Putting together a list of gifts that stylish women in Portland would “hypothetically” love to own? This might be the most fun we have all year!
Every year, we hear men lamenting how hard it is to buy holiday gifts for women, and we just can’t help but smile. Truthfully, we think we’re easy as pie to buy for...especially in a town with so many gorgeous, locally-made goods to love. Yet, sure enough, if you drive around town on December 24th, you’ll see men standing in line 3 deep at every chain jewelry store in town, with that look of resignation and boredom on their faces that we women know far too well.
This year, we’re hoping to save your shipwrecked significant others from their last-minute holiday hijinks…and maybe give your sister, your mom, and your BFF a few hints as well. So, copy and paste this list liberally, ladies…even Santa needs a wish list to get his job done!
Pigeon Toe Ceramics Colored Tripod Pot
Pretty things with a purpose are always a big hit with the ladies. Take, for instance, these beautiful tripod pots ($36) from Pigeon Toe Ceramics. Sure they’re beautiful, with that matte white exterior, cheery bright interior, and those cute little tripod feet. But they’re also endlessly useful. We want one in the kitchen next to the sink, to hold our rings when we take them off to do dishes. And we want another by the front door to hold our keys when we get home. And maybe one more on our nightstand, to hold our earrings when we realize we forgot to take them off before we climbed into bed.
Find Pigeon Toe Ceramics at these local retailers:
Ink & Peat
3808 North Williams Avenue
Portland, OR 97227
Noun
3300 SE Belmont Street
Portland, OR 97214
Paxton Gate PDX
4204 N Mississippi Avenue
Portland, OR 97217
Knit Knot Winter Hats
Whether she’s one of those girls that always manages to look amazing in hats, or she’s just freezing this winter like us, we think she’ll be head over heels for these beautiful hand-knit caps ($65) from Knit Knot. Each one has such great detail, and they come in such a beautiful range of colors and styles, you’re sure to find one that’s perfect for her personality. The next time she’s dashing from her office to the parking lot, she’ll thank her lucky stars she has a friend thoughtful enough to help keep her ears warm!
Find Knit Knot at:
Physical Element
1124 NW Lovejoy
Portland, OR 97209
Servello Sea Salt Body Scrub
We’ll never understand how a city that’s notorious for wet weather can make our skin so punishingly dry all winter. But the colder it gets, the more our skin is starting to rebel, and there’s not much that sounds better than a relaxing hour in the tub with one of these decadent salt scrubs ($21) to turn all that dry skin into a faint memory. With divine scents like lemongrass-ginger and orange-mint, we’re anxiously hoping to find one (or two) of these in our Christmas stocking.
Find Servello at these local retailers:
Anne Bocci
7824 SW Capitol Highway
Portland, OR 97219
Camelia Pure Beauty
4759 NE Fremont Street
Portland, OR 97213
Union Rose
7909 SE Stark Street
Portland, OR 97215
Sara Barner Long Leather Wallet
There’s something about truly luxurious leather that makes most women weak in the knees. Give us something made of really wonderful leather, and you’ll find us sneaking excuses to take it out of our bag at any opportunity, just so we can revel in that silky-soft leather goodness. But we’re guessing the idea of buying her a handbag or shoes is just too intimidating, even for the toughest of holiday shoppers. Instead, go for a gorgeous, made-to-last wallet ($185) from Sara Barner. Each one’s created by hand, and is so utterly beautiful, we even think it could double as a clutch, if only because she won’t be able to let it out of her grasp.
Find Sara Barner online.
Scheer Silver Dotloop Hoop Earrings
What can we say? Jewelry really is the way to a girl’s heart. But the key is to make sure it really feels thoughtful and original, not like you just bought the first thing you saw at the mall jeweler the day you stopped in. Take, for example, these gorgeous earrings ($69) from artist Rebecca Scheer. Each one is hand-crafted in Scheer’s studio, so they’re the perfect marriage of artistic and classic. Trust us—these are virtually guaranteed to become her new favorite accessory.
Find Rebecca Scheer at:
Museum of Contemporary Craft
724 NW Davis Street
Portland, OR 97209
Adam Arnold Custom Denim
We’re confident there’s not a woman in the world who wouldn’t love the gift of the perfect pair of jeans. Finding that perfect pair is right up there with, well, finding the perfect man: nearly impossible, but so worth it. But there’s a solution, and it’s easy as pie. Nab her a gift card from local couturier Adam Arnold, and he’ll build her the perfect pair ($200 and up) from the ground up. He’ll meet with her to select fabrics and cuts, take measurements, conduct fittings, and guarantee they’ll fit and flatter like nothing else. Trust us—this gift is guaranteed to make you a hero on Christmas morning (and save you hours of waiting outside a department store dressing room).
Adam Arnold
338 SE MLK Boulevard
Portland, OR
Locket 2 You Vintage Locket
Lockets are one of those gifts that just can’t help but feel personal and thoughtful, and these from Locket 2 You ($28) are just begging to be gifted. Whatever she’s into, Locket 2 You has a style she’s sure to love. We’re partial to the bicycle, and the version made from vintage Japanese washi paper, but the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is almost too perfect to resist. Add a photo of you, her pet, or something else she loves, and she’ll have something to remind her of you all year long.
Find Locket 2 You at these local retailers:
Presents of Mind
3633 SE Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR 97214
Fuschia
6658 SE Milwaukie Avenue
Portland, OR 97202
Redux
811 East Burnside #110
Portland, OR 97214
Amira Mednick Recycled Canvas Necklace
If she’s an artist or just an art admirer, she’s sure to love artist Amira Mednick’s eye-catching necklaces ($48). Mednick has taken vintage painter’s canvases and upcycled them into these beautiful and bright necklaces that are just the thing to pair with all of our cozy winter sweaters. Every piece is one of a kind, and perfect for the art lover on your list.
Find Amira Mednick at:
Tender Loving Empire
412 SW 10th Avenue
Portland, OR 97205
Missionary Chocolates
Photo: Heather Zinger
Is chocolate ever a bad gift? We think not. We’ll welcome just about any form of chocolatey goodness into our lives, but we’re especially smitten with these delectable truffles from Missionary Chocolates. You can build a box of any combination you think she’ll love—with flavors like Spicy Cinnamon Chipotle, Meyer Lemon Explosion and Vanilla Salted Caramel, it’s hard to go wrong. These tasty treats also happen to be vegan, but that hasn’t stopped any carnivore we know from happily devouring them.
Buy Missionary Chocolates at these local retailers:
Food Front Hillsdale
6344 SW Capitol Highway
Portland, OR 97239
Food Front Northwest
2375 NW Thurman Street
Portland, OR 97210
Local Goods
2136 E Burnside
Portland, OR 97214
Back to Eden Bakery Boutique
2217 NE Alberta Street
Portland, OR 97211
Neeka Knits Headband, Fingerless Gloves
With the frosty cold winter we’re having in Portland, we can’t help but think the best gift of all this year might be the gift of warmth. Scarves and winter hats abound in our closets, but we love these chic fingerless gloves ($28) and headbands ($20) from Neeka Knits. The gloves are perfect to keep us toasty while we’re texting (or typing in our freezing cold office), and the knit headbands are just the thing to keep our ears from frostbite without ruining our hair. We’ve seen various incarnations of these styles so many places lately, but with sweet details like grandpa-cardigan buttons, earthy colors and delicate, lacey patterns, the styles from Neeka Knits are the ones that stole our heart.
Find Neeka Knits online.
