Okay, local Portland folks, this one is for you (and me). No town loves supporting local more than Portland (I mean, our incredible airport with all the indie restaurants is proof!). And while we have to link up a lot of national brand products here for the business (and so all of you can benefit/shop), I really, really want these local businesses to thrive, not just during the holidays but year-round. So we dedicated two days to cruising around town and shooting our favorite stores to share with you. I couldn’t find a comprehensive list anywhere on the internet (and we still missed some, I know), but this list is pretty dang good, and we’ll keep adding to it (please let us know who we missed in the comments!). Portland, I love you.

Oh, and we even made a Google Map to help you find all of these wonderful businesses, much easier at the end of the post:)

Central Eastside Shops

CES (Central EastSide) is my go-to neighborhood when I need a fix (or any decor for a project/shoot). There are so many stores near each other that are all pretty incredible. The neighborhood itself has a lot of cool murals and is very industrial. Feel free to eat at Boke Bowl, Shalom Y’all, Olympic Provisions, or Clark Lewis (for dinner), or if you want to walk a few blocks, Hat Yai is incredible and where I took my family again for my birthday lunch (after Urbanite).

Urbanite

Urbanite is a no-miss, whether you are a local or visiting. It’s a vintage mall that is simply excellent. So many booths of highly curated vintage at prices that feel totally fair, with a lot of contemporary makers. There is furniture, decor, a lot of gifts, books, and fashion. I have never left without buying like 5 things.

My friend, Purl (who made our coffee table, corbels, and so much art that I’ve bought), has a super eclectic booth that always surprises and delights.

Vessel – A great example of a contemporary local maker that has these awesome lamps as well as vintage (I almost bought these lamps for my team for Christmas last year at the Christmas Bazaar, but she sold them all out!).

There isn’t a ton of furniture, but I’ve certainly walked away with some larger pieces. Shout out to Gray (not shown), who is a designer in town who has a fantastic booth.

There are Moroccan rugs (shout out to Nomadic Vintage), pop art (Moderna), and so much up-cycled fashion. I know that I’m missing so many tags, handles, and links to websites, so please leave your favorites in the comments. Their website has most of them featured, which I appreciate, and they keep their Instagram pretty up-to-date. Urbanite is also where I discovered so many artists/makers/curators who have grown into their own spaces that are mostly by appointment, but very much worth the effort. I’m talking about you – Fabius Grange and ShopWilma (both INCREDIBLE vintage art and furniture curators, respectively).

Across the street from Urbanite is Rejuvenation – which we didn’t take new photos in, but obviously a fantastic, locally owned, larger company we love that has furniture, lighting, decor, and a lot of vintage, too.

Just up the street is Spartan Shop, which is incredible – more of a gallery, featuring contemporary makers’ furniture and decor (and very splurgy but inspirational). If you are looking for a larger selection of vintage rugs (especially Moroccan or Turkish), Nomadic also has its own storefront just down the road.

Primecut

New to me but nearby is Primecut – a gift store with a lot of dope leather bags and smaller curated gifts.

Extremely stylish and design-forward gifts for someone who likes the less expected but very cool.

Cargo

Cargo isn’t just a makers mall – it’s a whole experience. It’s a fantastic place to bring people visiting Portland for the first time.

It’s such an exciting store, beautifully curated with a lot of pop-up shops from so many of our favorite local designers or retailers. Think Pigeon Toe Ceramics, Woonwinkel, and Lisa Congdon (amongst so many others).

If you only have time to shop for gifts at one place in Portland, I’d nominate Cargo.

Cargo has plants, jewelry, records, books, pottery, vintage, up-cycled fashion, party supplies, crafts, stationery, and contemporary home decor. It’s seriously incredible.

Lisa Congdon is a famous Portland illustrator and graphic designer who sells a lot of her wares there. I love her playful and colorful vibe (so does Elliot).

Woonwinkel has a storefront in downtown Portland, but a pretty incredible pop-up here. Fantastic gifts for the design-forward, color-lover. I’m a massive fan.

20th Century Interiors

It took me WAY too long to discover this store – 20th Century. Hidden from easy view, it’s a warehouse of Scandinavian vintage that is incredible. I’ve bought a few paintings from here (splurgy, but fairly priced), and it is a fantastic place for inspiration.

Currently, mid-century isn’t as “trendy” as it has been in the past, but it has my heart (especially the greats), and it’s coming back fast.

KABINETT PDX

Next door to 20th Century is KABINETT PDX, which has new and vintage furniture, plus a vermouth shop that has a ton of beautiful barware and gifts.

It’s a lot of eye candy, with some extremely cool, larger-scale European posters (prints) that I’m always so tempted by. My team and I spent a while flipping through them all.

Memory Den Vintage Mall

Of all the vintage malls in Portland, Memory Den is my kid’s favorite. It has booth after booth of curated but still affordable, really fun finds.

Memory Den has fashion, home decor, records, and a lot of thriftstore-y furniture (great finds to redo or upgrade).

Plus, they serve cocktails. So while the kids play with the huge chess piece game on the first floor, Brian and I might walk around with a cocktail after lunch, and it’s a great indoor winter afternoon.

City Home

I love City Home. They have carved out a really important niche where you can go in and walk out with anything in the store that day (including furniture). No lead times, no ordering, and no following up. You need a dining table? You can literally go in and take one home.

There are multiple City Home locations, and they are all so good (Lake Oswego and Cedar Hills are the other two I frequent).

loveTEAK

We unintentionally stumbled upon loveTeak, which is more of a global import outdoor furniture store, but I wanted to give it some love because they have a lot of high-quality furniture in a really pretty space.

Filthy Antiques

Another happy stumble upon – Filthy Antiques is new and a really fun vintage store full of a ton of denim, rustic furniture, and really well priced.

The owner has been a picker for decades and has a great eye for a more masculine vintage vibe in a really cool space.

Hoppe Shoppe

Hoppe Shoppe is by far the best home decor store in Portland for those of us excited to stare at, hold, and splurge on the prettiest things for your home.

The owner is a former stylist in New York and has an incredible eye for both antiques and new pieces. Think gorgeous dinnerware, candles, lighting, and textiles. I WANTED EVERY SINGLE THING. It was so refreshing to shop here. The quality and curation are next level and show that there is a market in Portland for all these beautiful gifts for the design enthusiast.

You can easily spend an hour in here looking at every single thing (if you love design). It’s a real dream and a fantastic place to buy a home/kitchen enthusiast a gift.

Now, before you leave the Eastside, head over to quite possibly my favorite antique mall – Monticello. We didn’t have time to go this day, but trust me when I say that every time I go, I leave with far more than I intended. The pricing is really fair, the curation is excellent, and the attached cafe sells mimosas that you can walk around with while shopping (making this a fantastic girls’ day activity). For my birthday, I brought Kaitlin here, and we sipped mimosas and shopped (and likely bought far more with the softened judgment).

Here are some more that we didn’t make it to that day, but I want to make sure you know about:

Artemisia: A really sweet plant and natural perfume shop that also offers workshops, like making your own perfumes or creating a terrarium to take home.
Starflower: Another great plant and flower shop. They create some really magical arrangements, and their shop is inspiring.
Day Goods: A great store with colorful, design-forward homewares that carries some of our favorites mentioned above, like Primecut and Vessel. Pop into the other great shops next door, Seven Sisters and OURstore Vintage, for a fun selection of clothes (both vintage and small-batch) and a variety of home goods and great gifts.
Motif: A small but mighty vintage homewares shop with an excellent curation and awesome vibe.
Hippo Hardware: A classic Portland staple, Hippo sells all kinds of vintage building salvage, like hardware, lighting, and plumbing fixtures. A ton of cool, old stuff to check out.

Sellwood Shops

Sticking to the Eastside but heading deeper South is our Sellwood neighborhood – another one of my faves for vintage shopping and more. An easy neighborhood to spend a day poking around.

Notary Ceramics

Notary Ceramics is a Portland staple that has mastered the art of gorgeous kitchen ceramics. Another store where I want most everything in it (and have purchased many pieces).

The owner and ceramicist, Sarah, is such a lovely person, and you can feel so good about supporting her and her store. Her work is special.

Plural Collective

Plural is a sweet shop with a lot of local and small makers selling jewelry, plants, kids’ clothes, and a lot of accessories.

When my team came to visit for the first time, I gave them a gift bag full of local Portland favorites and bought a few pieces here (candles and matches, I think). It’s just a sweet spot to grab a gift or three.

Stars Antiques

I don’t think there is one antique mall that I’ve spent more time in over the decades I’ve been in Portland (or visiting). In Sellwood, there are two Stars antique malls, both just fantastic. So many curated booths that have the most variety of vintage pieces (everything from hyper-kitchy/retro to fashion to more of a thrift style, dig-through-bins booths).

We ran out of time to shoot in every store that day, but I want to link up the rest in this neighborhood that we love:
Midtown Mod: A funky, great vintage shop with many great midcentury finds and color-coordinated home goods.
Adored Vintage: An awesomely curated clothing boutique and gift store that feels warm and inviting.
Silly Daisy: An adorable children’s and women’s boutique with sweet soft goods and clothes, homewares, and great gifts.
The Collective: “A group of dedicated dealers selling a variety of vintage, collectible, antique, and other unique curated items.” They don’t have a website, but they’ve been around forever, and their shop is worth a peek.

North/Northeast Shops

Truth be told, this is an area I spend the least amount of time in as it’s furthest from my neighborhood. If there are shops here that simply can’t be missed, please tell us about them in the comments! Ones I do know of and love are:
Mantel PDX: This is a wonderful space full of handmade ceramics, homewares, and jewelry. They work with small, independent artists and have an awesome selection of pieces that would make a great gift for yourself or a loved one.
Paxton Gate: This shop is just rad. A great spot to bring a curious kid and look around or buy an off-the-wall gift for the nature-obsessed. Think taxidermy, crystals, plants, and books about every curiosity.
Flutter: A maximalist gift shop full of great finds. A fun atmosphere with art, books, clothing, home goods, tarot decks, and more.
Zig Zag Vintage: A great, eclectic vintage clothing store with fair prices and a fun selection. A nice spot to shop around while you’re waiting for your name to be called at Tin Shed for brunch.
Laundry: An awesome “vintage teamwear” shop. They’ve got hats, jerseys, sweatshirts – you name it. A great spot to find a special gift for the sports-obsessed.

Northwest Shops

One of my favorite neighborhoods to walk around in is Northwest Portland. It is just so pretty. I secretly wish there were way more design shops, but I fear retail must be so expensive. Here are some of our favorites, both on and off the beaten path (we didn’t have time to shoot here this time!).

Tender Loving Empire

photos by tender loving empire

A classic Portland indie store that has a lot of locations, Tender Loving Empire, and is full of gifts and Portland souvenirs – jewelry, mugs, candles, books. They champion small makers and designers, and their stores are really fun and exciting to be in.

The Yo Store

The Yo Store is an extremely popular design-forward store full of fashion, gifts, home, and kids’ stuff. So well curated, full of color, and just really cool stuff (Kaitlin shoots for them and has bought very cool stuff from here).

Schoolhouse

One of my favorite stores of all time, in a gorgeous building with a coffee shop. Schoolhouse Electric is a Portland classic and much beloved. Furniture, home, gifts, art, kitchen, lighting – anything you want that is design forward and scandy/midcentury/industrial in spirit. There is a lovely irreverence to this place, with everything being heirloom quality. Check hours/days as they aren’t open a lot during the week (which is my only beef with them :))

A few more honorable mentions in this general area:
Porch Light: A mix of old and new, from plants to jewelry, glassware, ceramics, candles, and plenty more beautiful objects for your home.
Pistils Nursery: A stunning plant shop (they also do wonderful landscape design) that offers workshops and a wide variety of plant life. It’s great to get lost in here.
Betsy & Iya: Incredible handmade jewelry store where everything is made in-house. A beautiful storefront that also sells slow fashion, ceramics, and other pretty homewares.

Southwest Shops:

These are the Southwest shops downtown that I love to frequent or have been dying to check out. Sadly, we didn’t have time to stop by for pictures, but these stores are worth a visit:

Storied Objects: A tiny and well-curated gallery that always has such stunning art (think sculptures, pottery, glass).
Canoe: One of my favorites for years, Canoe has high-end gifts, home, kitchen, tech, and jewelry. A perfect place to shop for anyone who loves the most beautiful mug or bookend.
Midnight Sunlight: I’m so embarrassed to say I’ve never been here, but I follow on IG and LOVE their pieces. Rather famous in Portland, Midnight Sunlight has awesome vintage and a lot of it.
Frances May: Fashion, jewelry, and accessories for the very fashion-forward (with a budget). I love to browse to see what will happen in fashion next (it’s extremely splurgy and not mainstream). Wilma did a pop-up on the second floor with her vintage this year, and the owner of Frances May is a huge advocate for reviving Portland’s downtown, so know that shopping here supports people who support our community.
Powell’s: You can’t come to Portland without popping into Powell’s – our famously large, exceptional used (and new) bookstore (that also sells games, merch, and gifts).

Multnomah Village

I’m going to be really biased here because this is my personal neighborhood hangout, but for good reason. Multnomah Village is ridiculously cute and full of so much to do (and so safe for our kids – they cruise around by themselves). We are here weekly, if not more, in the summer. Beers at Level (while kids play pinball), lunch at Johns (biggest beer selection this side of the Mississippi), delicious food at Yalla (you’ll want reservations), breakfast at Fat City Cafe (so much kitchy charm), family meal at Marcos, great drinks at The Gibson, Proper Pint and Hide-A-While, Thai food at Thai Herbs, Mexican at Titos Taquitos, Upscale American at Zinc and don’t forget two of Portland best dive bars (seriously so good) Renners and The Ship (just make sure to Uber home – these drinks are strong). If you are with kids and dogs and want a guaranteed spot outside, head to Lucky Lab (beers and pizza) or the food carts at French Quarter (both charming in their own ways). That’s all to say, there is a ton to eat while you come to shop. We only shot at a few places that are my personal favorites for home design (also because it was pouring and we ran out of time).

Form & Function

In my top three favorite/best stores in Portland is Form & Function. A fantastically curated mix of vintage and new Scandinavian design that hits all price points and is just exciting to be in. I can’t say enough great things about this store, and I really, really want it to do so well this Christmas. They just got a huge container from their shopping in Denmark, Finland, Sweden – such beautiful furniture (and free delivery in Portland). It’s one block off the main drag and full of a lot of art and small accessories as well, so please don’t miss it.

JP General

I love this store, and it’s where Brian gets all of my birthday presents (he brings the kids here and they pick something out). A great curation of design-forward tabletop, jewelry, gardening, barware, and even some tech.

Indigo Traders

Such a lovely store of imported Turkish, Moroccan, and Middle Eastern goods. Everything from towels to rugs, baskets, kitchen supplies, cookbooks, and olive oils. If you know someone into tea or Moroccan cooking (or so many pretty towels), this store is great.

Consign Couture

A fantastic high-end resale shop where I sell all my clothes and have to close my eyes when I go in to sell as to not buy more (or buy back something that I missed, LOL). It’s really, really good.

ComeUnityPDX

This shop has so many local artists and designers and celebrates them well. I’m headed back for a few things next week, actually 🙂 I love that they expose me to new artists.

Thinker Toys

Everyone in SW Portland knows this adorable toy shop (and has spent hundreds on birthday gifts here). An abundance of toys for all ages and a great shopping experience.

Village Cheer

Probably my kids’ favorite store – full of great gifts and party supplies and run by lovely people.

I wanted to link up and promote the rest of the businesses that we didn’t pop into but are also GREAT in this neighborhood:
Multnomah Antiques: I love popping into this shop when I need a fix. It’s more antique-y than vintage, but I’ve walked away with a quilt or two, and my kids love it.
Annie Bloom Books: Another classic in the village, Annie Bloom is the indie book store (outside of Powell’s). I actually tried to get them to do a book signing for my last book, and no one responded, but I love this place, and we go often with the kids.
Magpie: Great jewelry and gifts that are unique and easy to love.
Village Kids Supply Co: We donate most of the kids’ gently used clothes here (fantastic, especially for baby or toddler supplies).
Mad Sass Soap Co: Homemade soaps make fantastic gifts because it’s something we all need (and it’s a consumable, so less of a risk).
Nurture: This just opened and has the sweetest wooden and handmade stuffed animals. I love a really specific store like this, so for the perfect baby toy for parents who love aesthetic design, head here (I really want it to stay in business!).
Peggy Sundays: Great for pretty mugs, frames, cocktail napkins – think gifts for ladies that like to host.
Peachtree Gifts: Wait, this might be my kids’ favorite store. It’s where they buy their dad’s funny socks and candy shaped like food. Think greeting cards, fun stocking stuffers, and beanies.
SAGE. flowers: Sage opened last year, and it was much needed. A beautiful floral and plant shop that the locals love.
Narrative Home Design: New to me (I’m so embarrassed I haven’t popped in), but a place I’d love to donate my good home things to. Narrative has great vintage or secondhand furniture and home decor (right next to Katelyn’s Closet, which is a non-designer fashion consignment shop).

Who Did We Miss???

Of course, you simply CAN’T miss Aurora (an adorable town 30 minutes away full of 10-15 antique stores, including the famous Aurora Mills), but the outskirts might need their own big blog post. Please tell us who we missed because we’d love to include and promote them (be patient, as my team is off for the holidays, but we’ll try to add to the list next week!). Happy shopping, Portland. xx

We Made A Map!!

Here’s a little interactive Google map Marlee put together to make finding all of these great places easy! So definitely bookmark it. And when you are using it on your phone, you can also filter by gifts, home goods, etc. THANK YOU, MARLEE!

*Unless Otherwise Noted, Photos by Kailtin Green