M ay 2 0 1 7 5 3 illustration by ed king Electric Electric T he full length of Washington Av- enue snakes its way northeast from the base of Munjoy Hill for almost five miles, becoming more spread- out and residential as it trickles away from downtown. At its source, the half mile from the corner of the Eastern Cemetery to Tukey’s Bridge, rapid developments and a fresh crop of businesses are demanding a new appellation, a new identity to define the evolving neighborhood. It’s only real when it becomes the talk of the town. Wel- come to “Inner Washington.” Once an overlooked corner on Portland’s cultural map, this stretch of Washington Avenue is making big moves–and a name for itself in the process. By sarah Moore Ahead of the Curve Before this, Portland residents knew In- ner Washington better as the home of J.J. Nissen’s, the baking company which once filled this corner of the city with a stream of workers and delivery vehicles and the aro- ma of freshly baked bread. In 1997, when sisters Deirdre and Steph- anie Nice bought a small pizza joint in 1997 named Bongo Cily’s for $63,000, they were one of only a handful of other businesses on the street. Brightly colored and kitschy (look for the Albert Einstein poking out his tongue above the entrance), Silly’s was born. “Back then, it was an old Italian neigh- borhood, I believe,” says Deirdre Nice, now executive director of St. Lawrence Arts on Congress. “There was Vito’s Bakery where Coffee By Design now stands, a Vietnamese market next door, Portland Pottery, and, of course, the bakery. We used to buy our hamburger rolls from the discount store. It hit our business hard when Nissen’s moved [to Brunswick in 1999].” Twenty years later, the sisters have pursued other ventures, but their eccentric and well-loved Silly’s is still