Uniquely great retail experiences in Portland

flossy_log_lady

What are they? I need a list.

Leland

mississippi records

swamp_knobbler_mahan

Worn Path

swamp_knobbler_mahan

The liquor store with all the whiskeys

YoursTruly

Sword and Fern

That vintage shop next to Dots where you can drink champagne and try on 50s wedding gowns (have not done this but read yelp reviews, sounds awesome)

that crazy House of Vintage on Hawthorne that is like a full city block of different vintage vendors. Can easily spend hours in there

RAD SUMMER, love popping in to that joint

the farmer's market!!!!!

distant_shoe

clogs n more on ne broadway
the hip hound up on nw 23rd
city liquidators
portland closeout
ron tonkin honda!

flossy_log_lady

Thanks! Someone else mentioned canoe, which I think is a tight call, too. Maybe nationale?

MirandaJuly

Yeah, just say that whole feminist strip mall.

Lowell.

YoursTruly

that fancy lingerie store. L'ille? I've never been in there but have coveted from afar

I have been in Canoe and loved it.

Oh man, MLK Fashion Plaza!!! That's where Steve and I went to get the fake boobs for my wedding. That place is out of control.

Matthew

There's that bike store downtown that I got some expensive pants at.

YoursTruly

sadly, probably my most-often retail experience is buffalo exchange. I love it there so much

Cherry_Pie

Radish Underground downtown- best clothing/jewelry boutique!

Loose_Thread

There is this taxidermy shop on Mississippi near the PAsta Works. It has many wonderful beasts who have been killed and shellacked, like one of those Wax Museum horror movies, except it is considered "Classy." Additionally, they carry a few gem stones and fossils. Not impressive to a gem-head, but a few novelty type odds and ends like bismuth and artificial crystals made of bright colors that will melt in a couple months. But best of all they carry a certain line of japanese garden tools. They are really simple, nice, and sharp. Things for digging, things for cutting, things for clipping your little bonsai.

Loose_Thread

For a graphic designer... Columbia Art & Drafting on E Burnside. They have so many Letraset, many paper, several aisles of those great architecture drawing tools and eraser-fluff brushes. If you are looking for a Letraset packet you don't see they will order it for you. They also build their own portfolios at varying levels of price and quality.

Loose_Thread

Floating World Comics really is great.... I usually am allergic to comic stores but this one is well-balanced. They carry great local experimental print matter. They like "Cute." And they have a little record store section with a mixture of cheap and deluxe records, so you can get something classic you love, but then try out a funky thing for a few bucks. Mississippi Records on Albina is very pleasant to pass the time in, as is Q for Choir on Clinton. Basically I am allergic to comic and record clerk attitudes, and they have good attitudes at these places. For example, if you want to buy any stereo equipment, these places are the places to go to, because they have great customer service and they know their product.

Loose_Thread

Palace for fancy things like incense from Paris and Western US, locally made perfumes and beauty products (after getting hooked on all natural argan oil from Sephora, now I will buy the OLO version when I need to restock), and smoky cologne for your man.

Loose_Thread

Stand Up Comedy cuz........ whoa it's so cool. Wardrobes for men and women, books. I am too intimidated to casually shop there but I love looking and asking questions and they have a funny twitter. And the best mailing list newsletters.

Loose_Thread

CARGO on NW 13th. It's like an independant Pier 1 Imports or Cost Plus World Market. I love it!!! You can get lost in this enormous warehouse full of stuff...... but some amazing things. It's like being in a museum of folk art of countries who have poorly enforced export laws. Beaded throne from W Africa, hand-carved trunk from Bali, welded metal hardware from India. It's like being in the hold of an enormous ship that traveled the world and beached in the Pearl.

Schlabe

Threads Count Men's Resale on NW 23rd and Machus on Burnside (RIP Local 35). I don't own fish, but I'm a big fan of the Wet Spot in Hollywood, also Alma on NE 28th.

Loose_Thread

If you like bees.... there is this awesome bee store on SE 15th and Hawthorne. They do classes, sell wild hives, and build their own backyard comb frames out of cedar and copper.

distant_shoe

target marketing strategy meeting starts at 11

distant_shoe

big green painted spotify tour bus stopping at the feminist mall before heading to voodoo donuts and "canoe" to hand out free tote bags
brand awareness, yall!

vitamin water temp job handing out sample beverages at music and art festivals

distant_shoe

yelp reviews of hot pot city

Loose_Thread

Tamales

Dr_William_Hayward

What criteria, how will it be used?
Black Wagon
Always amazed at Redux

1234

Brooks Brothers

(not really, but I feel obligated to mention it as it's the only place I shop for clothes)

flossy_log_lady

Internet friend coming to town for the first time, asked specifically for recs for "uniquely great retail experiences" in Portland.

Is "internet friend" the right language here? Never met, but have followed each other on the internet for 8+ years? Is there a term for this yet?

Dr_William_Hayward

Good suggestions above by all!
For odd, collection-like, not necessarily retail http://www.hiddenportland.com/
We have many indy clothing stores with PDX designers.
And Velocult bike shop, Palace of Industry, Ampersand, Monograph Bookwerks, Metagnosis, Hellion and Compound Galleries, Pony Club, Hand Eye Supply, Hippo Hardware, Land Gallery/ Buy Olympia.

Loose_Thread

Flossy, I'm kind of amazed that I can't think of a good term for internet friend... and I'm not exactly a newbie.
CyberBuddy
AFK Friend (before there was IRL... there was AFK .... amirite)
"Friend from the conference"

Leland

'netquaintance'?

zin

http://handeyesupply.com … it's aimed at designheads, draughtsmen, "makers"

MirandaJuly

I've had many Internet Friends over the years and I do call them "Internet Friend."

Loose_Thread

Yeah!!!!

Loose_Thread

Someday I am going to open a BBS / Old computer Nostalgia Cafe
There will be internet... through a single host computer that all other machines must dial in to/connect over a HyperTerminal emulator
Lamers will be in there all day playing L.O.R.D., Trade Wars, and our own proprietary MUD (it will be based on things we find threatening in the real world... instead of kobolds it will be like "You have encountered Grumpy Record Store Clerk!")
Coffee will be called Java Dew
Jolt will be on tap.

*bows*

MirandaJuly

I still Telnet into a MUD that some nerdy friends run. Running bot scripts in there is fun.

swamp_knobbler_mahan

ANDY & BAX

distant_shoe

oh just a friend comin? just tell em portland is one big shopping mall of lil boutiques of allll sorts, just like in the tv shows! and when yr hungry there's weird restaurants and also pilates and yoga to get centered and then later u can go to all these cool lil bars with djs! its gonna be so fun!

YoursTruly

OH ALAN
OL' GRUMPUS

seriously though the other night we went to produce row after seeing the amazing Safety Not Guaranteed because we wanted to get a drink and talk about the movie and there was a DJ playing outside and the waiter was like do you wanna sit right in front of the DJ speaker or do you wanna sit inside and we were like wtf

MirandaJuly

Yeah, the holy fool is telling the truth, for sure.

Loose_Thread

here is where most us$ go to

distant_shoe

but its all tru!
so many shops of all sorts!
so many eateries and bars of all sorts!
so many pilates/yoga zones!

the only thing a visitor could wish for would be for more cheap but nice hotel/motels in the city. errythings either really fancy of pretty crunk. feel like the city, if it is really going to become this boutique vacation hotspot it seems desperate to become needs a few more sub $100 a night hotels close to all the action

idea: take one of these weird over-inflated new condo/apartment buildings i see popping up like mushrooms and convert one or two of them into one of those brand new motel 6s with all the new stuff in them
you guys ever been to one of those brand new motel 6s?
or like, what do they call them in europe, those cheap euro hotels?
need a couple of those with the bike rental vending machines like at the airport for the carts but for bikes. dont they have that in like, amsterdam? i bet that would do really do well here

also, a max/street car line to mississippi
or maybe a sky tram from the interstate max stop up the hill to freemont & mississippi so you dont have that mile climb up that windy hill!

distant_shoe

oh also but yo, no one has mentioned that place tender loving empire. they have all the cool locally made trinkets that a person visiting from out of town trying to bring presents that seem "portland-like" back to where they came from would like. many small things under $20. many mementos. a good array of local hand made things and tons of shit that says portland or pdx on it. and also "local music on vinyl and cd" and tee shirts... i took some japanese out of town guests there one time and it was perfect for what they wanted and they spent like, sooo much money and the shop-keep was winking at me as we left like "thanks bro!" and i was like thumbs-up-zoom-into-me-winking-and-smiling-like "yeaaaah".

distant_shoe

and of course, as i think was stated above, going to nationale and hanging with May for a few minutes and talking about soap and art and magazines and life is a deeply "unique retail experience" for sure.

distant_shoe

oh also the goodwill outlet store aka "the bins" is a uniquely great retail experience

ThickeningAgent

While not "retail" I have to admit shear awe at the food cart selection in the blocks around 10th & sw Adler is quite impressive.

MirandaJuly

"the only thing a visitor could wish for would be for more cheap but nice hotel/motels in the city."

AirBNB, hoamie!

YoursTruly

Adam you should start that pdx euro hotel
I picture you as a dapper hotelier, twirling your mustache and showing people to their rooms, handing them their key and winking, laying your finger aside your nose to show you understand, say no more my good fine sir, the doxy shall be send to your abode toot sweet!

in this fantasy you are kind of a mix between daniel day lewis in gangs of new york and some hilarious peasant who gets his throat slit in Game of Thrones.

distant_shoe

and then i chop their head off in their sleep when i find out they are actually shitty carpetbagger developer scouts

Leland

FROGTOR PLAZA SUITES: Do you pass the test?

Loose_Thread

When guests ask to be directed to V**D** **nuts, he just frowns and shakes his head. And gives them a printed map to Sesame Donuts

YoursTruly

He says "Me no speakee the English, sprechen sie ice cream?"

FROGTOR PLAZA SUITES: "you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave"
NO DEVOS (DEVELOPERS)
NO IRISH