I had a chance to meet Ryan Cloutier yesterday. He’s a co-owner of Lents Commons, a brand new cafe / performance space opening at the corner of SE 92nd Ave and Foster. This is across the street from the Lents Town Center Plaza, near to the site of the Lents Farmers Market (opening soon for the season, every Sunday), and down the block from the best Mexican food in town, El Pato Feliz. This new cafe will be both a shot in the arm for Lents and a huge cultural resource for all of us in this part of town.
Ryan told me that they expect to book a wide variety of events for the space, including music, art shows, classes and, perhaps most importantly, bad movie night –I immediately nominated “Jonathan Livingston Seagull.” They’ve already hosted classes led by local actor and dancer Anet Ris-Kelman, whose group is already booked to perform in May.
Like any small business, these new owners have some expenses. One thing that I thought was a great idea was offering gift cards in advance on the Lents Commons website. Future customers can use their credit card to buy a $20 gift card now, and then just swipe it while getting your coffee and bagel once they’re open. A nice way to get them a little cash-flow early.
Lents Commons will be open for business starting Friday, bright and early. To celebrate, they’re hosting a Grand Opening Bash with live music and other fun and frivolity, Friday evening, April 16th, starting at 8pm.
I thought I had included a tag to link to the website, but it doesn’t look like it took… They’re at http://www.lentscommons.com. (duh!)John
That’s it… just thanks!
Hey, this is totally awesome! I have long thought that FoPo needed more music/art venues, and this is it! I’m gonna have to drop by with a demo cd for my band, MODA (myspace.com/modapdx). I told you this was a chance to promo the band…
Thanks for getting this up, Colleen. I meant to ask Ryan whether they’d be booking electric music, but forgot.I keep thinking that I misunderstood the probable intent of “Bad Movie Night.” Ryan’s a very nice young bloke who undoubtedly intends to present “bad” movies that are actually enjoyable to people.Whereas my mind immediately went toward the challenge of coming up with the worst (truly) movie I could think of. One that would send customers toward the exits.Presumably the good people of Lents Commons are smart enough to not take my advice.
I think you’re right, John; they’re probably looking for “so bad, they’re good” movies such as “Showgirls.” Or maybe they’ll show Mystery-Science- Theater-3000-style sci fi flicks…
Hey, it’s Ryan from Lents Commons!I’ve found that there is a certain variety of bad movies that are actually enjoyable to people. I’ve made this the basis of my theatre production company LastRites Productions, where we have put on stage such bad films as “Manos: The Hands of Fate”, “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die”, and “The Wild World of Batwoman”. Of course, ‘Bad’ is subjective…but it’s our intent to encourage people to bring in their favorite ‘Bad’ movies and have everyone vote on what we watch that week. This may be followed up with a critical discussion of the films. As for music, electric music is good…music of any sort really. Interested musicians should contact Zack Rouse: zack@lentscommons.com. At any rate, hope to see you all Friday Night!
Hey thanks for the clarification, Ryan. You’re as articulate online as you are in person, I see. Nice to chat with y’all last night. It was a fab time, right? “The Brain that Wouldn’t Die” is one of my all-time favorite so-bad-it’s-good movies. Nice choice.
Thanks (belatedly) for the great party Friday night, Ryan and Zach.”Bad” is totally subjective, as you say. It’s hard for me to guage “good/bad” or ironically-postmodern bad from “bad/bad” (ie, just bad). That’s because I’m embarrass-proof.I was just remembering a good/bad/insane movie called “Skidoo” (1968). It’s directed by Otto Preminger and has all kind of oddball cast members like Carole Channing and Groucho Marx.The film begins with Jackie Gleason accidentally eating acid, then it turns into a total trainwreck, with lots of incomprehensible running around, ending in a huge Hollywood hippie party with lots of groovy go-go music. I’m guessing Preminger was the one eating the acid (seriously).It’s Groucho’s last film. Now, Groucho Marx knows what’s funny and what isn’t. He seems to be crying out to us from the screen, “please kill me now.”It’s kind of a combination of “The Trip” with “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World,” though it wishes it was “Shampoo.” Def worth seeing, in other words.
John, it has been far too long since you’ve seen Skidoo. The accidental acid dosing doesn’t happen until about 2/3rds of the way into the film – after God makes Tough Tony sneak into Alcatraz to kill George “Blue Chips” Packard – when Tony gets into the Professor’s “stationery”. Of course – anytime I see Carol Channing I think I’m tripping.
Ah, I stand corrected. Either it has indeed been too long, or –more likely –seeing it just the once permanently skewed by sense of the time/space continuum.I do remember this much, though: Harry Nilsson’s soundtrack is like a delicate daisy in the midst of a Kansas tornado of stupidity.(Speaking of bad/bad, Harry would later do the music for “Popeye”!)
Hi, I am Ryan’s mom and I truly would have loved to be there for opening night. Perhaps someday soon, I will hop a plane and visit the beautiful Portland, Oregon and check out what my son has been working so hard to accomplish.
Hi Angela, thanks for posting. Ryan’s cafe is already becoming a neighborhood institution. It’s hard enough to make a go of a small business these days, let alone one in a challenging area of town, but I have no doubt that after the tough times, better ones will follow.So hopefully you can come visit Portland sometime soon. (After the rainy season’s finally over.)John