Christmas in Portland, Oregon

The family rotation had us celebrating Christmas at my sister-in-law and her family's new digs in Portland this year. Much as I was missing Christmas in Hanalei, Portland is my favorite American city, and I took the opportunity to visit some old (and new) favorite establishments.

Portland Outdoor Store

Always my first stop in Portland, the Portland Outdoor Store has been a landmark since 1919. A classic western wear store- Pacific Northwest style. Walking through the door is passing into an earlier era...nothing looks to have changed much since at least 1940. Excellent stocklists of Filson, Pendleton, Barbour, Levi's, and Woolrich. They stock a huge selection of Lucchese boots, but oddly, nothing from Pacific Northwest/ Great Basin boot makers.

Portland Outdoor Store
304 Southwest 3rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 222-1051

A great write-up by Foster Huntington here.

A few blocks away, sandwiched between Old Town and Chinatown stands the Wax Building, once home to the United Clothing Company. Men's furnishings, hats, work clothes, and shoes are long gone, but the iconic signage remains.

Pendleton Home Collection

Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, Oregon ca.1915
photo by Lee Moorhouse via University of Oregon Libraries

I spotted the Pendleton Home Collection store on a trip through Portland a couple of months ago, and returned for a closer look. I was hoping to find the complete collection of Pendleton robes and blankets, especially those from the American Indian College Fund series which are of heavy, unnapped wool bound with black wool felt, and generally of higher quality and design than Pendleton's standard blankets. Instead, I found a schmaltzy generic cabin concept not at all reflecting the company's regional heritage. I also visited their stores in downtown Portland, and Lake Oswego, and generally found them to be dazed and confused with respect to their product offerings. Pendleton is one of the great heritage brands of the West, but is overdue for a re-focusing of their presentation.

Pendleton Home
210 Northwest Broadway
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 535-5444

Winn Perry store interior

Winn Perry shaving accessories

Located in the old industrial quarter on the east side of the river, Winn Perry- the brainchild of Jordan Sayler- has been getting its share of blog press of late, and was a must-see for this tour. All-around a class act; stocklists include Alden, Pendleton + Opening Ceremony, Billy Kirk, Gitman Bros., and as of this post, Archival Clothing. I had already blown a sizable hole in my bank account with gifts for friends and family, so I satisfied myself with a copy of Inventory Magazine.

Winn Perry
2505 Southeast 11th Avenue
Suite 102
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 922-1298

The perfect end to a perfect day- a stop at the Bridgeport Brewpub. I'm not much of a beer drinker- living in Sonoma wine country, I prefer a big Cabernet- but a pint of stout on a winter afternoon in Portland was indicated. The 2 story post-industrial interior was very tastefully fitted out. Service was friendly, and the mussels + frites were killer.

Bridgeport Brewpub
1313 Northwest Marshall Street
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 241-3612