Saturday Shopping- SE Division & Clinton

It’s indicative of life in Portland that you rate it as a good day in May if there isn’t apocryphal rain. Today was such a day and even more so because I spent the morning with good friend and fellow blogger The Tweed Librarian. I wanted to explore some of the SE neighborhoods and as she lives in the area I knew she’d be the best guide.

Our first stop was a cheerful little shop called Twill (2132 SE Division St). The majority of the clothes here are by local designers and feature lots of jersey knit warp dresses and fun tops that work well for layering (a necessity right now as we can’t seem to break past 55˚). The prices are spot on with almost everything under $100. I saw a cute patterned flippy black and white skirt for $48 but just can’t think about short yet. I haven’t even packed away my sweaters!

Next was a funky store called Mirador (yes, it rhymes and I wasn’t even trying). It’s also on Division Street (2106 SE Division St). It’s a delightful amalgam of incense, housewares, spiritual books, candles, postcards and skincare. The kind of store where you really need to slow your pace and look around. No speed shopping here. I saw a lot of interesting item but finally settled on a Bennington Candle, all natural soy wax candle in Jasmine-Rose. Supposed to bring Good Fortune and for $5.50 I’m all over it.

Lovely little stained glass pieces 

 Love this Buddha and fo $36 it's a steal but I just couldn't do it. Now I have an excuse to go back.

 Uncle Harry’s Natural Products- face, skin, and hair care products. Great price on the hot new hair treatment- Argan Oil. Supposed to tame flyaways without weighing your hair down. I'll let you know.

Our last shopping stop was an amazing clothing store called Xtabay Vintage Clothing Boutique (2515 SE Clinton St). This is the kind of place you walk into and immediately feel more feminine. Suddenly, a hat and triple strand of pearls is exactly what you need. A full skirt that may require a petticoat so you can channel Lucille Ball? Even better.

from Liz G. on Yelp

The store is divided into daywear and evening wear. My only complaint is that while it is visually appealing to have everything arranged by color it gets a bit depressing to pull out a dress you love only to find it is a size 14 (or zero). I found some fabulous 1960s Lilly Pulitzer pants for only $38. An inch less on my waist and I’d be wearing them this summer but it was not to be. Still, this store is charming, with attentive knowledgeable staff and well worth visiting again.

Floaty and flirty with a staggering pair of strappy stilettos

Ooo...sparkly

Do I wear hats? No. does this make me think I should? Yes.

Couldn't quite capture the color in the photo but it's a soft pink. The mood is Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby with a cute pair of ballet flats. Minus the whole baby/demon thing because I don't do the kid thing but I could work the look.

Striking the perfect vintage mood? Uber-chic butter nail polishes (non-toxic). I like the top two rows.

Again, that whole sixties vibe. I'm seeing this with black tights and black suede boots. Or black leggings and ballet slippers.

The reward for all this hard work was lunch at Broder, a Scandanavian breakfast/brunch restaurant. They have dinner as well but their breakfasts are what have made them known in PDX. This place is popular, tiny, and therefore, loud. Don’t plan on an intimate conversation unless you don’t mind the people next to you sharing in the details. I’m not familiar with Scandanavian food so just went with what sounded good and it was.

 Grilled apple fritters with a pork apple sausage and two baked eggs. Syrup and sour cream. YUM.

These are lefkes, thin potato pancakes from Norway. These have caramelized fennel and are topped with baked eggs and bitter greens.

This is what I miss living in the suburbs- walking everywhere and begin surrounded by local shops- not big box retailers and hillbillies. A nice change of pace made even better by the company. Girlfriends, shopping, gossiping- now that's a Saturday.