Skyline Tavern Logo & Swag – meghanmcguire.com

SKYLINE TAVERN PROJECT

From 2017 to 2021 I worked as the Sustainability and Marketing Manager at Skyline Tavern in Portland, OR. My time with the establishment began on contract, tasked with bringing Scott Ray Becker’s vision of establishing a farm-to-table garden to life. Within 6 months, my role at Skyline expanded into a full-time position, where I managed the Tavern’s sustainability initiatives, partnerships, and marketing efforts.

In this capacity, I developed various promotional materials, both online and offline, such as apparel, web content, social media posts, menus, and event flyers. Additionally, I organized Tavern events and collaborated with nearby Forest Park on volunteer trail work parties. I also took responsibility for maintaining the productivity and sustainability of the garden.

One of the highlights of my time was running a weekly garden club, where Tavern customers could participate in a two-hour gardening and education session.

apparel

One particularly successful initiative I spearheaded at Skyline Tavern, was the overhaul of our apparel line. This project was inspired by a cherished neighbor and loyal patron who had been visiting the tavern since the 1950s, occasionally arriving on his donkey. One day, he came wearing a faded Skyline Tavern jacket from decades ago. Recognizing an opportunity to honor the past and present of the special place, I rebuilt the design. The apparel swiftly gained popularity, emerging as a substantial revenue stream for the tavern.

garden

Over three years, the farm-to-tavern garden I built at Skyline grew from a few beds into a 1/2 acre space with veggies, flowers, herbs, fruit trees, a hoop house, several composting methods and a greenhouse. I also worked with the Tavern kitchen to use our garden produce in their daily specials, and managed canning and processing. At the same time, I completed the Master Gardener program at Oregon State to improve my gardening skills and knowledge. As the garden got bigger, so did my responsibilities. So to help maintain the space I started the Garden Club—a weekly 2-hour event where people were invited to learn and work in the garden, followed by a free beer.