You are a busy person. At the same time, you are committed to shopping locally AND finding fun, unusual gifts. This is why securing the most prezzies in the shortest amount of time is vitally important. Well, fear not: Here’s a list of some great local stores where you can get all your unusual holiday shopping done in one fell (and jolly) swoop!
Cargo
Cargo—AKA “Your Happy Place” (as is accurately pointed out on the sandwich board out front)—is an ideal one-stop shop for world travelers, artistic types, culture admirers, and other smarties. A couple of times each year, Cargo’s two owners go on buying trips to foreign countries where they engage artisans and merchants, load a semi-truck-sized container with fair-trade goods, and bring it back to the US, where they cram it into their historic warehouse in Central Eastside. In addition to supporting Portland’s community of makers and traders, the store’s ever-changing inventory includes imported goodies from India, Mali, Japan, Guatemala, and beyond; they’ve got everything from kimonos and tribal jewelry to textiles, Balinese baskets, Thai boxing shorts, pottery, books, Christmas tree ornaments, and more knickknacks than one can possibly imagine. The massive space is also home to an array of in-store shops, like Giraffe (purveyor of everyday Japanese snacks and sake), a floral shop, the Salt Empire, Rx Press, Tasi, and more. There’s a kid’s section, too! Also, DO NOT forget to check out what’s in the basement: bulky statues, furniture, Japanese wedding kimonos, quilts, doors, paper lanterns, instruments, and lots of ancient decor. (81 SE Yamhill) JENNI MOORE
