Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop is located in Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood, in the Belmont business district.

I always look forward to this article from www.neighborhoodnotes.com. Through starting my own business and at times struggling, I have found a great appreciation for other locally owned businesses. Let me tell you something, it’s hard! So, if I can shine a little light on those new businesses in our city, then I will. And if you can make an effort to visit them and shop local every once in awhile, than I’ve succeeded!

Tré Bone

Hillsdale Neighborhood
Carol Ellis and Serge Ouattara are advocates for dogs and cats, and for the last four years, the two have operated the pet shop Tré Bone in St. Johns. Ellis says the shop has proven so successful that she and Ouattara decided to open a second shop across town. The spirit of their new Hillsdale shop is the same, providing pet owners the choice of several safe and healthy options for toys, leashes and, specifically, food. In fact, Ellis says the foods Tré Bone carries are locally sourced when possible, and are always free of corn, wheat and chemicals. And to give pet lovers peace of mind, they monitor the ingredients listed on every container of food they carry to ensure they never stock a product that could harm an animal. Hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m., weekdays, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday. Dogs are welcome.

Tré Bone, 6325B SW Capitol Hwy., 503.265.8060

Amy Dotts

Concordia Neighborhood, Alberta Street
Amy Dotts was born and raised in Portland, but she studied art and sculpture in San Francisco. When she returned to Portland at the end of 2009, she decided she would put her sculpture engineering expertise to use as a clothing designer and set out teaching herself that trade. Within months, she had a booth at the Saturday Market where she sold lines of her own classic and colorful designs. And last month, she opened her first brick and mortar, which features her blankets, bags, and tailored dresses (made and altered to complement any woman’s shape), plus the works of other local designers who make crocheted hats, jewelry, and belts from recycled bicycle tires.

Amy Dotts, 2916 NE Alberta St., Ste. A, 503.516.0567

Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop

Sunnyside Neighborhood, Belmont
Sarah Leonard says she and her husband Shawn wanted to open a space “that would include family-friendly simple pleasures and indulgences.” It was only natural that they opened the Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop where children, parents and grandparents can choose from 37 flavors of hand-stirred sodas (which she stresses are not made with high-fructose corn syrup), phosphates, egg creams, milkshakes, and countless old-fashioned candies. Customers can also pick their favorite flavor from some 200 labels of bottled sodas, including some adventurous concoctions that include bacon- and Buffalo wing-flavored. Leonard says she and her husband are also dedicating an in-store shrine to Portland’s beloved, children’s morning program host and button collector, Ramblin’ Rod. Fizz also has free Wi-Fi but offers board games for those who like their fun a little more 20th century. Open daily from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop, 817 SE 34th Ave., 503.894.8980

Art ala Carte

Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood
Portland’s newest community-focused art space is part-studio, part-workshop and part-play space for children and, occasionally, their parents. Art ala Carte’s owner, Aria Chittenden, says the children who visit can engage their imaginations at numerous studio workstations led by a team of volunteer artist-teachers. Included among the programs the studio offers are parent-child interactive sessions and workshops in photography, painting, sewing, and knitting. Parents can also unwind while visiting the studio’s espresso bar and even, space permitting, drop off the wee ones on Friday nights before enjoying a night out while their kids create. Chittenden says she also plans to discount rates for families that may be unable to afford the price of admission, and would like to open the space up to public schools where art funding has been cut. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and parents’ nights out are on Fridays from 6-9:30 p.m.

Art ala Carte, 8535 SE 13th Ave., 503.750.0522

Let it Rain Art Gallery

St. Johns Neighborhood
After a stint in the U.S. Navy, Jeffrey Gabel returned to his hometown in Washington state where found work casting miniature pewter figures for the hobby gaming manufacturer Cipher Studios. There, he reconnected with Jasmine Shriver, whom he’d known since he was five years old. The two hit it off, and in early 2011, moved to Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood for its small-town-within-a-town feel. After settling in, they explored the area and found that while it’s home to lots of local artists, it had no central location for them to exhibit their work outside of their own studios. So, the couple found a 750-square-foot space and fashioned it into a gallery specializing in showing the paintings, photography, jewelry, and ceramic work of their neighbors. While they plan to occasionally display the works of artists from outside the city, Gabel says he and Shriver aim to show the works of Portlanders in general, with a particular focus on St. Johns artists. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday.

Let it Rain Art Gallery, 7322 N Leavitt Ave., 503.285.0301

The TARDIS Room

Overlook Neighborhood, Overlook Village
Expatriated Londoner Mick Shillingford has always enjoyed the television program Doctor Who. That’s why The Fish & Chip Shop owner has built out the space adjacent to his restaurant, turned it into a proper, English-style pub, and decorated with Doctor Who paraphernalia. The TARDIS Room, named for the good doctor’s time machine (and an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space), may soon be a favorite gathering space for fanboys (and girls) who, in addition to noshing on traditional British pub fare and knocking back 20-ounce English pints, can expect to hear live music on weekends and during mid-week open mics. Plans are also in place to add HD big screens to show the program’s most recent season as well as Doctor Who-inspired trivia nights. Of course, Shillingford says TARDIS patrons can also enjoy what he confidently insists are the only authentically prepared British fish and chips in the city.

The TARDIS Room,1214 N Killingsworth St., 503.232.3344

To see the rest of the list, go here.

by Betsy Ballantyne, betsy@betsyballantyne.com
(content provided by www.neighborhoodnotes.com)