Slide Show: East Side Rising
"In general, the neighborhood’s manufacturing owners welcome change as long as it’s organic change. The real creative class in the Central Eastside includes machinists and engineers—people who can solve real, practical problems."
Photography by Larry Letters
"I want to get the entrepreneur off the kitchen table and out of the garage. People down here are gentrifying the neighborhood—but from the poor man’s perspective, from the ground up."
—Walt Pelett, owner of City Liquid
Photography by Larry Letters
"It’s great for the whole city to have a neighborhood where you can find a great bar or café next door to a small factory, next to an advertising production studio."
—Juliana Lukasik, owner of @Large Films and vice president
Photography by Larry Letters
"We first located here because it was cheap, and we liked the idea of being in a neighborhood that’s busy during the day. It would be a bummer if it got a bunch of big apartment buildings."
—Tommy Habetz, chef and co-owner of
Photography by Larry Letters
"We’ve always sold a little retail, but since we put out our stand [of vegetables], our sales have quadrupled. The people down here love their vegetables."
—David Rinella, owner of Rinella Produce, a 93-year-old Central Easts
Photography by Larry Letters
"City Hall hasn’t paid a lot of attention to the Central Eastside over the years. Downtown—or I should say, the other downtown—is the golden one. But the new East Burnside-Couch Couplet is really bringing streets alive with activity.&
Photography by Larry Letters
"The Central Eastside seemed almost abandoned when we moved in 21 years ago. Now it’s a destination for home remodeling. The city was smart to loosen the industrial zoning, but to also not let it become another Pearl District."
Photography by Larry Letters
