Don't Like - Soho House Portland
Well, it finally happened: Portland got a Soho House. It opened this weekend to much muted discussion among people who weren’t there (aka my friends and maybe yours too). That owes largely to the club’s exclusive nature and generally prohibitive cost. Although, from what I gather based on the most junior person at my work having a membership… Soho House is no Skull & Bones, let alone a micro-creative version of Davos. In fact, it’s kind of funny that Soho House Portland has generated as much discussion as it has. Some of that has been legitimate considering it is yet another big new, expensive development for people with money in an area (the very inner east side) that is rife with homelessness. There’s also the degree to which Soho House represents a fight for the creative soul of the city.1 Despite being called Soho House Portland, it is squarely a “PDX” based business that caters to a blandly professional idea of creativity. This is apparent given that the lounge has the same general vibe as the perenially empty, yet “hip” hotel lounge at KEX PDX.2 This also begs the question of why people are excited about Soho House Portland in the first place. When was the last time that a Soho House was considered cool? What aspiring Manhattan or London socialite would be caught dead in a Soho House? Is Portland really this provincial? Lastly, there are also ethical concerns about the ownership group but I doubt the members who are looking for a good time are worried about those. And so, I think the best thing to do with Soho House Portland is to make up your mind about it and move on. Apply for the membership or don’t. Decide if you’ll go if you get invited or if that’s a line you won’t cross. Just don’t let Soho House Portland take up any more of your mind than it already has, which might be hard considering how easy it is to hate.
If there’s one good thing about Soho House Portland it’s that it has put money directly into the pockets of local artists here.
I suspect this aesthetic has a name and is widely seen in such places all over the world but it’s funny how derivative “creative” spaces can be.
Fuckin’ bless.