I walk along Alberta Street.There’s French bakery and restaurant, with tables on the street,  a vegan jewish deli sandwich a bamboo enclosed sushi restaurant and a dress boutique and a children’s gift shop, a music store on the corner, an art gallery across the street.

 The tourist bureau calls It Main Street U.S.A, playing on visions of  It’s A Wonderful Life, sprinkled with Portland’s quirky counter culture charm.

There’s a second main street,  and it’s reality is  closer to  Westworld,  Season one

Can I speak to someone in marketing? I ask the young man at the front desk

I’m afraid they’re in Oakland.

Can I get a name or an email?

We don’t give out personal emails. You can send an email to info@…

In other words, go away.

 The corporation is designed to repel the general public. People like me.

I ask the owner of a cannabis store about advertising. She tells me marketing decisions are out of their hands, made by "corporate." Where they are is someplace unreachable. "We'd love to help. We're real fans of your newspaper. We just don’t have the power to make decisions.

This is the difference: In a corporately controlled business, the people who live and work in the community, who interact with the public, don’t have the power to make big decisions. 

And the people who do make the big decisions, don’t interact with the people who live in that community, the people they supposedly serve.

Does this make a difference?

I think it does. But I'd love to know what you think.