George Brown shaped Eugene for over half a century, from his longtime ownership of Kiva to his stint on the Eugene City Council. He moved to the area in 1970, starting a bookstore in Scarborough Faire, Eugene’s indoor hippie mall — the bookstore later turned into iconic downtown grocery The Kiva, which has been running strong since 1983.
The Kiva is where George met Melissa Brown, who would become his wife and Kiva co-owner in the early 2000s.
“I think he was a very fair and kind human for real. We wouldn’t have been able to be married and be business partners if he held me to a different standard than he held himself,” Melissa says. She says George was hard-working throughout his life, especially in the dedication he had for Kiva…