Tag Archives: shopping

Portland Vintage Guide

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Over the time that I’ve had this blog, I’ve received multiple e-mails asking where one should go for vintage shopping while visiting the City of Roses.  And often I find myself having to actually take the time to create a list instead of just being able to pull one out of my pocket.  I’ve decided to change that routine…So here is the Atomic Redhead’s Guide to Portland!

Please note that I have not included every vintage shop or antique mall in Portland.  I have selected ones I enjoy shopping at.  However, I have also included a handful of other shops that I don’t often visit, but those seeking very high-end vintage garments or furniture may wish to visit. Additionally, I have listed some other Portland places you may want to visit, as well as places to grab a bite to eat or a drink.

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Simply Vintage

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Just a few weeks ago, Portland was blessed with a new vintage store, Simply Vintage Boutique.  The gal slinging out the vintage? Some of you may already know her! She’s Sarah of the Etsy shop Stutterin’ Mama!

Sarah’s shop is a vintage lover’s dream come true.  Lush and elegant vintage garments hang from plush satin hangers on buttery yellow walls and nearly every piece in her shop could be the prized dress in any retrophile’s closet.  Sarah has carefully hand selected each and every item in her shop.  There are many beautiful dresses as well as a wonderful range of separates.   Another thing that is wonderful about Sarah’s inventory? A lot of really wearable sizes.  People often complain about vintage being tiny, but at Simply Vintage, that’s not the case.  I found plenty of gorgeous items that were too large for me, which, while a bummer on my part, I knew some other gals were going to be thrilled because finding “plus size” vintage is always a little tougher.

Sarah also stocks menswear too! So there’s something for your man as well.  Simply Vintage is strictly for the hard-core vintage lover or even collector – Sarah has some stellar, very high-end items.  Lovers of the 1940s and 1950s will be in pure heaven here, because true vintage is all she stocks. Her inventory extends only into the 1960s, which is like a giant sigh of relief.  It does get tiresome to go to a “vintage” shop, only to have to sift through rack of 80s.

You can visit Simply Vintage at 3640 SE Belmont St. Mondays and Wednesdays through Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm.  “Like” her page on Facebook or learn more on Yelp.

Thrift Luck

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On Sunday I had friend and owner of Retro Rejuvenation, Lyndsie come visit me.  She’s an absolute doll and we had an incredibly fun time visiting vintage shops and thrift stores for two solid days.  Sometimes the downside to having so much fun is a failure to take pictures.  Even with reasonable cameras in our pockets, I got no pictures of us together.  How lame am I? But what I can show you is my insane haul…yeah, this is going to be one of those posts.  Monday, found ourselves on the prowl at thrift stores, and at nearly every shop we scored…it was the craziest thing! And as cliche as it may be getting, we couldn’t help blasting Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” as we cruised down the road, because seriously, “This is fucking awesome.”

I picked up a few of the normal thrift finds…some slips, a couple of belts…but there were a few things that utterly floored me…

First was this Root Beer Bakelite bangle…

Lyndsie picked up one of those taped up vases filled with “junk” at Goodwill, and pointed out three bangles, whispered “I think these are Root Beer,” and showed me the price tag of $7.00. A risk worth taking.  Upon returning to the car, we ripped open the vase and poured out all of crappy metal bangles, plastic beads and broken watches to reach the bangles, which were of course at the bottom, yanked them out and rubbed them until hot, and low and behold, they provided us with that glorious whiff of formaldehyde.  While Lyndsie made the purchase, she offered one of the bangles to me as a gift, and I was oh so pleased.

We continued on our merry way and at another shop were scanning the dresses…sometimes you can just run your hand along the edge of clothing racks, feeling the fabric and stopping when something feels right…and my hand stopped on a plush royal blue dress of silk velvet.  I pulled it from the racks and inspected the garment…snap closures at the neck and side, a dainty faux sash…no…it couldn’t be…but it was…a 1920s dress! And it was $9.99.

And it fits!  Of course, the picture doesn’t do it justice, but that’s okay. I kind of what it to have a fabulous reveal later…probably for a viewing of The Great Gatsby.  It appears to have no holes or tears, and is just missing some kind of buckle for the sash, which is an easy fix, just have to find the right buckle. Update! To view this dress in action, visit my Great Gatbsy post!

My final score was this piece of furniture…

At $14.99 I couldn’t leave it at the store.  It’s a little rough (a cat used it as its scratching post) and could do with being re-upholstered, but for now I’m going to leave it as is.  The biggest problem right now is finding a home for it.  So for the next few days Patrick and I will be playing musical chairs…literally.

I also happened upon a vintage hat box which had at least five hats in it, for $2.00.  I didn’t dig through them, just purchased it.  But ultimately I didn’t care for the hats, and Lyndsie found herself in love, I gifted her the hats and box.  Lyndsie didn’t make out too shabby either, the highlight being an End of Day Bakelite bangle (that is in addition to the Root Beers!).

By the end of the day, we were exhausted, but on an extreme thrift store high.  It was just plain amazing.  I’m not sure if it was a fluke or if Lyndsie and I posses some sort of magical thrift powers when united.  I’d like to think it’s the latter.

Sombrero Siesta

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Last night I went out for an extremely late birthday dinner with a few friends. And wore what has to be a new favorite dress of mine…

ar-som001

Yeah, it has wooden sombrero buttons! How insanely fantastic is that!?  They are kind of the reason I had to buy it.  It’s kind of shame the neckline is so high, or else it would go perfectly with my wooden sombrero necklace.

The evening was pretty swell, until I realized when we went out for ice cream that I was missing a button and after a long search, I came up empty handed.  But thankfully I found a few on Etsy and they should be heading my way soon. Thank goodness.  But now I’ve learned my lesson, ALWAYS reinforce buttons on vintage dresses the moment you get ‘em.

Outfit
Dress & Belt: Red Light, Portland
Purse: Antique Alley, Portland
Shoes: Miss L Fire Siesta, Imelda’s, Portland
Earrings: Umm…Don’t remember…
Bangles: Various places…
Brooch: Made by my friend Alicia

Sponsor Sale!

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One thing I love about having seller friends in the vintage community is the easy access to a huge selection of beautiful items.  Anytime I’m over at someone’s  house who sells vintage it’s not only a lovely visit with a friend, but it’s also like visiting a super secret vintage shop.  Rhiannon is one of those people.  Her shop, Garb-Oh Vintage, often has some of the most fantastic items I’ve come across full of carefully hand-picked items, and I love that every so often I get to take a real-life peek into her Etsy shop.  And right now is an excellent time to buy from her too! Because much of her shop is currently on sale!  And plenty of that includes some wonderful spring and summer items!

Here are a few of my favorites…

1. Beat the heat and look stylish in this sheer cherry blossom print dress!
2. I can’t resist a dress with pockets! Especially when it’s pink and white! Nor should you! This 1950s dress is cute and practical!
3. I love how bright this diamond print dress is! And the color combo allows for you to pair it with so many different colors!
4. And for a night out on the town, this Toni Owen gold lurex is a show stopper!

Her sale runs through the end of the month! So if you like something, buy it now! For it could be gone tomorrow!  Also, remember to add Garb-Oh Vintage to your favorite shops to see what new items she adds! Which is pretty often since she’s always out buying!

La Plaza Dos

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So I finally did a bit of vintage shopping here in Palm Springs, but I was rather let down…or maybe just my wallet and personal taste let me down.

I visited many shops, however most inventory of the antique shops were more…high-end, I guess you could say. Many had pieces of modern art mixed in with primitives, which often just isn’t my bag.  I love kitsch.  There were a handful of shops though that were a bit more up my alley.   Route 66 West carried the best selection of Bakelite I’ve ever seen. And Mr. Cox offered beautiful items in a carefully curated and plush shop.  But it was Deja Vu where my taste and pocket book were a little more at home and I walked away with this insanely perfect skirt…

Yeah, those are silhouettes of square dancers.  Pretty amazing, right?  I kind of had to hold in a squee of delight when I found it.  The skirt paired nicely with the blouse I wore in my last post…so I couldn’t resist wearing the outfit before we headed back to Portland.

We explored La Plaza a bit more and discovered a restaurant I was totally oblivious to last time I wandered around, FARM, which has taken four of the former bungalows and made one the kitchen, and the other three and the space in between all of them into dining areas.  However we didn’t eat there, and instead opted for Tyler’s since Patrick had missed out on my previous visits and wanted to try their delicious food.

Well, we head home tomorrow! But don’t worry, the Palm Springs posts don’t end here! I have yet to talk about the stellar hotel we’re at. So stay tuned! Heck, you might even get a post tomorrow during our four hour layover in San Fran!

Austin Vintage

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The main reason I tagged along on Patrick’s business trip to SXSW was because I’d never been to Austin and the city seemed to offer up a decent amount of vintage shops to check out.

I checked out four areas of Austin, leaving out at least two good sized shopping areas due to time, proximity, lack of a car and my feet hurting, so I’m not too sure if my opinion on Austin “vintage” is all that true, but for me, I found it rather…lackluster.  This was mainly because a good chunk of the “vintage” wasn’t really vintage at all, at least in my book.  My definition of “vintage” with regards to clothing is the 1930s to the 1970s, which is pretty broad in my circle of friends.  The 1920s and earlier is “antique” and as of this moment, the 1980s and newer is just “second-hand”.  With the exception of two shops, most of the inventory of the stores offered up more Buffalo Exchange like garments.  They were just selling second-hand goods and maybe had a few true vintage pieces.  Which is fine, just not me.

The two shops I was really impressed with (although I didn’t buy anything at either shop) were Flashback and Amelia’s.  Both shops were situated in adorable old homes along South First Street with lots of charm and loads of garments and accessories.

The shops are well curated with items that are selected for their style and uniqueness.  Flashback offered up a combination of earlier pieces with a handful of later pieces, and was predominately of items from the 1960s.  There was also a very decent mens section with so many wonderful items, it was kind of a bummer Patrick wasn’t there to shop too!

Amelia’s is where you’ll find the true vintage and even antique.  Delicate turn-of-the-century garments hang along side flapper coats and glamorous dresses of the 40s.  Then there’s the accessories to take in… Shoes, purses and a glorious selection of hats abound and rhinestones sparkle and Bakelite shines from the counter display case.

Like Flashback, Amelia’s also offers menswear too!  A pretty good section too with a wide variety of items and styles.

The shop owner has been into vintage since her teens and has been dealing in vintage for nearly 30 years and is very, very knowledgeable.

I also enjoyed shopping on South Congress, which was home to many more wonderful shops and a stellar more antique mall like venue, Uncommon Objects.  They carried beautiful bits and bobbles of home decor and knick-knacks with a bit of vintage clothing thrown in.  Then there was the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store where I picked up three glorious newer western wear shirts…

But maybe my favorite find was this new addition to my Mexican tourist jacket collection.

I picked this up at Ragalicious, another fabulous store on South First.

Austin was pretty good to me, I’d say so.  Let’s hope Palm Springs is just as nice if not more so!  Stay tuned for one more Austin post tomorrow, y’all!