Introducing this year’s call to Bike Messengers:

The Free Store has a large network of supporters, and the success of the project last summer was immense. What Portland still needs is jobs, and the Free Store needs funding. What many people around the city need is item delivery, [...]]]> Looking for Part Time work for some supplemental income?

Introducing this year’s call to Bike Messengers:

The Free Store has a large network of supporters, and the success of the project last summer was immense. What Portland still needs is jobs, and the Free Store needs funding. What many people around the city need is item delivery, because they don’t have time, or means, to collect.

Over the next few months this website is going to develop into its own social networking site, where people may sign in, list their items, their wants, and instantly request a messenger to pick up and drop off. To fund the change, and to celebrate the ideal biking weather, we will have messengers available to deliver items from Craig’s List & Free Cycle, as well as any personal classifieds.

Messengers set their own price, and ask the client requesting delivery/pick-up to  make  a donation to the free store in addition to the delivery/pick-up price. It’s as simple as that. The Free Store will help facilitate and market the messengers with a full marketing campaign, and we will work on getting messengers Bike Trailers as a perk to the job.

Once the social networking site is up and running, the top earners will be rewarded with permanant positions, or other employment opportunities within the business.

Cycle. Work Outside. Help a good cause. Set your own hours.

It’s a great way to make some additional income.

Ben has been in communication with Free Stores around the U.S., and [...]]]> The Spring has finally arrived in Portland! The Free Store has undergone many changes since last fall! The initial project was a huge success, and much of Portland (and beyond) stepped up to show their support for our little School Bus Store in Southeast.

Ben has been in communication with Free Stores around the U.S., and with many members of the Portland community to determine the best way to deliver the abundance of free items to the city at large. He is compiling all of the information into a book, which should be completed later this year, to assist other entrepreneurs in opening Free Stores of their own. In the meantime, he is assisting local organizers in their efforts to open stores around the city, and several in cities around the country.

The next summer phase is coming up soon! The School Bus project was just the first step in an ongoing process to develop the necessary support for this project to succeed. Would you like to help out in 2010? Please, send us an email! Let us know what you would be interested in doing!

You can look forward to future updates on this site, and we will be sure to keep everyone in the loop about the ongoing process of turning all of this city’s abundance, back into the hands of the people who want & need it.

We Will Need:

-Donated Space Around the City (Garages are perfectly acceptable)
-Volunteers & Organizers
-Bicycle Messengers
-Private Donations, Corporate, & Business Support
-Graphic Designers
-Marketers
-& Party Promoters

Painting on the bus is now complete! This artwork will be available to see through mid-october when another artist will be chosen. This month’s artwork was done by Heidi Elise Wirz.

We’re still continuing our very small marketing campaign through our soft opening. Major marketing will begin soon, but we hope you will continue to tell [...]]]>

Painting on the bus is now complete! This artwork will be available to see through mid-october when another artist will be chosen. This month’s artwork was done by Heidi Elise Wirz.

We’re still continuing our very small marketing campaign through our soft opening. Major marketing will begin soon, but we hope you will continue to tell your friends, family, and coworkers, about the Free Store! We’re getting an average of 10-20 people and 2 donations per day!

Also, this month the Really Really Free Market will be joining us on our lot on September the 26th 11am-6pm, to present the Free Box Bazaar! It’s basically a flea market, where everything is FREE! Mark your calendars!