 | |
 Exterior of Music Millennium's original location on East Burnside Street in 2015 | |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founders | Don McLeod, Laureen McLeod, Dan Lissy and Patty Lissy |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon |
Key people | Terry Currier (current owner) |
| Website | www |
Music Millennium is an independent record store located in Portland, Oregon. It was opened by Don McLeod, his wife Laureen, and Dan and Patty Lissy in 1969. [1] It is currently the largest and oldest record store in the Pacific Northwest. [2]
At one time, Music Millennium had three stores: one at the original eastside location, which opened on March 15, 1969; [3] a store in northwest Portland's Northwest District; and a classical music store located next door to the main eastside location called Classical Millennium that opened in 1977. [4] Terry Currier acquired the business in 1996 from McLeod's estate following Don McLeod's death. [1]
The northwest location was a pioneer in in-store performances, which started in 1989 as part of the business's 20th anniversary celebration. [3] The business was involved in a lawsuit against a music retailer in South Carolina operating as Millennium Music. It was dismissed in 1999. [5] Currier later coined the term "Keep Portland Weird", which has become a rally slogan for the city and its culture. He is currently considered "The Father of Portland's Weird Movement" [6]
The northwest location closed in September 2007. [7] In 2009, Music Millennium was ranked ninth in Spin magazine's list of the fifteen best independent record stores in the country. [8] A year later, The Oregonian described Music Millennium as an iconic Portland business and a "national leader in the music-selling industry". [3]
During a 1993 feud with Garth Brooks, Currier barbecued the country star's album In Pieces after removing Music Millennium's entire collection of his other CDs, cassettes, and LPs. Dubbed "The Barbecue for Retail Freedom", the event was staged to protest Brooks's stance against used record stores selling his music. [9] As of 2017, Music Millennium was still refusing to stock Brooks's albums. [10] The store continues to host an annual "Customer Appreciation BBQ" every August and the feud helped inspire the foundation of Record Store Day in 2007. [11]
In a lawsuit dismissed in 1999, Music Millennium filed a trademark claim against Millennium Music in Charleston, South Carolina, asking them to change the name of their business. Millennium Music operated two stores in South Carolina and Terry Currier believed it caused too much confusion and was concerned about "unwanted competition". [12] [13] [14] [5] The court held that simply having an interactive website was not enough to have personal jurisdiction. [15]
Lloyd Center is a shopping mall in the Lloyd District of Portland, Oregon, United States, just northeast of downtown. It is owned by the Urban Renaissance Group and KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. The mall features three floors of shopping, with the third level serving mostly as professional office spaces, a food court, and U.S. Education Corporation's Carrington College. Lloyd Center also includes the Lloyd Center Ice Skating Rink, which has become the main draw for the mall. There are currently no anchors in the mall. There are vacant anchor spaces left by Macy's, Marshalls, Nordstrom, and Sears. Junior anchors include Barnes & Noble and Ross Dress for Less.
Joseph Kaye "J.K." Gill was an English-born American retailer and publisher in the state of Oregon. A native of England, he came to the United States with his parents and settled in Oregon where he managed a bookstore in Salem. Later he entered the business and became the owner of the now-defunct J. K. Gill Company that operated in the Pacific Northwest as a book and office supply store.
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"Keep Portland Weird" is a popular slogan that appears on bumper stickers, signs, and public buildings throughout Portland, Oregon and its surrounding metro area. It originated from the "Keep Austin Weird" slogan and was originally intended to promote local businesses, though it has since evolved into an all-encompassing slogan that secondarily promotes individuality, expressionism, local art, as well as atypical lifestyle choices and leisure activities. The slogan frequently inspires articles and debate that attempt to quantify the exact level to which Portland is considered weird, unusual or eccentric.
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The J.K. Gill Company, also known as J.K. Gill and Gill's, was an office supply company specializing in books and school supplies, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company existed for about 130 years. Operating mainly in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington, the company at its peak employed over 500 and had retail stores in four western states, including California and Arizona.
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Wildwood Restaurant and Bar, or simply Wildwood, was a Pacific Northwest and New American restaurant in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Operating from 1994 to 2014, the restaurant earned owner and founding chef Cory Schreiber a James Beard Foundation Award nomination in the Best Chef: Northwest category. Wendy Culverwell of Portland Business Journal described Wildwood as "a pioneer in the farm-to-table food movement".
Third Eye Shoppe, commonly known as The Third Eye, was a head shop in Portland, Oregon's Hawthorne district and Richmond neighborhood, in the United States. The shop was founded in 1987 and owned by cannabis and counterculture activist Jack Herer. His son, Mark Herer, took over as the shop's owner in 2001. The Third Eye closed on March 31, 2017, as a result of declining sales, development of the surrounding neighborhood, increasing health care costs, and increased competition. For nearly thirty years, the shop was associated with Portland's cannabis culture and recreational drug tourism, and was included in Willamette Week's annual "Best of Portland" reader's poll several times.
City Liquidators is a furniture warehouse in the Buckman neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. It was established in 1977 by Walt Pelett, who still owns the company along with his wife, Pam. The company occupies seven buildings totaling 390,000-square feet.
The Central Eastside is a subdistrict of Portland, Oregon, United States, situated in Southeast Portland along the east bank of the Willamette River. It makes up a part of Portland's Central City district.
Skyline Restaurant is a diner in northwest Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Established in 1935, the restaurant initially sold fried chicken by a gas station. It gained popularity during the 1950s, and Skyline's menu of American cuisine has changed little since then. Michelle Nelson has owned the diner since 1999; previous owners have included Benny and Phyllis Lum, as well as Ken Hom, who eliminated drive-in service. Skyline's burgers and milkshakes have received a generally positive reception. In 1975, James Beard said the restaurant's burger was among the best in the country, and Food Network Magazine said Skyline had the best burger in Oregon in 2009.
Beast was a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The business earned chef and owner Naomi Pomeroy a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Northwest in 2014.
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Top Burmese is a small chain of restaurants serving Burmese cuisine in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, in the United States. Owners Kalvin and Poe Myint started the business in 2019. There are three locations in addition to the original restaurant on 21st Avenue in northwest Portland's Northwest District: Top Burmese Bistro Royale has operated in Beaverton since 2020, Top Burmese Burma Joy opened on 23rd Avenue in the Northwest District in 2021, and Top Burmese Ambassador opened in Hillsboro in 2022. Top Burmese branch off beyond Burmese Cuisine with Old Asia Teahouse opened in Beaverton in 2023.
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Hippo Hardware and Trading Company, or simply Hippo Hardware, is a hardware store in Portland, Oregon. Established by Steven Miller and Stephen Oppenheim in southeast Portland in 1976, the business has operated from its current location on East Burnside Street in the Buckman neighborhood since 1990. Hippo Hardware sells new and salvaged hardware, lighting, plumbing and other materials, as has a hippopotamus theme throughout. The store has supplied locally filmed television series and has been described as an institution and a landmark.
