Growing up on a farm outside the Oregon wine-country berg of Amity, Beth Pflug recalls how much she treasured strolling through nearby McMinnville’s downtown, not least because her grandparents helped stage its former annual Turkey Rama festival in July.
Lined with hole-in-the-wall gourmet restaurants and shops carrying specialized merchandise, both with a backdrop of historical brick buildings, downtown McMinnville is often rated among the most charming U.S. downtowns. The town’s Third Street historic district made a lasting impression on Pflug, who enjoyed venturing there with family or meeting friends there. “I fell in love with downtown areas,” Pflug said.
Now, she hopes her new leadership role in downtown Tigard will enable her to promote the district a little further along the same direction.
“I love walking along Main Street, eating, shopping, enjoying the art and the sculptures, going to Universal Plaza and buying gifts for birthdays and holidays from local small businesses,” Pflug said in an email. “There is a lot to be proud of with Tigard’s downtown!”
Pflug was recently elected president of the Tigard Downtown Alliance, a business organization dedicated to continuing to build the city’s downtown as a community gathering, eating and shopping place. A member of the TDA board for three years, her prior connection to Downtown Tigard was through her husband, Jacob Pflug, who co-owned Symposium Coffee in Tigard and Sherwood, the latter town where the couple lives.
Also elected to officer positions in February were Kelsey O’Halloren, vice president; Laura Ziegler, secretary; and Kevin Watkins, treasurer.
An associate professor of education on the Tigard campus of George Fox University, Beth Pflug is interested in developing TDA’s organizational structure, its capacity to manage programs and its external funding.
“I really do enjoy building an organization and supporting its growth,” said Pflug, 39.
Aside from targeting businesses to recruit downtown and working with the city on district redevelopment projects and policies, the organization this year is resurrecting First Thursday gatherings on the first Thursday evening of each month, possibly starting late this spring, as well as staging an art-oriented event in mid-July.
“There’s some really great movement in creating this thriving downtown,” Pflug said.
