This Thursday, at 12:30 pm in Pioneer Square, Mayor Hales will officially kick off downtown’s holiday retail efforts, which include a relaunch of the pop-up shops, a program that sat it out in 2013.
These days, there’s a push to spruce up the vacancy rate in Old Town/Chinatown with local businesses, so it’s only natural that this year’s pop-ups will be located in a central hive at 11 NW 5th. They include: 1) the Draplin Design Company, offering doodads like pens and pencils, hats, posters, tees, and other “Northwest-specific items,’ as well as the entire Field Notes product line. 2) North Street Bags‘ cycling specific line of panniers and other handy (and waterfproof) bike accessories. 3) Omiyage, an Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center-sponsored shop with “Asian inspired gifts and crafts by local artisans, designers, and authors,” from wear-ables and home goods to stationary, art and books. Those’ll be active Nov 13 through December 24.
Other things to expect include another round of #uglysweaterpdx, in which you’ll encounter public-art otters and umbrella-wielders wearing adorable knits, and free Smart Park days: Dec 7, 14, and 21*.
- Field Notes
If you would like this information repeated to you (along with, no doubt, additional commentary) in formal, mayoral fashion, please arrive at Pioneer Square by 12:30 this Thursday, November 13.
*Taking advantage of this requires a bit of legwork. Namely, visiting the customer service kiosk at Pioneer Place or Boys Fort between noon and 5 pm, presenting your ticket, and collecting a $5 parking voucher.
When do the pop-ups open?