Local folk-community cornerstone Artichoke Music survives! Early in April the shop announced its untimely closing with this grim missive:

The time has come for us to close Artichoke Music, as we know it, and to regroup or redesign the model. Thanks to Kate and Steve, we have been blessed with an incredible place to come together as a community. Unfortunately, this space is not sustainable from a financial, physical or emotional perspective. We will close the doors on Saturday, May 29, 2010.

But now a month passed, and this past weekend Artichoke stumbled back into optimism with a little help from their friends:

Following our announcement last month that we were closing Artichoke Music we received countless passionate offers of help. One of those offers stood out. The Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) approached us with an offer of support. They offered to provide some consulting to see if there was a viable and sustainable model that would keep Artichoke open. We have begun our work with a remarkable consultant, George Thorn, who is serving as our guide through this process. We are just beginning our work with George but we are hopeful that we can emerge from this time as a healthy nonprofit.

While the future of the shop is still not completely clear, it seems as if they’re set to work things out and are equipped with the means to do so. If this episode is anything like the lapse of faith that takes place at the three-quarters mark of all romantic comedies, Artichoke’s rekindled faith in its own stability will coalesce in a large song and dance number—then there’ll be a marriage proposal, or the proprietors running through the streets of Portland at 11:47 on New Year’s Eve in the hopes of getting in that one meaningful kiss before the clock strikes midnight.

We’ve got our tissues ready.

Links:
Artichoke Music