I’m Jake Newman. The Portland Logbook is my love letter to this city: the food worth hunting down, the history that refuses to die, the corners you only find if you’re paying attention.

Teddy’s Teeth

Five houses in a row. Same shape, same spacing. Different trim colors, sure, but it doesn’t really change anything. It’s the same house, five times in a row.

They went up around 1905–1906, built all at once by the Danforth Company, when most of the street was filling in one house at a time. Everything around them was designed to stand on its own, so five identical houses in a row didn’t exactly land well.

People thought they looked cheap. Too repetitive. Like they didn’t belong. That’s how they got the name Teddy’s Teeth, after Theodore Roosevelt’s wide, evenly spaced grin.

I heard this story on a walk around the West End with my friend Ingrid.

They’re blocky and heavy-looking. Even with shutters, plants, and different trim colors, they still feel a bit out of place.

You’ll find them on Danforth, across from Waynflete Playground. If you’re walking from the Western Prom Cemetery toward Ugly Duckling, they’re on your right.

Nowadays don’t stand out the same way. They’re just part of the block, easy to miss if you’re not looking for them.

But once you hear the name, it sticks. And once you know the story, they stop feeling random.

Go see them in person!

Saturday mornings are back.

The Deering Oaks Farmers Market starts up again this weekend on the 18th. If you’ve been before, you already know how good this is.

Fresh flowers, early-season vegetables, fruit, herbs, cheeses, and a lot more. I’m making it a real goal this year to get over 50% of my groceries from the Deering Oaks market, and then from the Crystal Spring Farmers Market in Brunswick once that opens.

If you can’t walk, you can usually find parking up the hill on the other side of Congress. Grab a coffee or something small from Tandem and walk down into the park.

Dogs everywhere. One guy who’s always playing the bongos. People you recognize from somewhere else in the city. I usually do a full loop first to see what’s there, then go back and actually buy things, but I almost always end up holding flowers I didn’t plan to get.

That’s really why I go. This time of year, especially, when everything still feels a little brown and stuck, it’s the first place you start to see things coming back.

It’s easy to forget this isn’t just something started in the last few years. The market’s been around in some form since the 1700s, long before Portland looked anything like it does now. And everything there has to be grown or made by the person selling it, which is part of why it feels different.

If you want it to be easy, go early. It gets crowded fast, and parking turns into a mess.

Go and let me know what you get. I like seeing what people come back with.

I wrote a full breakdown last year on how this market goes back to 1768. It was actually written exactly one year ago. Check it out below.

Read Logbook #11 → The Deering Oaks Farmers Market

THIS WEEKS CONDITIONS
☀️ SUNRISE: 6:00 AM
🌅 SUNSET: 7:24 PM
✨ Local Openings : Oun Lido’s Cocktail Program
✨ Local Favorite “Shop” of the Week: Browne Trading Co.
✨ Local Artist of the Week: Abby Clark

Portside Real Estate Group

Thinking of Moving?

🏡 Hi its me Jake! I write The Portland Logbook, but I also help people buy and sell homes in and around Portland.

If a move is on your mind, I’m always happy to help you think it through.

Lets get a coffee!

🐾 Adoptable Buddies of the Week! 🐾

🐶 Skittles – 6 yrs
Sweet, social, and loves people. Equal parts playtime in the yard and couch cuddles. Best as the only dog at home, with slow intros to others. Would do well with respectful kids.

🐶 Simba – 5 yrs
Smart, energetic, and loves to be part of whatever you’re doing. Well trained and quick to learn. Best with an experienced owner and a structured home where he can keep growing.

🐱 Gargoyle – 4 yrs
A shy, sensitive cat who needs patience and space at the start. Part of the Tiny Tiger program. Likely to do best in a quiet home, possibly with another cat, and someone who understands his boundaries.

🐕 Interested? Check them out here

If the link doesn’t open anymore, it means they’ve already been adopted!