The ongoing revitalization of downtown Tigard is set to receive a big boost with the opening of Senet Tap House and Versus Board Games, the first combined tap house and retail board game shop in the Portland region. Senet Tap House is slated to open in March 2019 on the second floor of 12553 SW Main Street in downtown Tigard. The business will overlook adjacent Fanno Creek and offer a library of board games to play, alongside a food menu and beer and wine crafted in the Pacific Northwest. Versus Board Games, a retail board game shop, opened for business on December 15th in the ground floor space below Senet Tap House (12551 SW Main Street). Versus features a wide selection of board games that customers can test out at the upstairs tap house before purchasing.
Having the opportunity to open a business in downtown Tigard was ideal for our vision” said Senet owner Derrick Wright. “What downtown Tigard is and is going to become is exactly what we are looking to be a part of.
Downtown Tigard has seen a rise in business investment in recent years, thanks in part to the City of Tigard’s Urban Renewal Matching Grant Program. Started in 2009 by the Town Center Development Agency (TCDA, the city’s urban renewal authority), the Urban Renewal Matching Grant Program aims to encourage property and business owners to make exterior upgrades that help lead to an improved and walkable downtown business district. The program also funds interior tenant improvements for businesses that move into currently vacant spaces. Matching grant funding was instrumental in attracting anchor businesses to Downtown Tigard, including Symposium Coffee, Jeffrey Allen Gallery and Tigard Taphouse.
Now the TCDA has preliminarily awarded up to $25,000 in matching grant funding for interior improvements that will help Senet Tap House and Versus Board Games open for business. These improvements include build out of the kitchen, bar, and seating areas, as well as new flooring and electrical upgrades. The total project cost is estimated at $55,000.
Since 2009, 27 matching grant-funded projects have been completed. The grant program provides up to a 50 percent funding match and has leveraged approximately $4 in private investment for every $1 in grant funds.
For more information on Versus Board Games, visit https://versusboardgames.com/. More information on the Urban Renewal Matching Grant Program can be found at http://www.tigardor.gov/city_hall/urban_renewal.php.