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PORTLAND OREGON SHARING ECONOMY

June 13, 2014 by

Try It Bro, You’ll Like It.

via csmonitor.com

via csmonitor.com

Baby boomers are into sharing? I don’t think so, but Portland baby boomers are getting a close-up of modern sharing.

But let’s back it up a little, first.

Young boomer non-conformists, known as hippies, shared everything. They shared rides, loves, and space. They shared food, drink, and music.

Listen to some sixties music and you’d think they shared too much before they recorded.

They shared hair styles, patchouli oil, and the ganja. It all worked out. Until it didn’t. Then everyone grew up, got jobs, and jammed their garages with stuff they didn’t want to share anymore.

That was then. This is now.

Young people like the idea of sharing. It comes with a small apartment, no car, and a central location. That was the dream in my twenties, but no one shared. Sharing meant doing something you needed tools to complete, so you borrowed them.

Apartment living comes with rules, #1 being call the landlord if you have a problem.

Young people today must be more industrious than we were in in the mid-70s to early 80s. Who had a saw, or hammer, or pressure cooker? And why?

I knew a neighbor who had one pan, a few cooking spoons, and plates and utensils for two. She had it down to the basics, and she was a hero.

Where some people go through stages of abundance and intentional deprivation, they grow out of it. Today, sharing is rounding out as a lifestyle choice. Streamline, but stay in the game.

You don’t need a car if you live in a city with Uber. Everything is a short walk away, but if you load up too much, call Uber to pick you up once it makes it to Portland.

Expecting out of town guests? Use AirBnB and set them up in a space near you.

Both AirBnB and Uber are startups with billions of dollars in value. Big investors see something in them. Call it built for the long haul.

Where does the sharing economy cut closer to the bone? Is a food co-op part of the share? The pile of free stuff after a garage sale? The restaurant with the sliding scale?

Sharing grows into a state of mind once you look at the people working the levers behind the scenes. If the smart guys in the room think it’s a good idea, why not check it out. Drop the idea of ownership and replace it with income.

What could go wrong?

 

 

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About David Gillaspie

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Comments

  1. Mark says
    June 13, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    Coming full circle? Good stuff Dave

    • David Gillaspie says
      June 13, 2014 at 2:16 pm

      Can you imagine our parents sharing their stuff? Big Wayne loaned out his crab rings to a neighbor once and didn’t get them back.

      The current trend seems like a move toward more mobility with less overhead. I talked to a 25 year old working on his masters in health administration and he fully embraced the sharing economy. He also said he has $65K in school loans and counting, which might be a driving element.

  2. Gary Bowen says
    June 17, 2014 at 12:35 am

    Much of my (read Our) sharing could be translated into gifting, as in sharing can often be considered as exploiting the one with the desired YaHaMaHaThingeeMahJig, or jut plain cash if you will.

    As I, one whose been around the block of LOAN-Dom have come to realize once shared is not even close to being returned as it was when originally loaned.

    Regards to these kids amassing huge college/university debt, I find it amusing after graduation they settle for a job at WohisMe cell phone company peddling phones that talk back and don’t forget those package deals that include those awesome humongous bonus paydays they thought back when they would eventually be rewarded with…

    Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m being overly piss-a-misstick. But then I’m a grumpy old bastard in their eyes any ol’ way.

    Ha! gb

    • David Gillaspie says
      June 17, 2014 at 5:51 am

      You hit on a good point, Gary. Liability. In a non-formal rent to use between people, how do you make sure your stuff comes back in the same condition? Having been around the block a few times might not be the best promotion, but reality says some people are better borrowers than others.

      The local library doesn’t want their books back with torn pages and drawing all over them; no one wants their Saws All returned wasted either. The general rule is break your own stuff. We don’t need any help.

      The sharing part I do like is the AirBnB idea. Once you’ve had enough hotel/motel experiences take a dive, why not look for a different way? Way back in the day no one stayed in hotels.

      Reminds me of a joke: Look a pack of Camel straight. Would you rather stay overnight at the palm trees or the pyramid on front? I’d go around the corner to the oasis on the back.

  3. Gary Bowen says
    June 17, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    A word of caution to the unprepared, namely many states have laws such as Renters Bill of Rights in the form of say California Code of Regulations.

    Daunting to say the least.

    Next, I believe would be liability clauses in homeowners polices. Private domiciles are insured for just that, not a public Hostel as Germany is famous for.

    Safety and security of tenants. Loads of issues there. One bad event–hide and watch how that all turns out!

    Then of course I await some Governing head to introduce the “new Indigent Homeless Housing Act.”
    Whereby those whom own their own homes must make vacant rooms, bathroom etc available to those suffering from socio/economic strife.

    As I see it, the dividing factor is being peddled into a serious social dilemma of whose got what and who doesn’t.

    I know, I drifted a wee bit, but I enjoy being the Nay-Bob sometimes.

    <<<

  4. Gary Bowen says
    June 18, 2014 at 12:49 am

    Back when my wife and I started our life together we had hardly anything except each other and a couple of $2.50 an hour part-time jobs. Along with Army Reserve pay and working weekends for a very gnarly security company, we managed the low rent district of a rather high crime rental area of our city.

    My point being I believe 24/7 comings and goings mixed with unruly neighbors sharing a given area posses tons of issues I hope to never repeat in my remaining life if at all possible.

    This is why folks work, even strive so hard to achieve is to seek much more improved housing offering hopefully reasonable safety and security standards away from wince one came. I don’t need engine changers and (Private cash only) motorcycle repair shops operating next door to me taking up both garage driveway and the entire front/back yard.

    Don’t even get me started on the drug manufacturing and selling all of which can turn a hood on its head!

    In the end, if this thing grows into popularity, and if the local and state government can figure a way to profit then I can almost guarantee it will come to fruition. I can see it already in my hazed mind, my crap detector of a crystal ball the near future my state creating and entire new enforcement department just to regulate and blah blah blah….

    But don’t worry, The People’s Republic of Kasifornia stands ready and more than willing to create more bumbling bureaucracy for all to enjoy.

    <<<===

    • David Gillaspie says
      June 18, 2014 at 6:59 am

      Good take, Gary. Before I got married I lived in low rent ‘hoods and felt brave and invincible. That’s in Philadelphia and Brooklyn where low rent is more than Felony Flats. My neighborhoods had a ‘what are you looin’ at’ code. Don’t look at anyone.

      Needless to say, they weren’t places where Airbnb travelers would stay, and the locals didn’t seem like the traveling type.

      If you’ve ever looked at eBay, you know not to buy from someone with bad customer reviews. Same goes for Airbnb. You get to know a little about the people and place before you show up.

      My wife and I rented apartments in Barcelona and Seville during a Spain trip. Both were in old sections of the city called the Jewery. The history was pretty bad, but the current status was a real dip into the local flora and fauna. It wouldn’t have been the same from a commercial hotel, or even hostel.

      You know when it feels right.