LOCATION PROFILE

The Knife Shop

(503) 228-3669

426 SW Washington St.

www.kellysolympian.com

Neighborhood: Downtown

Portland was dubbed “Stumptown” in the 1850s as clear-cutting made way for rapid growth and left behind only stumps. (read more) Now, the joke goes, the name riffs off the size of our skyscrapers (the tallest, Wells Fargo Center at 1300 SW 5th Ave., is just 546 feet). Downtown may not have reached epic heights, but on the upside, it remains a living, breathing neighborhood as well as a nexus of political and financial power. Where else in town can you find an uptight lawyer, a Prada-wearing shopper on her way to Pioneer Place (700 SW 5th Ave.) and a street kid with a spiked mohawk, all standing at the same burrito cart? Downtown centers on Pioneer Courthouse Square (Southwest 6th Avenue and Morrison Street), an urban tabula rasa hosting everything from brew festivals to peace marches. Downtown’s architecture ranges from the triumph of the classical Multnomah County Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave., 988-1523) to the tragedy of the postmodern Portland Building (1120 SW 5th Ave.), whose saving grace is the gargantuan bronze Portlandia statue out front. Follow the South Park Blocks past the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Ave., 226-2811) to Portland State University (1825 SW Broadway), where hungover students collide with shoppers at Portland Farmers Market (Southwest Park Avenue between Harrison and Montgomery streets) every Saturday. At Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Naito Parkway between Southwest Harrison and Northwest Glisan streets), inline skaters and recumbent cyclists blow past pot dealers and flocks of Canada geese, while the blocks just west of the Burnside Bridge house the core of the city’s live music scene as well as the pioneering strip bar Mary’s Club (129 SW Broadway, 227-3023). —James Pitkin.

Also in Downtown neighborhood:

Heathman Restaurant and Bar Food
Portland Farmers Market Food
Ben & Jerry's Food
Artists Repertory Theatre Stage
Winningstad Theatre Stage
West End Theater Stage
Oregon Children's Theatre Young Professionals Studio Theatre Stage
Portland Actors Conservatory Stage
The Firehouse Theatre Stage
CLOSED Veganopolis Outdoors
Pine Street Bistro Live Music
Alessandro's CLOSED Live Music
Alexander's CLOSED Live Music
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Live Music
ArtBar & Bistro Live Music

About this location

To say that downtown staple Kelly’s Olympian (426 SW Washington St., 228-3669) has a lot of history is an understatement. Open since 1902, it’s actually the third-oldest continually operating bar and restaurant in Portland, a beacon of neon lights, ornamental gas pumps and greasy plates so unpretentious you can park either your bike or your motorcycle outside. So I was a little skeptical about the remodeling of Kelly’s music venue, a dark, smallish room tucked to the left of the bar entrance. Rechristened The Knife Shop (which is different than the The O.C’s fictional “The Bait Shop,” but still a little too close for comfort) in honor of the George and Sons Cutlery business that resided in the space for 40 years, the venue hasn’t changed much—it’s still a dive—but the unusually high stage has been lowered and the sound system fine-tuned. The Knife Shop works because it’s just the right size and separate from the noisy bar, making it easy to skip out for a quick chat and pint of Kelly’s own lager if the band sucks. Just don’t expect too many changes or a new spot to purchase a wedding gift.

Michael Mannheimer