Microcosm is not some amorphous group of happy collectively minded folks stuffing envelopes and sharing vegan candy, In fact, While trying to establish a collective Joe admitted that he didn’t want to work collectively and stated that he didn’t think everyone in the collective should have equals input. There are not two people running things in Portland and the one person staying has only been working for microcosm for less than six months. There was no “staff” decision to move and a few people lost their jobs, some willing, some not. We actually had a down payment, a contract and had hired and Architect last summer in some new construction but Joe wanted to pull out and already had his sights set on Bloomington. The person who wrote it should be ashamed of themselves for writing such a complete bunch of misleading, corporate speak sounding lies.Ī few facts: Joe did own property in this gentrified area he claims to hate, he did loose it in the divorce but it is completely a lie that Microcosm was looking and unable to find property in Portland. He easily could have just said “I’m leaving Portland for personal reasons and I’m ready for new challenges and horizons” Or something similarly as diplomatic or PR firm sounding as this press release also listed in the mercury: I know there are several reasons Joe left Portland and gentrification ranks way down on the list. You know, I don’t have to tell you why Joe left Portland, or even why I THINK Joe left Portland, but he didn’t have to make things up or rearrange time lines to suit his cases or pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. In fact, I think it is insulting to past and future Microcosm employees, the city of Portland, and pretty much anyone associated with Joe.
#Microcosm portland full#
The interview is full of outright lies, half truths, and blatant misdirections. I thought that was silly and that no one would really buy that excuse… until I read this article: I heard that Joe expressed that the reason he was leaving Portland for Bloomington, Indiana was that Portland was too gentrified. I understand that what I say about a company I no longer work for affects many other people’s lives.īut then I heard about this article in local Portland weekly called the Mercury. I held A LOT back, not just for personal reason, but for ethical reasons.
Even in my recent zine I let the story speak for itself, leaving out names and barely touching on issues of the company, leaving the situation described pretty much anonymously. This article is bunk, but I’m going to try to keep this as diplomatic as possible.Īs Joe Biel’s ex-wife, and at one time, co-owner of Microcosm Publishing, I have kept my criticisms of Microcosm to a minimal since I had to leave there last October. I spent almost half of the last year in Bloomington so one could expect the same of me traveling to and from Portland! I am moving my permanent residence to Bloomington, IN on March 15 but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be in Portland frequently as well. I came here with no knowledge of how vast and compelling that network was and how much it would propel me into friendships and community. It was a simple extension of my own vast longtime interest in cycling and creating things that I would find of interest. Microcosm Publishing has been closely intertwined with the cycling community since day one here. To purchase property, a down payment of $100,000 is standard and most properties get purchased sight unseen within a few weeks. Now in 2007 it’s virtually impossible to get a piece of commercial property that is reasonably priced in our neighborhood. Too attractive in fact – and many people from all over the country continue to flock here. The best cycling anywhere I’d seen, the best resources, and a very attractive climate. Five years later I was hooked and not going anywhere. I moved to Portland in 1999 expecting to live here for a year or so. To set the record straight about his company, I asked Joe to write a few words about why he’s leaving and what we can expect in the future. Joe is the man behind, “Martinis in the Bike Lane,” a short documentary film that tells the inside story of Portland’s unique bike lane characters (watch it hi-res via Quicktime or quick and dirty on YouTube). Microcosm is the company behind most of the bike stickers, zines, t-shirts and general bike propaganda that is a common sight on backpacks and messenger bags throughout the city.īut beyond the stuff they sell, their founder Joe Biel is an artist himself and an active member of the community.
Recently on a local cycling email list, news surfaced that Microcosm Publishing and founder Joe Biel, were leaving Portland.
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