“If you are unemployed and need an outfit clean for an interview, we will clean it for FREE.” This sign, which you may have seen circulating in some corner of the Internet, sounds like a scam. Shockingly, however, it’s real.
The placard is posted prominently in the window of two Plaza Cleaners locations in Portland, Oregon and has been since 2010, when owner Steve Young was inspired by a similar sign he saw at a New York City establishment. Since then, Plaza Cleaners workers have cleaned everything from suits and skirts to bathing suits — “Who are we to say?” joked manager Kathey Butters — for job seekers who need a little extra help before a big interview.
“It doesn’t matter what they bring in,” Butters told the Huffington Post. “My staff knows it’s not just another black skirt. Yes, we may have seen five black skirts that day, but for that customer, it fits. They feel good when they’re in it. If they could feel good in that clean, freshly pressed skirt or suit, they might sit taller or present themselves better. That little push might help.”
Over the years, Butters says customers have come in to thank them for their kindness, especially when they get the job. But for Butters, the thanks truly belongs to the paying customers, without whom they wouldn’t be able to offer free cleanings.
As for that viral photo that has been circulating the Internet — often accompanied by a caption that claims that Plaza Cleaners has helped more than 2,000 unemployed workers to the tune of $32,000 — well, Butters says that part of the story is not true. No one at the business kept track of how many customers have taken them up on their offer, nor do they know how much it has cost them. Because to Butters, Young and the other workers, it doesn’t matter. “How can you put a dollar figure on something like that?” Butters says.
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Tag: portland
At Only 364 Sq. Ft., This Tiny Home Is the Start of Something Big
At Portland’s Garden Cottages, bigger is definitely not better. A few years ago, self-taught designers Jeffrey Gantert and Brad Bloom built two tiny cottages — each just 364 sq. ft. — on one full-sized suburban lot, outfitting them with details that matched the Victorian and Craftsman homes in the historic neighborhood. But these aren’t your average “mini-McMansions.” The Garden Cottages are constructed primarily with reclaimed materials. The outer walls are made of flattened tin cans, while the inner walls are lined with recycled Trader Joe’s bags — handles still attached. Bricks from an old chimney make up the homes’ foundations, while window planters are repurposed upside-down hood vents. With space-stretching design tricks inside, like a foldable table and a pop-up wine caddy, the homes are comfortable yet compact, and push the limit on the growing tiny-home movement.
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Oregon has an Indiegogo Campaign to Give Portlanders a Huge Off-Road Bike Park
Portlanders have been talking in their sustainable libraries and wheat grass shot-shops about building a big, new off-road bike park. The city, and state, listened. Oregon teamed up with Indiegogo, and is looking to raise $100,000 to turn 38 acres of unused earth into a bike utopia. This could be the beginning of a new era of infrastructure investment; crowdfunding is big, but the government hasn’t so much as dipped its toe in the communally-funded pool. Since the recession, budgets have been slashed, and infrastructure projects have been stalled. Oregon could pave the way for cities and states around the country to repair their bridges and bottom lines.
[Image: Build Gateway Green, Indiegogo]
Social Enterprise Incubator Hatches in Portland, Oregon
Birds of a feather flock together, so it makes sense that a new sustainable business support center in Oregon is called Hatch. Tenants in the green co-working space (including energy-efficient lighting and recycled windows) will work alongside liked-minded companies who share their commitment to doing good while making a living. The site will also sponsor and support newly emerging social enterprises in the LaunchLab and host monthly expert lectures. This kind of collaborative co-working space is picking up steam around the country as part of the “new mutualism” movement that brings independent workers and businesses together for win-win partnerships.