Self-storage sector finds a foothold in Portland metro area
In the past decade, the self-storage market in the Portland metro area increased by 39%. A new report by RENTCafe reveals what fueled that growth.
The report points to the flurry of new apartments built in Portland during the past 10 years as the reason for the increased demand for self-storage facilities. From 2011 to 2020, the Portland metro area added over 38,600 multifamily units, a 31% increase from the area’s apartment inventory in 2010. The fact that most of the units were studios and onebedroom apartments, along with trends in downsizing and a desire to simply lifestyles, created a corresponding demand for more self-storage capacity.
Just how big was the call for self-storage space in the local market? RENTCafe’s data analysis indicates that 4.2 million square feet of self-storage space rose in the Portland metro area between 2011 and 2020. That brings the total amount of self-storage space in Portland and surrounding suburban areas to 6 square feet of storage space per person.
The self-storage boom during the past 10 years wasn’t limited to Portland, however. The time from 2011 to 2020 was the third most active decade in the history of the selfstorage industry. More than 295 million square feet went online across the country, a 20% increase over the inventory in 2010. As a result of that growth, there are currently more self-storage facilities in the U.S. than all the Best Buy, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Walmart, McDonald’s and Subway locations combined, according to data compiled by RENTCafe.
Oregon beer marketing efforts crush global competition
When it comes to marketing craft beer, Oregon can hold its own against the competition.
Case in point: the recent 2021 Craft Beer Marketing Awards, which included several Oregon breweries, artists, and marketing firms as winners of “Crushie” trophies. Commonly referred to as the CBMAs by those in the industry, the awards were developed to recognize and honor the very best in all aspects of beer-related marketing across the world.
Organizers of the competition say the “Crushie” trophy design, which features a tattooed arm crushing a beer can, honors how “breweries across the world are ‘Crushing It’ with their unique and creative beer marketing, design, and branding.” Trophies this year were award at the Platinum and Gold levels along with a new Global Silver level.
Oregon-based companies and firms recognized with Crushies in the 2021 competition were:
Crux Fermentation (Bend): Platinum — best bottle design/22-26 ounce, Gypsy Coolship series.
Rogue Ales & Spirits (Newport): Gold — best bottle design/22-26 ounce, Santa’s Private Reserve; Gold — best can design/8-15 ounce, Colossal Claude Imperial; Gold — merchandise design/creative line, Dead Guy.
Sally Morrow Creative (Portland): Gold — best can design/8-15 ounce, New Hokkaido packaging ; Platinum — best can design/12-20 ounce, Mountains Walking Seasonal packaging; Platinum — best logo design/unique, New Hokkaido; Platinum — merchandise design/creative line, New Hokkaido.
Hoptown Handles (Milwaukie): Platinum and Global Silver — best tap handle design/sustainable, Taylor Seidler (creative director) and Snow Eater Brewing Co.
10 Barrel Brewing (Bend): Platinum best merchandise design/sustainable, Brooklyn Bell collab.
Ninkasi Brewing Co. (Eugene): Gold — wild cards/most creative signage, Steady Orbit Bubble Hut Giveaway and Starmaker Campaign.
Worthy Brewing (Bend): Gold — wild cards/coolest taproom, Worthy Hop House & Gardens featuring the Hopservatory, Bermuda Triangle, Star Bar and Drink Up Dream On Stage.
Branding Brews Podcast by Ryan Wheaton (Portland): Gold — wild cards/best beer-related podcast.
Portland named top city for business success for women
Which cities in the U.S. offer the best opportunities for women looking for career and business success? If you’re a woman in Portland, you may already be in the right place, according to SmartAsset.
SmartAsset, a tech company that provides online tools related to personal finance, recently compared data for 200 of the largest cities in the U.S. to determine which offered conditions that supported women in the business world. In ranking the cities, SmartAsset used metrics that included the percentage of women with at least a bachelor’s degree, the percentage of women-owned businesses and the percentage of income spent by women on housing costs.
When the numbers were crunched, Washington, D.C., claimed the top spot. Close behind were Bellevue, Washington, and Seattle in second and third places, respectively. And sitting solidly in the fourth spot was Portland.
Portland’s ranking in the top 2% of cities on the list resulted from some awe-inspiring numbers. Women entrepreneurs, for example, own 48.9% of the businesses in Portland, placing the Rose City 12th among cities included in the study for that metric. In addition, 55.95% of women older than 25 in Portland have earned at least a bachelor’s degree, the 18th highest ranking in the study for that metric.
Of course, not everything in the Rose City is rosy for women in business. Less impressive is the fact that women who work full-time spend 32.46% of their earnings on housing costs. That places Portland at No. 79 out of 200 in the area of affordable housing.