My review is based on their "business" practices and interactions with Janet Llerandi Gonzalez, the…read morebusiness manager. I've rented space all over town and I've never felt so immediately bullied by anyone I've dealt with. Back in the fall I inquired about possibly renting event space -- turns out the inquiry form IS THE RENTAL AGREEMENT -- something I've never experienced. No offer to show me the space, to attempt to speak to me, just interest in gathering information = you've committed to pay for the space. Janet contacted me today, fewer then 10 days before dates I was interested in, to say that the balance is due + 50% fee for late cancellation. This isn't any way to conduct "business" and I in no way recommend renting their space.

These folks do good work providing education and programs on local environmental and sustainability…read moreissues such as energy efficiency and waste recycling. December pottery sale is great.

I cannot say enough good things about COVO and the team, the work they do and the impact that they…read morehave on the community at large. In my time with the Red Cross I was blessed to get to know COVO a bit and had a deep appreciation for the care they put into the community and our veterans. Serving those who have served is something that I feel is of the utmost importance and something everyone should take part in. COVO offers outreach where they help supply food and clothing to veterans in need as well as housing services to provide shelter where they can. You can donate both food and clothing to COVO as well as fiscal donations, I encourage you to do one or the other. Your resources will not be wasted here as they are as fiscally responsible an outfit as I have seen. You can also volunteer and I encourage you to do so. Give back to the ones who gave, our veterans deserve that.

COVO is doing timely, needful work, and their donation protocol couldn't be easier. If you have…read morestuff to donate, simply drop it off at their back door.

I worked at Countryside for a while, and I also had a friend who worked at Thelma's Place. We both…read moreended up quitting for many reasons. One of my biggest concerns was how situations with residents were handled. I had an experience with a resident and when I went to my manager about it, I was told it was my fault. I thought that was very unprofessional--especially since if I had actually done something wrong, I would've been written up or gotten in trouble. Another major issue was the cleanliness upstairs where Thelma's Place is. Me and a coworker discovered how unsanitary it was. We even found mold growing inside the kids' water bottles, which the kids were actively drinking from. When I asked my coworker if we should say something, she told me she already had--and that management didn't care. To make things worse, I was told one of the manager's daughters is the boss of Thelma's Place, so nothing gets addressed. I had multiple pictures of the mold in those cups. Please, please, PLEASE check your children's water bottles and belongings if they go here. Staff was only scheduled to clean upstairs once a week, meaning water sat in the cups for days at a time. Parents deserve to know what's really going on. They treated their staff terribly too, they had fired a kid and went around telling everyone he was "worthless"..

As a caregiving assistant to one of the participants in Thelma's Place Day Respite Center, I have…read morewitnessed the most supportive and integrative approach by staff to help seniors (with and without disabilities) engage in the community, as well as engage with children in the intergenerational program. Seeing how the seniors interact with the children of the new intergenerational child care program has been humbling to witness. Thelma's Place participants engage in activities that stimulate memory and physical movement, as well as community integration that involves field trips to places like the high desert museum, the library, breweries, farms, and more. I would recommend both seniors and children to participate in Thelma's Place Day Respite Center and Whoopsy Daisy Child Care because there are so many opportunities for the young and the old to build understanding and meaningful relationships that encourage positive development for all participants.

We used to buy tons of furniture, household decor, appliances, and building materials from this…read morelocation. We have businesses where we second hand as much as possible with regular turnover (we do not sell the products, we use them). In the past we spent so much at this store that one time the person ringing us up commented about it. They saw something in the system (connected to our phone number) about our total spent YTD and their eyes got wide, so we explained what we do for our business and that what they could see was just for their location. What I am saying is... we have a pulse on what is a good and fair price for these sort of things. I looked at a couch not to long ago at this location. It was half off. The price was still, with the discount, over $1600. When you pay 0% for your inventory you should not be charging consignment prices. Full stop. It is a poor business choice. The idea is to turn over the inventory because more is coming while passing on a lovely savings to your customers. Not hang on to it while it collects dust because you've out priced the new items being manufactured. Know your customer base and price accordingly. We have left empty handed from this store every single visit this year (2026) because the prices have skyrocketed. For reference, we were looking for a washer and dryer...found one brand new at Lowe's cheaper than this Restore had (used no less). That is why I am writing this review. If the free inventory you receive is higher priced than the brand new inventory from the original store...well...here's your sign. So, we will likely have to drop this store from our rotation because time is precious and we cannot waste trips when we could find a better resource to take its place. That's just how it goes, I guess, but it saddens us because we like to support good causes and keep things out of the dump.

We have tried twice now to donate items to the Redmond Habitat store. Twice now they have turned…read moreaway our items, being rude both times. The second time I rang the bell as it says to do for an attendant. A man came out of the office yelling, "Who rang the bell!". He saw me standing behind the fence and very rudely said, "We're closed to donations because we're having computer issues". Stunned I said to my husband How should computer issues affect excepting donations? He told me to get in the vehicle that we were done with Habitat. It breaks my heart because I have always donated to good community causes. We gave our donations to Goodwill who accepted them with a smile and a Thank you.

Need to get rid of an unused bicycle? Donate it to Bicycle Re-Source of Bend. They will take your…read morebike, recondition it and then give it to one of dozens of non-profit community help organizations in Central Oregon. A much better idea than donating to otherwise worthy non-profits directly because those places might not have the expertise or staff to get the bike working well enough for someone to use. Open for donations only on Sunday, 7-10:30AM.

In the late spring of this year, I enjoyed a visit to this eclectic shop…read more Clothes and outdoor gear inside, bikes and wood slabs outside. I picked up a very nice pair of XC skis and boots. I also purchased a wood slab to make a computer table that turned out beautiful. One of the owners graciously met me at the shop the next day and trimmed the board down so we could fit it in our car for the long drive home. Great experience.

Think Wild is such a great resource for the community! They rescue injured and orphaned animals,…read morehelp with conflicts with wildlife, provide wildlife education, and improve wildlife habitat across Central Oregon. What a great organization!

I found a sick/injured Raven on Saturday and called-texted. They got right back with me and took…read morein the bird right away. Nice friendly staff and doing great things for our Furry and Feathered friends here in Central Oregon. THANK YOU!

Scalehouse, perhaps the only non-profit contemporary art gallery in Bend, is located in the large…read moreFranklin Crossing building on the corner of Franklin and Bond. The gallery can be accessed either from the interior of the building or from Tin Pan Alley. - Rotating contemporary art on display in a moderately-sized gallery space. Depending on the particular exhibit, you'll find photography, drawing, painting, mixed-media and sculpture by individual artists and group shows. - Features both upcoming and established artists such as Bend residents Nancy Floyd (2022 Guggenheim Fellow), Paula Bullwinkle, Bill Hoppe and Christian Brown, as well as regional artists such as April Bey and Sadie Barnette. - As with many contemporary art galleries, some of the work revolves around current societal issues. The recent COBIPOC exhibit, "Be Nice (White) ... You're in Bend," examined the notion that Central Oregon lacked racial diversity and sought to increase the visibility of the BIPOC community. Another recent show, "Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts," featured work from the Umatilla tribes in Eastern Oregon. - Scalehouse was founded in part by local art legend Patricia Clark who did much to promote art and artists in Central Oregon. The gallery has an adjoining artist workshop dedicated to Pat. After viewing the art, you might mosey down the alley to San Simon for a cocktail or to The Stihl Whiskey Bar, also located in Franklin Crossing (door on Franklin Ave).