The Fate of Southeast Portland Dive Bar Holman’s Hangs in the Air

Along one of Portland’s most bustling restaurant rows — Northeast and Southeast 28th Avenue — diners flock to restaurants like Cheese and Crack, Ken’s Artisan Pizza, and Paadee. But Holman’s, the Buckman dive bar that has been a neighborhood fixture for over 80 years, has remained in limbo since the return to indoor dining. Willamette Week reporter Nigel Jaquiss looked into why the dive bar hasn’t reopened, yet also hasn’t formally called it quits.

Like the rest of the city’s bars and restaurants, Holman’s shuttered at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, when Governor Kate Brown put the kibosh on indoor dining. A handwritten sign in the window read, “Booze is all gone. Reopen when Kate says so. Godspeed.” It has sat vacant ever since, a casualty of a tight labor market and 80-year-old owner Bill Craine taking a break. “At my age, I’ve kind of enjoyed not going to work,” he tells WW. Amid inquiries from numerous prospective buyers, Craine, who purchased the business in 1977, hopes to finalize his plans for the property in the next three to four months. Whether he sells or reopens, he intends for Holman’s to live on. Craine also owns the adjacent building, which houses Fifty Licks Ice Cream. That location, one of the business’ three shops, is currently closed for renovations.

Neighborhood bakery Tabor Bread moves from its original location, but not far

Tabor Bread, a neighborhood destination known for its whole grain, fermented sourdough breads, has moved. For a decade, it resided in a cozy red brick house on Hawthorne Boulevard. It can now be found at 4438 SE Belmont Street, less than a mile northwest of its original location. The shop announced its move in November and is currently running a GoFundMe to assist with construction costs for the new location. As reported by Willamette Week, TPK Brewing and Filipino-Hawaiian restaurant Hapa Barkada will take over the former Tabor Bread space in late spring 2023.

New Seasons Labor Union continues to grow its numbers

The New Seasons Labor Union (NSLU) has grown its membership by 235 workers in the past week. The gains come from the store’s Woodstock location, which won its election on December 9, and the Grant Park location, which voted on December 13. The NSLU has won four elections since filing with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in May; the Concordia location is currently holding an election (yesterday and today), and union campaigns are underway at Arbor Lodge and Cedar Hills New Seasons.