The Ultimate Portland (OR) Shopping Thread

[Bramble Lee]

Glad to see another great retailer being added to the area.

^This exactly^

Winn Perry, Self Edge, Tanner Goods, Frances May, Steven Alan, I+W. Downtown is an embarrassment of riches for menswear right now.

 

[oboy_oboy]



Glad to see another great retailer being added to the area. I'll be around SEPDX all week from Tuesday on if anybody wants to drop by and say what's up or to peruse our goods.

No doubt. Glad to see the options expand.

Kiya I'm gonna try to swing in later in the week to say hey!

 

[kiya]



No doubt. Glad to see the options expand.

Kiya I'm gonna try to swing in later in the week to say hey!

Sounds good, i'll be in and out of the store every day from Tuesday on.

 

[pdxtony]

+1 on the multnomah falls visit. Impossible to walk to. Its a bit out of town (east) a quick car ride but no chance of walking.
pdxtony at that yahoo place if you want to check out a few things with a car.
Also check out the local PDX Tanner goods.
Seattle has a commuter train from PDX if you want to spend a day up there. (if you can stop in Tacoma check out The Chihuly glass museum or take a tour of their foundry area)
goodwill downtown has a boutique shop but with a mark up. The goodwill out on burnside can have decent finds.
Beer is awesome and we are number 2 on the number of microbreweries in the country (Boston #1)
Food carts are awesome here and have great stuff so try it out.
Hit up Powells books at least once.
Hawthorne is a great walking place with tons of shops (if you like colognes the perfume house is amazing!)
Walk by voodoo donuts (even if you dont eat there) its crazy.

 

[kiya]

To those in the Portland area... Self Edge is having a media event to introduce our hemming and repair services (and the machines we do them on) to the Portland press Thursday night (January 16th). Gonna talk jeans, music, and beer.
We'd like to extend that invitation to anybody that would like to have a beer and hang out after work. We'll have some great locally made beers and kombucha (don't trip, it's Portland) on hand, so come by between 5pm and 7pm Thursday night and ogle our goods and drink our syrups.

 

[Reginald Bartholomew]

Hitting Portland for 2.5 days in February. Recommend me three must-eats and three must-avoids.

 

[dexterhaven]

^ Ever heard of the magic word, guy? Also why not read this thread? Plenty of solid recommendations made already.

 

[snowboardpunk]

To those in the Portland area... Self Edge is having a media event to introduce our hemming and repair services (and the machines we do them on) to the Portland press Thursday night (January 16th). Gonna talk jeans, music, and beer.
We'd like to extend that invitation to anybody that would like to have a beer and hang out after work. We'll have some great locally made beers and kombucha (don't trip, it's Portland) on hand, so come by between 5pm and 7pm Thursday night and ogle our goods and drink our syrups.

Sad that I missed this... Sometimes I wish I was back in portland.

and to the guy that said go to seattle, just stay in portland! There's so much to do there.

 

[shoreman1782]

Just got back from my trip. Thanks again for the recommendations and hospitality. Had a good stay at the Ace Hotel--we stayed in a shared triple and sharing a bathroom was no problem. Probably helped that I don't think the hotel was booked solid. Free bikes were a plus. Biked all over downtown/pearl, as well as a lot in SE.

Eats:
-dug Clyde Commons (good food, decent whiskey selection), Lardo (great sandwiches and beer), Tasty and Alder (best all around meal). Ate richly. Found everything priced reasonably (Tasty and Alder is a deal) and service overall solid. Didn't get to eat a lot outside the downtown neighborhood. Juice/smoothie bar next to Winn Perry was great, too.

Beers:
-I don't think there was a single place I ate that didn't have a beer list with at least one option I had never tried. No all-macro lists, lots of beers/types of beer on draft (maybe belgian/sour selection a little wanting). Best beer experiences were at Lardo, Clyde, and Deschutes. Wanted to make it to Hair of the Dog but it didn't happen.

Coffee:
-Stumptown, Heart, Barista--no complaints. Heart location on Burnside probably the nicest coffee shop I've ever seen. Will say I think for a standard cup of coffee my home brewed pourover holds up to any cup I had out there.

Shopping:
-Downtown Portland is an embarrassment of riches, so long as your tastes aren't too edgy. Self Edge, Danner (clothing at Danner better than expected), Steven Alan right in a row (Finally met Kiya). Cool Imogene and Willie and Woodlands/Tanner Goods shops right next to each other. V unpretentious and the boots/denim/leather stuff/outdoor gear combo they carry is a much more natural fit here than in NY or DC, IMO. New Winn Perry is pleasant and very well-edited. Portland Outdoor store is a throwback. Cal skate shop is good as that goes.
Surprises: I thought I'd love Powell's but I found it crowded and overwhelming; I liked Snowpeak's gear and clothing; I loved Canoe for housewares/gifts; I didn't expect a fully stocked Montbell shop; the comic book and record stores are great; maybe I wasn't looking in the right places, but I didn't see much good vintage shopping (a least for men). Prices in general seemed good (compared to DC/NY) and no sales tax is a big plus.

Etc:
The Max is 100% fine for getting downtown from the airport. Mount Tabor is a fun quick hike with good views. Downtown closer to the water is more desolate than I expected. We were sort of on a skate trip, and Portland is v skateboard friendly--not too many steep hills, only a few rough rough roads/sidewalks, no hassle from police or tourists. If you want to skate Burnside go very early, bmxers already go early (to avoid skaters) so be even earlier. Then go back later and watch locals air it out. People in general were quite friendly. Being gregarious at a communal able = new friends and good recommendations. Shop owners recommended each other. Other old guy skaters offered their favorite street spots. Obviously homelessness in Portland is off the charts bad (it's bad in DC, but not THAT bad). I never got used to it; tough to see.

Would visit again!


Untitled by breathnaighphoto, on Flickr


Untitled by breathnaighphoto, on Flickr


Untitled by breathnaighphoto, on Flickr

 

[pdxtony]

Glad you had fun!
If you want to hit up some shops next time around let me know.
I can point out the choice goodwills. (harder to get to via max though)
Hawthorne district has some nice shops vintage shops too. but you are right NW has its unique outdoor style.

 

[pdxtony]

Hitting Portland for 2.5 days in February. Recommend me three must-eats and three must-avoids.

help me out here what sort of food do you like or dislike? Price range? taking someone on a date?

 

[mymil]

Hitting Portland for 2.5 days in February. Recommend me three must-eats and three must-avoids.

My three musts: Expatriate, Ava Gene's, and Le Pigeon.
My three avoids: Screen Door... let's just leave it at one. Screen Door might be the most over-hyped restaurant in Portland.

 

[eglbc]



Just got back from my trip. Thanks again for the recommendations and hospitality. Had a good stay at the Ace Hotel--we stayed in a shared triple and sharing a bathroom was no problem. Probably helped that I don't think the hotel was booked solid. Free bikes were a plus. Biked all over downtown/pearl, as well as a lot in SE.


Untitled by breathnaighphoto, on Flickr

Cool you hit burnside, I still havent skated there. Good looking on the pro tip on early early. What time did you hit it?
I skate a private park, so the thought of getting heckled by some crusties gets my spoiled panties in a bunch.

Screen door , overrated? Maybe. Best friend chicken n waffles? Definitely. If you don't go peak time and wait, theres absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Finally hit up vintage cocktail lounge. That spot is a gem. Low key, passionate classic cocktail geek vibe, no pretension, and cheaper than other similar spots.

 

[Reginald Bartholomew]



^ Ever heard of the magic word, guy? Also why not read this thread? Plenty of solid recommendations made already.

Apologies, didn't mean to come off as a dick. Yes, the thread is very comprehensive and super informative; that's my problem. Ava Gene's, the Japanese Garden, the shopping section, Multnomah Falls, Expatriate. Ned Ludd's, Stumptown Roasters, the OX, the food carts, all the public art, etc would take more than 2.5 days to properly appreciate, and my lady friend and I are looking to take things a little slower than usual while there.

help me out here what sort of food do you like or dislike? Price range? taking someone on a date? 

We're both pretty easy on flavour, but we need some gluten free options. Willing to entertain a wide range of price (celebrating promotion + raise + drastically lowered rent when she moved in). No car unless we absolutely need one (probably ruling out the Falls), but will have bikes.

Advice appreciated folks. My last, even briefer spin through your town was lovely, and would like to make this one better for me and amazing for the lady friend.

 

[NAMOR]



My three musts: Expatriate, Ava Gene's, and Le Pigeon.
My three avoids: Screen Door... let's just leave it at one. Screen Door might be the most over-hyped restaurant in Portland.

havent been to ave gene's but expatriate and le pigeon were both great. we arrived at LP for the 9pm and were shown to the bar. Typically not a fan of high upright chairs but sitting at the bar allows you to watch the chef and cooks prepare the dishes which was a treat. they're also a fun crowd to shot the breeze with. if enjoy watching the chefs prepare their dishes in front of you, and you happen to be considering beast, they have a seating for 2 people at the corner bar. you can watch them plate 15-25 courses in front of your eyes.