There are good ideas, there are great ideas and then there are ideas so perfect, it's a wonder no one has thought of them before.
The Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop at Pioneer Courthouse Square is an example of a good idea: The nonprofit New Avenues for Youth runs and staffs the Yamhill Street store as part of its efforts to help homeless young men and women find decent-paying jobs and stable housing.
Commercial real estate broker Ramona Harrington had a great idea last year during conversations with Portland State University administrators about how to make better use of a TriMet information office: She suggested PSU lease the Urban Plaza space to New Avenues for a second store.
The step from great to perfect came a few months later, as Harrington and New Avenues executive director Ken Cowdery surveyed the site. At almost the same moment, both noticed that the small storefront sits next door to Portland State's School of Social Work.
"It was almost one of those, 'Well, duh,' moments," Cowdery said. "We spent something like two more hours coming up with ideas for ways the university and New Avenues could work together to provide opportunities for both our students and their students."
Talk about synergy. One ice cream shop isn't going to end our homelessness project, but a dozen more public/private/nonprofit partnerships like this one could make a decent dent. If everything goes smoothly, the new 750-square foot shop will open April 12, "free cone day" at Ben & Jerry's outlets across the country.
Click here to read the rest of the story at the Portland State website.
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