Edâs House of Gems
7712 NE Sandy Blvd., 284-8990, edshouseofgems.com. Somebody on your Christmas list just
getting coal this yearâbecause thatâs what they wanted? Edâs, a diamond
in the rough of Sandy Boulevardâs upper reaches, peddles âeverything for
the rockhound,â including, surprisingly, plenty of items not
intolerably boring for normal people. Rocks themselves are available in
every stage of processing, from big, rough hunks ($12 a pound for
Arizonan petrified wood) to fine, dainty jewelry (a $79 Montana-agate
pendant). Jars of shells, cases of arrowheads and geodes (notably, a
towering Brazil amethyst for an appropriately awe-inspiring $3,995)
together form a sort of home decor/educational props section. And for
lapidarists whoâve been more nice than naughty, there are tumbling
barrels, gem maps and other rock-reaping gear.
Buy this: The Eastern Oregon plume agate buckle ($39.50) is a real gem.
Capt. Fish Head Super Thrift Store
1805 NE César E. Chávez Blvd.
Capt. Fish Head's street address and phone number are
un-Googleable. In a neighborhood of blah storefronts, its strip-mall
location is notably non-notable. And if you visit the "super thrift
store" (which has a twin location in St. Johns) during its limited
business hours, you're liable to find the radio tuned to Top 40 and the
proprietors gabbing about proper dishwasher-loading technique. All this,
of course, only heightens the sense of having stumbled upon the stuff
dream thrift-store finds are made of. Hip the Cap'n is not, but neither
is it picked over. Most important, the "super" in its name is no empty
sales tactic: It seems most everything here can be got for a fiver or
less.
Buy this: It's a myth that most body heat escapes
from the head, but hats still make cozy cold-months couture. The ones at
Capt. Fish Head, hanging from a fishing net above, run just $2 a top.
Celtic Corner
4142 NE Sandy Blvd., 287-3009.
If you havenât heard of Celtic Corner,
youâre not an Irish dancer; the store is the supplier to Portland-area
practitioners of the traditional dance form. Were it not for this fact
(and a very legit photo of shop owner Noel Hislop with Irish prez Mary
McAleese on the storeâs wall), Celtic Corner could pass for a Dublin
Airport tourist trap. There are Guinness tees and Jamison flasks, and if
a bumper sticker reading, âPatrick was a saintâI ainâtâ is what youâre
in the market forâyeah, theyâve got that. Celtic Corner is the real
McCoy, though (Hislop has the brogue to prove it), so there are also
more authentic Irish, Scottish and Welsh exports on offer, from
Celtic-knotted jewelry to Irish national team rugby balls to wool
sweaters and tartan scarves suitable for either Glasgow or Portland
winters.
Buy this: The Wonderful World of Irish Dancing ($5)—and stop wondering what the difference is between a céilí and a quadrille.
Hollywood Babylon
4512 NE Sandy Blvd., 282-1171.
Like its namesake ancient cosmopolis, Hollywood Babylon is
an oasis of fashionability in a desert of clothing-poor and overpriced
antique malls. The secondhand shop deals in vintage and thrift threads
alike (and sells both men's and women's clothing, though more of the
latter than the former). Its collection is well chosen and generally
inexpensive. On one recent visit, a luxurious cashmere sweater was
luxuriously priced at $28, but most price tags were in the range of $10,
and shoes in a box outside the door were just a buck a pair.
Buy this: What the hey—it's Kwanzaa! Spring for luxurious and swaddle someone in cashmere.
Cosmic Monkey Comics
5335 NE Sandy Blvd., 517-9050, cosmicmonkeycomics.com. In 2001, Simpsons creator Matt
Groening remarked that Comic Book Guy, the grossly obese, insufferably
snobbish proprietor of Springfieldâs the Androidâs Dungeon comics shop,
was based on âevery comic-bookstore guy in America.â Much has changed in
the intervening decade: The Simpsons stopped being funny and
comics (along with geeks and glasses) started being cool. Cosmic Monkey
reflects that sea change. The staff wonât pathetically lord its esoteric
knowledge over you, and the entire front end of the storeâs deceptively
deep space is given over to local publishers such as Sparkplug, Tugboat
and Top Shelf; small-press comics; and other grown-up things like books
on comics history and volumes from Vertigo, D.C. Comicsâ
older-audiences imprint. Just want the regular stuff? Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Captain America?
Fine, dweeb: Thereâs an extensive selection in back.
Buy this: Habibi, Portlander Craig Thompson's epic new graphic novel ($34.95)
WWeek 2015