Peter Eiermann and Sally Struever from Port City Studios get things started off this week by looking at how young business owners can retake Portland.

The next generation of small businesses can be found in some of the City's smallest storefronts. Take a walk around Portland, keep your eyes peeled, and you might stumble on a few of Portland's youngest and most creative entrepreneurs and artists busily building their future here in Maine.

Some of the businesses you might find are housed in spaces as small as 300 square feet, and seem "too small to be true." Often tucked in between larger spaces or in seemingly random additions, these spaces are sought after for studios, retail storefronts (such as Z Fabrics and 2Note), galleries, restaurants and even the occasional music performance.

With the dream of opening a small business and a desire to be in direct interaction with the public$ tiny storefronts are a windfall for creative Mainers who might otherwise be squeezed out of the urban real estate market. And they are part of an increasingly visible DIY scene here in Portland.

Lower rent is certainly a big motivating factor, we are talking about businesses after all$and businesses have got to keep an eye on the bottom line. The low overhead cost for a small space relieves a bit of anxiety about those looming monthly bills and still allows young business owners the room to experiment and be a visible part of the community.

Port City Studios will be featuring some of these small spaces on our blog over the next few months. You can also visit the NXT: Next Generation for updates about the spaces we find.

Z-Fabrics: 384 square feet

"Finding the little nooks where people eek out a business" Mary Zarate, Owner Z-Fabrics

Z-Fabrics is located in a tiny one-story brick building on the corner of Congress Street and Franklin Avenue. Mary Zarate took over the lease of the 384 square foot building in November 2006 and has created a successful business providing stylish and quality fabric to Portland's creative community.

This funky little building has had many incarnations, Mary remembers it as a locksmith shop in her youth and says it holds an iconic status for her. She had secured a loan to start Z-Fabrics and was searching for a space when the previous tenant # an art gallery # was moving out. Mary moved right in.

Mary operates her fabric business full time. She adds fabrics monthly and let's her customers know with email and web updates and other communications. Her personal touch, good humor and strong sense of style are helping her store become Portland's favorite source for hip fabrics.

Mary also teaches sewing class in her store, she says the size of the space greatly limits the number of students in classes. She happily admits, though, that the individual attention has become a selling point as well # she has a waiting list.

Mary believes that these small spaces give locals more control over creating their own brand of retail that is unique to Portland. She is a self described curious shopper and always stops in Portland's tiny spaces.

Visit Z-Fabrics at 384 Congress Street or online at www.zfabric.com

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