Kind of pissed I have to post this. We've been in NYC this week scoping out the well-built, often American-made goods that we love bringing to you. It's busy, but it's also supposed to be fun.
But two Americans have been shot dead in the street. We have brand reps who left some of their two-decade green-card-carrying team at home, fearful that they'll encounter ICE while traveling. International reps know the two dudes standing in front of them have their heads on straight but can't help but wonder "What the heck is going on over here?" I haven't been in Eugene this week and haven't stood outside the federal building, so I don't know exactly how we got there, but I see federal agents dropping tear gas in the middle of a vigil.
We're going to close up tomorrow, Friday, in solidarity with the general strike movement. I want to be really clear: any day that we close up for business is not good for us. It doesn't help us keep current on accounts payable to the (mostly) small and wonderful brands we work with. It doesn't ensure I continue to figure out how to better compensate my killer team. The size of our operation means every single day pulls its weight. It's hard not to feel like collateral damage.
I won't take full credit for moving forward on a closure in spite of all that like some martyr. The team has advocated for it to me, and I recognize the importance of the movement, and all that together makes this the right decision.
But my ask is this: Come out to Porterhouse Saturday and Sunday. Or next week. Make a point of it for us and every other small business you love, in Eugene and beyond. We are hardly the robber barons of the corporatocracy propping up the shills, liars, and now, murderers leading this country astray. They've inspired a disheartening number of Americans to spend their days making America worse for people of all colors, creeds and home nationalities. For every person who protests and strikes, have you cut off Amazon and Whole Foods the other 364 days of the year? Tesla and SpaceX? OpenAI?
Make your life local year-round to the extent that you can. Thanks. We'll see you Saturday.
- Ethan (and the Porterhouse team)
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