**********UPDATE**********

Since the posting of this story, The City of Portland has changed their decision and are now allowing shipping and no-contact delivery. They are having a follow-up meeting scheduled for Monday.

*********Original story below**********

Now more than ever it's important to support our local businesses. Those who are financially able to order takeout now and then are helping local restaurants immensely.

Big box stores are still going strong as evidenced by the long lines outside the buildings, but what if we want to buy a book from a local bookstore instead? Or a piece of jewelry to ship to a friend as a gift from our favorite downtown Portland retailer? Or maybe buy a new spring outfit with part of our stimulus money?

Well, unfortunately, those things aren't possible in Portland.

I know, you're probably thinking, "Duh. Everything's closed," or, "Yeah, just have the items shipped or arrange for pick-up. No problem!"

Great thoughts, and what I would have thought too, but according to The Portland City Council, those aren't even options.

The City of Portland recently posted a link on Facebook to a frequently asked questions resource regarding the stay at home order as well as the updates from their meeting on April 14th.

On the FAQ document includes these three questions:

"My business is not essential, can I do curbside pickup? No."

"Can I ship goods? No."

"The state still allows us to ship items. May we? No. The City of Portland's order is stricter than the State order, and does not allow non-essential businesses to do curbside pickup or shipping."

So there you have it. Our abilities to support local are increasingly limited. The somewhat good news is that this isn't statewide and there are many other local businesses around the state who could really use the support. Just not in Portland.

What will this mean for our beloved Portland businesses? Time will tell.

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