Portland’s fashion scene is lurching into 2009 with all the
uncertainty of the rest of the world. After the unexpected snowstorms
brought Portland to a virtual halt in the thick of holiday shopping,
stores alternately suffered or persevered, largely depending on
location and niche. For instance, Lille Boutique on East
Burnside reported surprisingly good numbers after a day or two of
inactivity, perhaps due to their unique inventory of chic, independent
lingerie, while just down the street, relative newcomer Frank
James had less luck. They, like virtually every other retail
outlet, are marking merchandise way down in January and February, even
more so than in normal post-holidays. Similarly, Union Rose on
NE MLK sent out an email announcing a “rent” sale, including the lines
to a ditty about, well, needing to make rent.
It’s not surprising, then, that word of store closures is beginning
to spread. Sameunderneath is shuttering their second location on
NW 23rd (but maintaining the original location at 915 N Shaver).
Meanwhile Imp, an underrated treasure trove of eclecticism at
1422 NE Alberta, is shutting its doors, and on the other end of that
strip, Foundation Garments (2712 NE Alberta) announced that it
too was closing up shop at the end of February. “It wasn’t like we
had to close,” explained Foundation’s Heidi Carlson, “but
if we do now, we can get most of our initial investment back and maybe
be able to use it to do something else in the future.”
Carlson and her brother-in-law and partner Nate Carlson had
meticulously tracked the amount of traffic coming into the store,
making spreadsheets and graphs of the trends, and had already been
scouting more heavily visited neighborhoods before the recession began
slowing things across the board. They eventually realized that
reinvesting in a new space might not be worth the gamble. Instead,
items will be marked lower and lower
until—hopefully—everything is gone.
Meanwhile, one solution to taking the sting out of things is tapping
the support of your fellow designers. After John Blasioli vacated the retail/studio space he originally co-founded with Liza
Rietz at 2305 NW Savier, she has found an exciting replacement.
Emily Ryan, one of Portland’s most respected and sought-after
designers, is getting settled in the shop with Rietz. It makes perfect
sense: The two have co-produced their fashion shows for years, and both
have been vital to the definition of Portland fashion’s look as early
contributors to Seaplane, and have continued to evolve in
quality and complexity of design. Look for an official re-opening in
mid-February, and yet another revision of the store signage.