Designers and Deals in Downtown Portland
December 3rd, 2009
It’s official. The holiday shopping season has started in downtown Portland. The tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square is lit and Portland’s living room is decked out to greet one and all.
This year, our office is buzzing about the new PDX Pop-Up Shops. These are temporary shops, provided at no cost to local artists and designers. This blog post provides a little background. The four pop-up shops are Flurry, Workroom 719, Egg Press and By Oregon. One of my coworkers came in the other day with some amazing clothes (at amazing prices) from the 719 shop. This is a great opportunity to buy directly from designers right in downtown. And, if you’re a savvy shopper, you already know that all shopping in Oregon is tax-free.
Here are a couple more insider tips:
- Park Smart – The new downtownportland.org site includes a map of downtown parking lots and real-time stats showing where to find the most available spots. Check the site before you go, and you’ll be parking like a pro!If you drive, remember to get your parking stub validated; many downtown retailers will validate your first two hours of parking when you spend at least $25. Or, avoid parking altogether by taking MAX to downtown.
- Downtown Deals – Another feature on that site is the “Deals” section, which includes some amazing savings, like $100 off a $300 purchase at Mercantile. If you want to shop local this season, these coupons will help.
Finally, my downtown holiday shopping excursion would not be complete without visiting my all-time favorite: Finnegan’s Toys. The northwest’s largest independent toy store sells classic childhood toys for kids of all ages (that means I can get gifts for my children and my husband in one stop).
Happy holidays!
Tags: Downtown, Holiday, Pioneer Courthouse Square, pop-up shops, Shopping
