Local Aesthetic / Portland, Oregon / Part One

Hipster clichés and comedy catch phrases aside (“it’s the city where young people go to retire”) Portland’s per capita cultural output rivals any city twice or three times its size. A comprehensive guide to any number of topics—food trucks, beer, or music—would have to contain multitudes to comprehensively cover all the creative activity in neighborhoods like North Mississippi and Alberta Street.

In the last decade, the city’s design scene has become just as prolific, covering everything from interactive and web work to furniture and product design. As a result of left-of-center thinking and unusually collaborative culture, brands and designers like Shwood, Phloem Studios, Danner, and Bridge & Burn have blossomed.

We consulted a half-dozen local designers to help put together a list of stores, galleries, and venues that provide a sense of what makes Portland unique. Here's the first installment in our insider's design guide to Portland—look for more additions soon.

Beam & Anchor

2710 N Interstate / 503.367.3230 / beamandanchor.com 

This sleek converted warehouse, husband-and-wife-team Robert and Jocelyn Rahm's vertically integrated design mecca, houses designers a floor above a tightly curated retail space showcasing their work.

"Beam & Anchor offers the quintessential Portland perspective on how design can be woven through every aspect of life. Not only does the store sell all types of homewares designed by locals, directly above the store are many of the makers that are featured in the shop. Merely a few blocks away is Lowell, which is another great store filled with a tightly curated selection of goods." –Jason Sturgill, artist, designer, and educator 

"They are pickers extraordinare—experience their wonderfully curated experience through beautiful products." –Mark Rawlins, freelance creative director

Ampersand Vintage

2916 NE Alberta St / 503.805.5458 / ampersandvintage.com