Portland Shops

Shopping in Portland is supremely satisfying because there’s a higher concentration of small-batch goods than mass-produced items. The Yo! Store is the perfect example. It’s a thoughtfully stocked boutique where you’ll find Portland-made skin care (we see you, Olio E Osso), accessories, and ceramics lining the shelves next to tiny racks of European-made children’s clothing and vintage dresses. There’s also a handsome offering of art books and homewares. If you’re looking for a distinctive thank-you, hostess, or birthday gift, you’ll find it here.

Banshee lives along an eclectic strip of Burnside Street, tucked between boutiques and restaurants. (It’s a stone’s throw from Tusk.) The focus here is vintage, but the owners do a stellar job at selecting items that have a modern bent and are in impeccable shape. Pristine blouses, knit skirts, vintage Levi’s. Everything here is seasonal, stylish, and considered. A mix of natural skin care, pottery, and accessories from local makers rounds out the mix.

One of those perfect, unexpected stores that stocks all the things you suddenly must have. Owner and former Parson’s grad/fashion designer Kara Green has created a truly modern, community-based shop. Themed around natural living and self-care, you’ll find an eclectic mix of artisanal, handcrafted goods, from rosewater facial mists to adaptogenic supplements to niche magazines–most of which are sourced from small businesses. Green also offers workshops–tarot card readings and weaving lessons, to name a few–aimed at building community connections.

Just like its drop-dead gorgeous premiere brick-and-mortar store in Venice Beach, the Parachute Portland boutique exemplifies the streamlined brand at its best. Jessica Helgerson Interior Design decorated the space with local artisans and a neutral palette to showcase the company's best-selling bedding, bath, and tabletop collections. The light, clean aesthetic is so welcoming, we can easily spend an entire afternoon here.

If ‘weed-chic’ was going to happen anywhere, it’d be here. Set up in Southeast Portland (with a new location opening Downtown), Serra is a purveyor of lab-quality cannabis from esteemed growers like Prūf Cultivar, as well as edibles like cannabis-infused chocolate bars and gummies made locally by Wyld. You can also score artisan-made paraphernalia, like Hacienda Ware’s geometric ombré pipes and Summerland’s refined ceramic bongs, in addition to innovative “toking tech” like Quill’s steel vaporizer pen (to be filled with CO2 cannabis extract). If you’re in from out of state, don’t fret: Serra is compliant with Oregon’s legal medical and recreational marijuana program—in other words, this modern druggist is totally legit.

Home to thousands of pieces of fine vintage, antique, and estate jewelry, Gem Set Love (formerly known as Gilt) has been a destination for collectors and casual shoppers alike throughout its 20-plus years in Northwest Portland. Brides-to-be flock here from around the country for the impressive collection of estate engagement and wedding rings with stunning, well-preserved diamonds and precious stones, as well as bracelets, brooches, necklaces, and earrings, each in hard-to-find, if not totally individual designs. With prices ranging in the low hundreds to the several thousands, there really is something here for every budget. This is a reliable place to bring in your own well-loved jewelry for repairs, too.

This little shopping arcade, lined with minimalist light wood and marked by rustic beams overhead, actually connects the West End (a.k.a. the Ace Hotel) to the Pearl District (a.k.a. Powell’s) with a few great gems in between. On the far end is the Portland hiking boot staple Danner, alongside Self Edge, a cool-kid shop that sells specialty denim from Japan and other far-flung parts of the world. Walking through, you’ll also find Quin Candy, an artisanal candy shop with Portland-exclusive flavors, and Spruce Apothecary, CANOE’s gorgeous take on a beauty shop—while it’s not exclusively clean lines, they carry some of our favorites, like Ursa Major, Fig + Yarrow, and Coola. There’s also excellent ramen, a cute little bakery, and a really great Steven Alan.

Hilariously, this local bike shop made its mark with a bike sock featuring the pattern of Portland’s beloved airport carpet. Their gorgeously designed retail space is home to design-conscious bike gear and apparel, and it also serves as a small gallery space for owner Jeremy Dunn’s eclectic, sports-focused projects. He’s collaborated with local artists on limited-edition athletic wear, and put on quirky exhibitions, like last year’s display of vintage Blazers memorabilia from a friend’s garage.

This niche Japanese outdoor retailer only has one location in the US, and it should probably come as no surprise that they’ve landed in Portland. Come here for one-of-a-kind outdoor clothing (for both men and women) in modern, urban color-ways and interesting prints. They also have an amazing selection of cooly designed accessories like gas stoves and hatchets.

Powell’s hardly needs an introduction at this point—the Portland flagship is world’s largest new and used bookstore, with more than one million books inside its walls. The interior is always full of people, but with countless bookshelves to peruse, it's easy to find a quiet reading corner. Definitely take the time to look through the incredible selection of obscure titles and ancient editions in the rare book room.