My name is Sai, and I’m the chef and owner of Cluckin Dog, serving Asian street foods, on Alder Street. We are new to the food scene in Eugene and was once a popular and thriving eatery. We were looking forward to finally being able to see a profit after almost 2 years of hard work. However, things took a turn for the worse for our neighbors and us, literally overnight.

To the people of Eugene, this city has always shown love for small businesses. It’s part of what makes this place special.

But right now, the small businesses on Alder Street are struggling to stay open. New businesses like myself are especially vulnerable as we do not have the large clientele base as some of our neighbors who have been open 10-50 years.

With the construction of multiple large housing projects, we’ve lost parking, visibility, and foot traffic. Fencing and detours have made it harder for customers to reach us, and sales have dropped significantly.

Many of us have reached out to the city, including the mayor and city council, asking for support. While we appreciate small efforts like limited short-term parking, there hasn’t been meaningful financial relief to help businesses survive nearly two years of disruption.

For a lot of us, it feels like small, local businesses are being squeezed out during this process.

Funds raised will go directly toward:

• Rent and utilities

• Payroll to keep my team employed

• Inventory and day-to-day operations

• Licensing and inspection costs required to stay open

• Maintaining enough liquidity to survive the slower summer season

If we’re fortunate enough to exceed our goal, any additional funds will be used to support other small businesses on Alder Street facing the same challenges.

We’re not asking for special treatment—we’re asking for a chance to survive.

Cluckin Dog—and the other businesses on this block—are part of this community. We’ve been here for you, and now we’re asking Eugene to rally behind us.

Your support—whether it’s a donation, sharing this campaign, or simply stopping by—can make the difference in keeping these businesses alive.

Together, we can protect the small businesses that make Eugene what it is.

— Sai