We’re entering the final weeks of our winter hotel special, which invites visitors to enjoy a different kind of getaway (filled with one-of-a-kind Portland experiences such as Powell’s, Voodoo Doughnut, food carts and tax-free shopping) and a different kind of discount ($72 off your second night).
Based on our math, these savings will go a long ways. So, how would you spend your $72?
Check out our new radio ads, in which the City of Roses — brought to life by Live Wire radio’s Courtenay Hameister — invites Seattleites to come down for a different kind of weekend getaway, and different kind of discount: $72 off a two-night stay.
In these spots, produced by our friends at Sockeye, Courtenay gives our neighbors to the north four great reasons to visit: Powell’s, Pinot noir, food carts and tax-free shopping.
To which I would add one more: attending a taping of Live Wire, the spirited, literate and laugh-out-loud radio show that resumes its live shows Feb. 18 at the Alberta Rose Theater.
So, what’s on your list of can’t-miss Portland experiences?
Travel Portland – Get Different by sockeyesounds
Cute kid alert: I was digging through my e-mail and came across this photo from my colleague Megan, whose daughters enjoyed a holiday shopping spree in downtown Portland.
Pioneer Place photo by Debbie Lusk, via Flickr
Although it’s only October, I’m one of those people who shops for holiday gifts year-round. Sometimes, that means that I have to find that perfect gift twice, because I get so excited to give the first gift that I can’t hang on to it all the way to December.
Thankfully, there’s no sales tax in Oregon, which means my money goes that much further. We want our visitors to take advantage of that great savings too, which is why we brought back our Perks + $50 promotion from now through Dec. 30.
Come visit Portland from Nov. 1-Dec. 30 and book a two-night stay at a participating Portland Perks hotel and you’ll get free overnight parking (an avg. savings of $25/night downtown); free continental breakfast; a discount-packed coupon book with savings on shopping, dining, attractions and performances; AND $50 cash upon check-in to get you started on that gift list. Who knows, you might even be able to pick something up for yourself.
Remember, you can only book this package on travelportland.com. Happy shopping!
I am a man of many talents, if only in my own mind, but one talent I’ve never claimed is a penchant for shopping. Unless it’s a grocery store or they sell electronics, my shopping window lasts about 10 minutes. Max.
So while I hardly consider myself a sultan of shopping, I can still recognize shops that my girlfriend and other women in my life would think are cool. Enter Lodekka. (more…)
Businesses and restaurants around Downtown Portland are offering up deals and doing good with their Compassion Coupon program, which runs through the end of September.
Under the program, users print off coupons for discounts and “extras” at participating shops and dining establishments. Then, for every coupon that is redeemed, $5 is donated to New Avenues for Youth, a Portland social services organization that works to provide education, job training and other outreach to young adults. It’s an all-around great program – in addition to Oregon’s lack of sales tax, shoppers get an even better discount or experience; the store gets the business; and the charity gets funding. Just in case you needed extra incentive to indulge in a little fall fashion …
I sometimes think of Portland-based companies as mini-brand-ambassadors for our hometown. When a 30-year-old guy in Chicago raves about Moonstruck Chocolates, he’s saying something positive about our culinary scene. When a 55-year-old woman in California puts on a Columbia jacket, she’s reflecting our great outdoors.
One of my favorite local companies, nau, has taken that theme a step further, featuring Portlanders themselves in a new campaign. The clothing line, which boasts sustainable, urban designs, pulled together a chef, a designer, a cyclist, a dancer and others to show off its men’s and women’s spring lines. And, because it’s quintessentially Portland, there are even a few dogs in the pictures.
You can read all ten of the Portlanders’ stories and start your shopping list (I love the succinct trench) at nau.com.
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: (more…)
Earlier this spring, I had the pleasure of visiting a little-known local institution: Pinkham Millinery.
A milliner is someone who crafts hats — and what hats! From traditional shapes (fedoras) and materials (wool felt) to the more exotic (a wedge-shaped toque or the “Flapper Cloche,” pictured), Dayna Pinkham’s designs will convert the most reserved shopper into a headwear hedonist.
Speaking of hedonism, Pinkham’s creations aren’t cheap; the styles listed on her site run from $225 to $495. But they’re not just hats — they’re handcrafted works of art that will last for decades.
It’s still steep, but here’s an inside tip on how to get three handcrafted hats out of Pinkham’s studio for under $500: She’s offering an “Introduction to Millinery” class that covers how to steam and block both felt and straw hats using traditional millinery techniques on vintage hat blocks. You’ll learn some incredible skills and walk away with three hats, handmade for your noggin.
