Salute to Commerce – Bend River Promenade

By Courtney Linville | Bend Chamber

Throughout the past few decades, the Bend River Promenade has seen quite a few changes, but one thing remains the same, its dedication to its customers and the community.

Bend River Promenade first opened inBendin the spring of 1981 as theBendRiverMall-BoydCenter. Those who have been in the area for a while may know that the mall was built on property that was once part of the Boyd Homestead. The mall’s first anchor tenants were Macy’s and Sears. Several other restaurants and buildings were added to the Bend River Promenade with the McGrath’s building being the last to open in 1986. Since that time, the area has seen a variety of large and small tenants, creating a balance of local and national businesses that is often hard to find anymore.

Another interesting fact about Bend River Promenade is that it had the same owners until it was sold in 2004. “At that time, the new owners decided to reorganize the mall, put a street through the center, build another retail store, and basically transitioned the area into an outdoor mall,” said Bowne. “This was essentially an enclosed mall until that time, and now only a tiny section is left of the enclosed space.”

Did you know Bend River Promenade used to be home to bridal shows, antique shows, boat shows, and blood drives? How about the registration place for boy scouts, girl scouts, 4-H, Parks & Rec and little league? “It was really a community center for many years prior to the redevelopment,” said Rita Bowne, Property Manager.

Today, Bend River Promenade has a gamut of products and services from a full service department store and a family owned doughnut shop to fine jewelry, fragrances, tools and hardware, beauty supplies, nail services, hearing aids, cell phone store, eateries, and more!

Bowne often finds people commenting on the changes at the promenade. She points out she hears from customers that might not have visited the retail center in a while. “I find that people will say ‘I haven’t been to the Promenade recently,’ because they live out of the area and retail has ‘come to them,’ or they haven’t been by because they have been so focused on outdoor recreation,” she laughs. “Many people are rediscovering what we have in our area, and because many people shop only when they have to, they sometimes forget that shopping can be recreation too.”

Because shopping is often a planned “break” for many visitors to the area, Bowne says she receives a lot of calls from visitors to get directions to not only her establishment, but other places aroundBend. “I don’t mind answering questions and giving directions because it will give visitors a better experience and they may come to Bend River Promenade because we were helpful to them,” she said. “I once had a gentlemen stop by with a thank you card and a $10 gift certificate to our candy shop because he was so appreciative of our assistance.”

But besides helping customers, Bend River Promenade also supports the local community by working behind the scenes with a variety of organizations. They sponsor several local events and provide a home for the Make a Wish Foundation every February. “That is a real joy for us,” said Bowne. “We thoroughly enjoy having them and love what they do for the community as far as families. You never know if or when you may need a service like that to make life a little lighter for your family or friends.”

The company also supports Sparrow Clubs, Harmony for Women (which in turn lends support to local groups that serve women in need), and more. Bowne says Bend River Promenade tends to help behind the scenes because it doesn’t need the recognition, but still wants to help the local community. “We don’t need to get our name out in a giant way as our tenants’ presence is well-known through advertising,” she said. “We look for places where we can fill a need. It’s nice to do little things that can make a huge difference.”

And the giving stretches beyond Bend River Promenade to the tenants as well. Bowne says it’s heartwarming to work with people that believe in the community and believe in giving back. “A lot of what they do might not be huge, but it is more on a personal business to organization level,” she said.

Even though it’s a hard time to give back to the community, Bowne says every business should try to give back a little. “It’s the community that allows you to exist and to express your gratitude for the support of your customers is a gracious way of participating in your community,” she said. “It’s part of the circle of commerce and community that works together and it completes the circle.”

Click for more information about Bend River Promenade.

The Salute to Commerce Program is sponsored by Combined Communications Inc., The Riverhouse, and the Bend Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations to the past year’s Salute to Commerce recipients for making Bend a better place to live: Sun Mountain Fun Center, Central Oregon Builders Association, First American title Insurance Company of Oregon, Wells Fargo Business Banking, Sortor Bushido Kai Karate, SELCO Community Credit Union, Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home, Rod Wigle, MD, Avion Water Company Inc, Arbor Mortgage Group, Round Butte Seed Growers, Inc, and Touchmark at Mt. Bachelor Village