A Portlander with Peruvian and Quechua family ties has opened a fair-trade, handcrafted-goods shop that aims to make a positive social impact. Some years ago, Cheryl Pape browsed the colorful aisles of a bustling Peruvian market. She ran her fingers over the grainy surface of a spoon made of mango wood—it was just like the…
Frame Up
This shop that helps you display your art carries plenty of it, too. Walk into Frame Central (1238 NW Davis St, 503-546-9087) and you’ll see lots of work for sale by up-and-coming local artists. The employees, who are artists themselves, believe in supporting art. An oil painter might help you choose the perfect thickness for…
Light On Their Feet
Producing fantastic footwear without leaving a big environmental footprint Among the vintage industrial buildings lining NW 13th Avenue, a slew of bright-blue bike racks catches the eyes of passersby. Welcome to the KEEN Garage (505 NW 13th Ave, 971-200-4040) the world headquarters and one of two brick-and-mortar retail stores of this distinctive footwear maker. Arriving…
School Days
From language classes to artistic inspiration, educational opportunities abound at these terrific places to learn and engage. At the Portland Child Art Studio, you won’t find a material-specific class, like water coloring. Instead, a child explores a theme, like a self-portrait, with myriad mediums and techniques—from painting, printmaking, and drawing to recycled sculpture, papier-mâché, and…
Cold Comfort
As it celebrates two years in business, popular CryoPDX has unveiled a range of nifty new treatments and therapies. Crofton Diack has good reason to believe in CryoPDX. “I didn’t have to take opiate drugs right after surgery when I broke my shoulder, and I credit cryotherapy,” she says. “It was an instant relief of…
Women in Wellness
The Pearl District has emerged into Portland’s hub of fitness and bodywork, and the vast majority of the neighborhood’s studios have been established by female entrepreneurs. From pilates salons to holistic-oriented chiropractors, here are nine of our favorite women-owned wellness businesses. FIREBRAND SPORTS Back in the day, Linda Stimac and her daughter Sara toiled in…
Looking Good
Where to freshen up after working out in the Pearl District Lousallas Salon Once upon a time, 12-year-old Lucy Bunte dreamed of opening a salon. But, when she later became a single mom, her vision was detoured. After 30 years of being a stylist, she has finally opened the doors of Lousallas Salon, a serene…
One Step Ahead
The fantastic one-of-a-kind designs of footwear visionary, John Fluevog In 1990, Lady Miss Kier Wore John Fluevog’s iconic platform high heels, the Munster, on the cover of Deee-Lite’s debut album World Clique. The following year, in the documentary Truth or Dare, Madonna slinked around in a pair of Munsters. With a silver pilgrim buckle and…
School of Thought
Early education with an eye toward mindfulness In a sunny classroom at the Children’s Garden Field Office (2035 NW Front Ave, Suite 100, 971-277-5535, thechildrensgarden.com), 3- and 4-year-olds decorate a “calming jar.” Water and glitter slosh around inside, like a snow globe. When kids are dealing with tough emotions, they can watch the sparkles settle…
Agent of Change
Create Change, a growing therapy practice, helps clients travel the path to healing. “I like building things, whether it’s a team of people or a business,” says Sheila Walty, owner of Create Change (1455 NW Irving St, Suite 200, 503-842-7855, createchangellc.com), a counseling practice situated in multiple cozy rooms on the second floor of the…
Italian Accents
One of the city’s most admired kitchen and bath specialists blends Euro-chic with an eco-conscious sensibility. From the architectural design of its sleek contemporary high-rises to its galleries and public, art–filled parks—a nod to the magnificent scenery of the Pacific Northwest—the Pearl District celebrates all forms of beauty. So it’s only fitting that the neighborhood…
Walk This Way
A guide to the Pearl’s boardwalk empire A boardwalk evokes many experiences. Walking hand-in-hand in the fade of dusk. Children playing chase, mouths sticky from funnel cakes. The bump, bump, bump of bicycle tires on sunbleached boards. And these experiences are almost antithetical to the Pearl District of the late ’90s. At that time, old railroad yards…
Field Guide
The neighborhood’s largest green space is more than just a lush, verdant lawn. See all that the Fields Park has to offer. It’s easy to see why The Fields Park is such a beloved hangout. Couples lollygag around the park’s perimeter, frisbee tossers flock to the large oval lawn, children dangle from the playground’s cargo…
Décor Debut
A revered upscale furniture brand opens its first Portland location in the Pearl District. It sometimes feels as though everyone is moving to Portland these days. Good news for those in search of stylish new furnishings: the much-adored Minnesota-based furniture maker Room & Board (380 NW 13th Ave, 503-200-6900) recently became one of the city’s…