Boys Fort
600 SW 10th Ave., boysfort.com. Remember the treasure-filled clubhouse of
your childhood? Thatâs Boys Fort, a rustic downtown pop-up shop adorned
with dark wood and vintage hubcaps and stocked with unique items such
as binoculars used by one of the Kaiserâs men during World War I ($79),
embroidered buttons that look like the coolest Cub Scout patches ever
made ($3) and Harding & Wilson bow ties that wonât make you look
anything like Urkel ($100). Grown boys will get flashbacks to the forts
of their youth while grown girls can finally saunter into the forbidden
realm double-fortified by secretive older brothers and mean neighbor
boys. Buy this: Ceramic flower pots that look like the heads of decapitated Cabbage Patch dolls (sprouting cacti and reedy houseplants $25-$45).
Crafty Wonderland
802 SW 10th Ave., 224-9097, craftywonderland.com. Begun five years ago as an art cart
peddling wares monthly at Doug Fir Lounge, Crafty Wonderland now has a
big olâ pop-up shop offering some of the best artsy and crafty goods in
town, made by more than 100 locals. Actually, still calling Crafty
Wonderland a âpop-upâ might be a stretch. Although this shop was
supposed to be a six-week thing, the store has proven so successful it
just celebrated a year in biz. This is an odds-and-ends place where each
table demands a close look. Many of the best pieces are simple and
rough hewn, like the Indy Pennant by Bishop Lennon ($15) thatâs dripping
with Portland pride, and a nice assortment of interesting and artfully
provincial books and pamphlets from the Dill Pickle Clubâs collection. Buy this: Walls of Pride: A Tour of African American Public Art in Portland ($14) or Portland's Black Panthers ($3) from the Dill Pickle Club Clearing House.
Spice & Tea Exchange
536 SW Broadway, 208-2886, spiceandtea.com. The Spice & Tea Exchange on Broadway
is part of a small chain with outposts in touristy âhoods including
Georgetown, Pier 39 and the French Quarter. Donât let that dissuade you
from visiting, as the glass jars lining the walls are filled with
fragrant gems like coconut oolong tea and whole pink pepperberries.
Unique teas make for inexpensive and distinctive gifts, as do special
spice blends or one of the storeâs 25 types of salt.
Buy this: The Cadillac of tea
infusers, Tovolo ($11.95), with three bags of tea ($13.95). That will
yield 24-30 cups of lapsang souchong, pear caramel or rooibos chai tea.
Mountain Hardwear
722 SW Taylor St., 226-6868, mountainhardwear.com. Oregonâs Columbia Sportswear bought
Mountain Hardwear, an offshoot of Sierra Deigns, back in 2003 to round
out its lines of camping gear and high-end clothing. In 2008, Columbia
opened the brandâs first retail outlet right next to its own in downtown
Portland. If youâre looking for a recommendation on gloves, hats or
other outerwear (and donât mind picking from one brandâs offerings), the
salespeople are very happy to help. Mountain Hardwear doesnât make any
junk, so whatever you buy will handle anything reasonably asked of it or
itâll be replaced for free.
Buy this: Heavyweight Power Stretch gloves ($35),
some of the best fleece gloves you can buy, offered in five sizes that
fit almost any hand and are made of elastic but toasty Polartec fleece.
Solestruck
417 SW 13th Ave., 800-494-1260, solestruck.com. Deadspin says âhoopstersââhipsters in
basketball jerseysâare a thing. What about hooksters, as in hipster
chicks who look a little like the garish â80s-style streetwalkers
appearing as extras on Night Court? The womenâs boots the chic
pop-up store Solestruck sells should be Exhibit A. Huge heels of
non-standard shape with liberal animal spotting beckon from light-up
tabletops while built-in couches and a keg make shopping here more like
sitting in a bar than buying shoes. Youâll love itâespecially if you
have a thing for Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
Buy this: The Miista Andee
high-heeled boot ($279), which is tall and strappy but fashioned from
the sort of rugged leather they use to make hiking boots, which makes
them almost practical for a Portland winter.
WWeek 2015