Blue Valley Bistro and Oregon RAIN Help Create Small Business Ecosystem in Creswell

Just off of I-5, about 12 miles south of Eugene, is Blue Valley Bistro, what owner Seth Clark calls “the living-room of Creswell.” Inside the comfortable restaurant with its dark wooden walls and scattered tables, Clark serves food and Cafeto Coffee to a group of regulars. 

Clark recently celebrated the 11-year anniversary of the restaurant. Running a small business like Clark’s, which he describes as a “glorified coffee shop,” in a small town like Creswell comes with a fair share of challenges: smaller pool of customers and employees, increased employee expenses and, of course, most recently, the pandemic. But Clark works with Oregon RAIN, which partners with communities and businesses to provide entrepreneurial services, and they are helping Creswell navigate these obstacles. 

*reported by Eugene Weekly