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Popina Swimwear

Fans of fashionable, locally made bathing suits will be sad to learn that Popina Swimwear—which has been in operation for the last 14 years—has been forced to permanently shutter their Pearl location due to financial complications from the pandemic. On a brighter note, their Hollywood location will reopen this Thursday, May 28.

"We've made it through some hard times, and this challenge has no doubt been the hardest," said Popina founder Lulu Levenson in a press release Tuesday. "But we're proud of the swimwear we've created at Popina Hollywood, and very proud that we have manufactured our swimwear in Portland since day one."

Now focused solely on their Hollywood neighborhood location at 2030 NE 42nd, Levenson says their store will have more inventory than ever, and they have instituted strict social distancing and cleaning protocols to keep their customers safe. In addition, they plan to offer customers a 25 percent discount (both in-store and online) to help their patrons suit up for the summer ahead.

"In many ways, this feels like we're starting over from when I was sewing up my first suits for sale 14 years ago," says Levenson. "Initially it will be my husband Willie and I running the boutique, then as things hopefully get busier we'll look to bring back staff."