Shopping - Portland, Oregon



Shopping

No sales tax in Oregon. What else do you need to know? All right, we’ll tell you more. Portland is a great town for shopping. Here you will not only find the usual suspects—Gap, Pottery Barn, Banana Republic, and so on—but many interesting, chic, and independent shops. Portland’s shopping is organized around its neighborhoods, and some of these neighborhoods have evolved into destination shopping districts; these composites of retail, business, and living spaces have blended in such a way as to create local shops that reflect and sustain the neighborhoods they inhabit. And Portland also has other unusual shopping opportunities. Portland Saturday Market, which takes place every weekend under the Burnside Bridge, proffers some of the most engrossing shopping in town; it’s a carnival of commerce from Feb through Dec. For more information see the Festivals and Annual Events chapter or phone (503) 222-6072. Also see that chapter for information on the area’s fine farmers’ markets.

We begin with an overview of the major shopping districts. Then we break the chapter into many categories, with shops listed alphabetically. (Since many shops have more than one location, we have deviated from organizing them by geography.) Here you’ll find sections on Antiques, Books and Periodicals, Clothing, Food, Home Decor, Shoes, and ever so much more.

Shopping - The Arts

Portland has always taken a playful approach to art, starting in the 1970s when our mayor, Bud Clark, was photographed by Michael Ryerson at the bus mall, facing a statue by Norman J. Taylor. The statue is entitled Kvinneakt, or in Norwegian, “nude woman.” But Clark was not just looking: He was wearing an overcoat (and not much else else) and flashing the statue. The poster that was subsequently created was called “Expose Yourself to Art,” and it was a best-seller that helped set the tone for the arts scene in Portland.

This playful legacy has remained as Portland evolves from a sleepy provincial town to a more sophisticated city. We have the second-oldest museum building on the West Coast, but the spirit of Portland’s art is not constrained by history. Thus, the arts are alive here—both the classical disciplines and the experimental counterparts that invigorate and refresh. Because it is comparatively simple and pleasant to live here—one doesn’t need a car, for example—the city attracts people who want to make art and who want to start arts-related businesses. These have flourished over the past 10 years and have made important contributions to the economy and overall livability of Portland.

Portland has major strengths in the literary arts, as well as in music, visual arts, and performance. To find the where, what, who, and perhaps why of most of the above, here’s a selection of the most intriguing, vital, happening arts outfits in the Portland area. The listing includes performance and cultural centers, arts organizations, dance assemblies, literary venues and groups, a profile of the Portland Art Museum, musical ensembles, arts schools, theatrical troupes, and visual arts opportunities.

1. Pioneer Place

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping


2. Classic Home & Antique

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 231-8689
Address: 1805 Southeast Martin Luther King Jr. Bl

Description: Fine antiques from Europe and the United States, in addition to locally designed contemporary furniture and well-made reproductions, make this outpost a destination for citywide shoppers. Lighting and decor items are also good buys here.

3. Hollywood Antique Showcase

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 288-1051
Address: 1969 Northeast 42nd Ave.
Insider Pick:

Description: This fine collection of dealers has an excellent variety of furniture, art, collectibles, and tableware. In particular, the variety of furniture is outstanding and of high quality—but much of it is also very affordable. Different dealers have different strengths, but you can usually find beautiful French antiques as well as mid-century modern. The owners are very smart and helpful.

4. Lounge Lizard

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 232-7575
Address: 1310 Southeast Hawthorne Blvd.

Description: Filled with retro furniture and home decor accessories, Lounge Lizard is just the spot for the newly antique. They aim to please—the prices are affordable and the service is friendly. Plus, they have a large selection of great, basic vintage furniture, as well as odd but wonderful other pieces. The lighting selection is excellent. If you never before thought of putting Eames knockoffs in your 1908 Craftsman, you might start thinking about it now.

5. The Sellwood Antique Mall

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 232-3755
Address: 7875 Southeast 13th Ave.

Description: The Sellwood Antique Mall is perfect for either the serious or frivolous collector. It has more than 100 different dealers, so the inventory changes constantly. The mall is one of the largest of its kind in the city, carrying a wide range of items from furniture to dishes to lighting fixtures. It also carries nostalgia items from the 1950s.

6. Stars

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 235-5990
Address: 7030 Southeast Milwaukie Ave.
Insider Pick:

Description: Two hundred dealers of antique and collectible furniture, linens, books, clothes, jewelry, dishes, and tchotchkes are here for the perusal of the antiques hunter. Because there are so many different dealers, the Stars empire cannot be comprehensively characterized, but you’re more likely to find a country primitive sideboard than a federal one, although you never know. The managers are very good about display—this is one of the most attractive antiques malls around.

7. City Liquidators

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Address: 823 Southeast 3rd Ave.

8. Goodwill Store

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Address: 1943 Southeast 6th Ave.

9. Nordstrom Rack

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 299-1815
Address: 245 Southwest Morrison St.

Description: Every savvy Portlander knows about “the Rack.” This is the closest Portland comes to Filene’s Basement, and while you probably won’t see anyone disrobing in the aisles, there is no lack of competitive shopping. This store is filled with clearance merchandise from Nordstrom stores plus additional items made specifically for the store. You’ll find men’s and women’s clothing and shoes, as well as a changing assortment of accessories, picture frames, and perfumes. Prices can be as much as 70 percent below the full retail price. Additional locatins are at 8930 Southeast Sunnyside Rd., Clackamas (503-654-5415) and in Tanasbourne at 18100 Northwest Evergreen Pkwy. (503-439-0900).

10. Annie Bloom’S Books

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 246-0053
Address: 7834 Southwest Capitol Hwy.
Insider Pick:

Description: Tucked into the retail center of the Multnomah neighborhood, this store attracts loyal readers from throughout the area who appreciate the selection, the suggestions, and assistance of the well-read staff, as well as the cozy armchairs. The store is also well known beyond Portland proper for its Children’s Corner, with books and a play area, and for its collection of titles on Judaism and Judaic culture and art. Annie Bloom’s is frequently mentioned as a contender for Portland’s favorite bookstore.

11. Broadway Books

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 284-1726
Address: 1714 Northeast Broadway
Insider Pick:

Description: This charming shop in the Lloyd District has a thoughtful collection of diverse literaria. In addition to stocking a good selection of literary works, it sponsors poetry readings and author book-signing events. The owners and their employees are friendly, knowledgeable, and articulate, and the well-chosen selection here reflects their expertise; they have crafted one of the best bookstores in town.

12. Cameron’S Books And Magazines

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 228-2391
Address: 336 Southwest 3rd Ave.

Description: Before there was Powell’s—before there was any other bookstore in Portland—there was Cameron’s. Tucked into a downtown storefront, Cameron’s features windows filled with well-cared-for copies of Life, Time, Look, Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, and other publications from the era of the general-interest magazine. They also have back issues of Sports Illustrated and Playboy as well as a massive collection of comic books. Cameron’s claims to have 100,000 magazines, mass-market paperbacks, and comics in stock and to be the home of the birthday magazine gift.

13. Daedalus Books

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 274-7742
Address: 2074 Northwest Flanders St.

Description: Daedalus Books carries many kinds of books, but they specialize in the scholarly ones that are harder to find in other bookstores. For example, their philosophy inventory goes far beyond Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. They are an exceptional resource for history and literature, as well as classics and linguistics. They carry both new and used books, and there is nothing quite like Daedalus in town.

14. In Other Words

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 232-6003
Address: 8 Northeast Killingsworth St.

Description: Once inside this cheerful, cozy outlet for women’s books and resources, you’ll find a bounty of magazines, videos, cards, gifts, and new and used books. Open seven days a week, the store also sponsors readings and workshops.

15. Laughing Horse Books

City: Portland, OR
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (503) 236-2893
Address: 12 Northeast 10th Ave.

Description: This unabashedly progressive and vibrant bookstore advertises itself as a resource for social change. Inside are new and used books devoted to political issues, a bulletin board listing meetings and workshops held by local political action groups, and a gathering space where poets and authors read from their works and actors perform.
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