Despite the increasingly grim outlook on national economics,
Portland boutiques spring eternal. Covet (429 SW 10th) is one
such shop, celebrating its grand opening this weekend. Luckily perched
in the heart of the newly revitalized West End neighborhood, which has
taken off in the wake of the Ace Hotel’s arrival, along with posh, hip
businesses like the Living Room Theaters, Kenny and Zuke’s, Clyde
Common, and the most fashionable Stumptown of them all.
Owner Athena Frazier, a native Portlander who returned five
odd years ago after a stint in New York, was drawn to this
neighborhood, which is marked by the preservation of old buildings
(Covet resides in a lovely art deco specimen) revitalized by modern
entrepreneurial businesses, retaining the storied feeling of the
neighborhood and at the same time creating a buzz. It’s a smart move;
not only is the location on a well-beaten pedestrian path, and
attractive to the working professionals with offices nearby who might
want to do a little lunch-hour browsing, but being on the same block as
the Ace means that tourists and traveling creative types wanting to
take advantage of our tax-free shopping are literally right around the
corner. It’s the same symbiosis enjoyed by Frances May (1013 SW
Washington), a slightly younger, artier store that opened on the same
day as Covet and the two stores in turn help to bolster complementary
shopping destinations like Odessa (410 SW 13th) and The
English Dept. (1124 SW Alder) in the area. Hands down, it’s
Portland’s most exciting neighborhood right now.
What Covet brings to the increasingly crowded boutique table is a
mix of simple, everyday staples—like soft cotton Ts and tanks,
jeans, and leggings—with pieces from smaller collections that, as
Frazier puts it, “have a little bit more going on.” Lines like
Michael Stars and Velvet can certainly be found
elsewhere, but Frazier notes that she edits them much differently than
monoliths like Saks Fifth Avenue or Nordstrom.
With a background in visual art (for four years, she was the
assistant director of Gango Gallery, which essentially started the
First Thursday tradition) and retail (upon returning from the East
Coast, she worked at Elizabeth Street [635 NW 23rd] as a buyer
and manager for five), Frazier also draws from influences gathered
while traveling in Europe. This translates to a store that features
feminine, sophisticated pieces from Tibi and Geren Ford,
as well as earthier, heavily embellished accessories from Calleen
Cordero, including three pairs of shoes: a clog, a Mary Jane
T-strap, and a boot.
Inspired by the “scarf craze” sweeping the nation in from Europe,
French scarves by Épice are also in order (Frazier
suggests throwing one on over jeans and a T-shirt for an instant,
effortless effect), as well as a small selection of simple, wearable
jewelry in mixed metals from Wasabi and Dogeared that is
already almost sold out. (Covet grand opening, Sat May 3, 5-8
pm)
Meanwhile, two more stores are gearing up to open in the Pearl
District: Parallel Boutique (1122 NW Marshall), set to open in
June, will carry men and women’s clothing from lines like Lutz and
Patmos, Clu, Paul & Joe Sister, Tocca,
House of Hengst, and beginning next spring,
Twenty8Twelve, perhaps better known as the line that Sienna
Miller designed with her sister. Up the road a piece will be
Lucia Apparel (424 NW 11th), slated to open in late May, with a
grand opening party on June 5, the flagship for clothing designed by
Art Institute graduate Sarah Wallace.
Those more inclined to the delights of Portland’s vintage coffers
might want to check out Sunday’s vintage fashion show at Dirty
Little Secret (1909 NE MLK). Going down the first Sunday of every
month, the event is hosted by AlexSandra’s Vintage Emporium (6726 N Interstate), and features explanations of the era and origin of
each item. (Sun May 4, 5 pm, free, all ages)