintaining a strong sense of urgency and accountability.

Our annual holiday celebration and tree lighting December 7th brought together families, neighbors, and business owners to close out the year with connection and festive cheer.

We extend our sincere thanks to Pam Coven for her leadership and dedication as HBBA President over the past year and a half. Her efforts strengthened our foundation, and we’re excited to build on that momentum.

Our board of directors is a collaboration of new and long-standing business owners and executives. These business-savvy, and energetic members bring fresh ideas and renewed momentum. Get ready for a more modern, engaged, and forward-thinking association in the year ahead.

• Lauren Turner, Sloan; Co-President
• Helen Gonçalves, Metro Boutique; Co-President
• Geoffrey Hamlin, Trepwise; Treasurer
• Uri Kushner, Dairy Hill
• David Brink, Central Christian Church
• Jen Maffei, Lark + Fir Realty, LLC
• Dresden De Vera, Throw Snakes Tours
• Aimee Brigham, Aluma Aesthetic Medicine