Tim Soley

Anysa Williamson Denby, a recent graduate of the Maine College of Art and Design, leased a space at 151 Middle St. to sell work by emerging artists and host workshops from candle making to screen printing.

Plans are in the works to open three additional lofts this fall in a conjoining building at 184 Middle St.

PopUp Bagels has signed a 10-year-lease for an oval-shaped building that has seen a lot of tenant turnover.

Actions include LED lighting across more than one million square feet, charging stations in downtown Portland, electric vehicles and solar arrays.

“Maine is a land of hidden treasures and one of the treasures we’ve unearthed is the sheer amount of illustrators who currently make Maine their home either full-time or part-time.”

The proposed site is currently a surface parking lot in the middle of a four-acre block delineated by Middle, Union, Exchange and Fore streets.

The proposal includes construction of a 30-story, 380-foot-tall residential and hospitality tower at 45 Union St. and a timber and glass retail pavilion at 55 Union St.

Warby Parker, which was founded 15 years ago as a mail-order house sending out eyeglasses, has shifted some of its focus to storefronts. It now has more than 200 stores and is filling in markets in New England.

Tim Soley, president and CEO of East Brown Cow, says the Old Port remains a place that attracts new ideas.

East Brown Cow, which may be better known as an owner of commercial properties in the Old Port, has now teamed up with ReVision energy on five solar arrays.