Legacy Business Preservation Study overview
Launched in 2024, the City of Portland's Legacy Business Preservation Study is developing recommendations for the establishment of a legacy business program that would support and preserve long-standing, independently owned businesses.
These "legacy businesses" – defined for the purposes of this project as 20 years old or older and primarily public-facing – are often cornerstones of the communities they serve and help shape the character and economic vitality of their cities and neighborhoods. They offer essential – and in many cases culturally specific – products and services, and providing safe, familiar, and supportive spaces for Portlanders of all backgrounds.
Legacy businesses face unique challenges
Despite their contributions, legacy businesses face unique challenges. Displacement pressures, regulatory burdens, internal capacity challenges, and changing market trends all disproportionately affect independently owned businesses. Legacy businesses often struggle against these headwinds. By virtue of their longevity, they can be uniquely susceptible to other challenges, including lack of succession planning, maintenance backlogs and equipment obsolescence, and changing technology and industry standards.
What could a legacy business preservation program do?
Similar programs have been established in over two dozen jurisdictions across the country, including San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles. The majority of these programs work with business owners to identify and overcome specific obstacles, providing targeted assistance and marshalling resources to help them adapt, innovate, and thrive. They often encompass a range of offerings, including official recognition and promotional support, technical assistance, financial support, and supportive policies.
A legacy business program in Portland could take many shapes, and implementation of such a program could help to create and strengthen vital relationships between the City and historically marginalized communities.
Give feedback on bringing this idea to Portland
To date, project staff have consulted with over a dozen community-based organizations and interviewed over 25 longstanding business to better understand the unique challenges that they face, and how a legacy business program could best support them.
Now it's your turn to join the conversation about the importance of legacy businesses, and the development of a legacy business program.
Whether you're the owner or manager of a legacy business, a patron or advocate, or an engaged Portlander with views on how City resources ought to be allocated, please take 5 to 10 minutes to share your perspective. Responses will be collected until Friday, Oct. 31.
Next steps
Following this survey, project staff will refine recommendations to be included in the Legacy Business Preservation Study before presenting to City Council in the first quarter of 2026. Opportunities for further engagement will be announced as they become available.