The Hawthorne District

After my trip last weekend, I must confess... I am love with a small and specific neighborhood in Portland - The Hawthorne District. It's a primo vintage shopping destination, for sure. The entire street is lined with second hand shops full of clothes, furniture, knick knacks, musical paraphernalia, and various and sundry amazing treasures. We only covered about 3 or 4 blocks worth, as we were a bit limited on time and cash, but in that small radius, I found my own personal heaven.

Place mats are something I don't normally keep my eyes open for, considering the odd shape and small size of my beloved dining room table. Most place mats are large and/or rectangular and I just know from looking at them that they simply aren't going to work. So when I saw these orange plastic beauties at a shop call Deco to Disco, I knew I had to have them. I was worried they might be a little too big, but the shape looked just right and I figured it was worth taking a chance. I'm glad I did, because they fit perfectly and the bright color and funky texture go wonderfully with my bright and manic kitchen! They were $15 for the set of four: A slightly steep price, but since sales tax doesn't apply, that was the exact price they'd be. I like that predictability and stability when walking into a shop, knowing I won't have to calculate much in my head, unless I find a lot of things to buy at once.

I found this bookshelf sitting out on the sidewalk in front of a fantastic furniture and decor centric shop called Lounge Lizard. They only wanted $30 or so for it and without the sales tax, how am I expected NOT to jump on that? The instant I saw it, I knew it was the right size and shape to replace our saggy black bookcase that was scavenged from the side of the road with a FREE sign on it. I also knew it would coordinate beautifully with the white late 50's/early 60's bookshelves we keep our media stuff on... and it does. It's not the exact same era, but the slight roundness of the edges makes it look like they were meant to be together. I intend to return to that store in search of the perfect vintage desk on my next trip.

We also spent about an hour in this one store called Vintage Pink. Lexi found some things to buy and I almost bought a gorgeous pair of second hand ankle height boots with a lovely little buckle, but they were ever so slightly too small. Maybe half a size or so, but just enough that wearing them with more than tights or bare feet would have been impossible. Plus, I'd spent over half the money I had with me on stuff for home and I didn't want to go overboard. It's not like I'll never visit down there again. I have other friends in the area that I wasn't able to see on this trip, so I'm sure I'll be planning another trek down before Fall.