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Fall’s brisk days have us reaching for layers and digging out boots from the back of the closet. As the clothing quotient goes up, our personal upkeep can get a little, let’s say… relaxed. Our toes need some serious maintenance, legs are a forest, and we now know why friends have been sending us links to the Tweezerman site. The fall wardrobe is coming together, but the hygiene is falling apart.
Time to get the base layer polished at Sparkle Beauty Bar. Sparkle is as full-service as you can get. Cut, color, extensions, manis, pedis, fills, waxing, exfoliating, facials, even w ig services are on the menu. In addition to the nuts n’ bolts offerings, Sparkle has a tempting menu of specialty pedicures. Ready for a big change? Get your tresses blunt-cut and Sparkle will send your ponytail to Locks of Love. The cut is free and styling your new ‘do is then half off!
We’re working the year ’round hygiene plan now, because the outfit only shines if you’re sparkly underneath too.
Sparkle Beauty Bar
4435 NE Fremont St.
Portland, OR 97213
503.493.5440
www.sparklebeautybar.com
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What is it about good vintage stores that leave us feeling like we’re picking through the basement of a well-traveled and way-cool grandma?
Whatever that certain something is, Palace of Industry has buckets of it. From funky old clothes (for men and women) to beaded change purses, cowboy boots, 1950 ’s travel brochures, hip furniture and old-school paintings, we momentarily lost ourselves in the bygone eras of yesteryear. Every item in this eclectic little space feels hand-picked and loved. And let us not forget perhaps the most radical part of this North Portland gem—Palace of Industry is also a café! That’s right, coffee, shopping, eating and drinking—all in one place. Is there a better way to spend an afternoon?
Our own grandma’s basement is filled with 1980’s exercise equipment and 2-for-1 cans of pinto beans (we still love ya, Mamaw!) so we’re glad there’s a place like Palace of Industry where we can drop in on the best parts of the past, and take a little bit of it home with us.
Palace of Industry
5426 N. Gay Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
503.477.7313
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Whoopie, it’s fall. We’ve come to (begrudging) terms with the fact that summer is 100% over, and we’re ready to take on fall and all her gloom.
That said, we refuse to let fall’s tempestuous attitude put a damper on our summer rituals like monthly mani/pedis. So we headed to Fleur de Lys nail boutique and waxing parlor’s new locale. Not only did our mani/pedi turn out so cute, but we were offered a cocktail right off (how did they know?). For our pedi, they seated us in a luxurious blue chair a la Marie Antoinette, and rubbed our legs down with a heavenly homemade brown-sugar scrub. The whole experience felt like being pampered and polished by good friends.
And in fact, the ladies of Fleur de Lys are good friends… they offered $10 off any service to new clients who mention Portland Picks when they come in! So go get your nails done at Fleur de Lys and mention Portland Picks for your new-client discount—it’ll make you feel like summer never ends.
Fleur de Lys
1001 SE Water Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
503.282.8288
www.fleurdelysnail.com
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We’re all for going out, but lately bars feel like they’re niched out of control. There are bars all about $20 martinis, line-dancing bars, bars for people who love CSI, and bars only for women under 5′2″. Okay, so we might be making some of those up, but still, when we just want to catch up, chitchat or chill, none of that really hits our sweet spot.
The friendly bartenders at The Free House understand this. They keep it simple in a way that still manages to have serious personality. They know we don’t need 84 double IPAs on tap or a binder full of stuffed-shirt Pinots; we just want a few solid options. Their mind-blowing approach to kicking back? Put on some good tunes at a reasonable human volume, serve up something simple to nosh (we recommend the spinach artichoke dip over a game of Scrabble) and treat everyone like regulars.
So if you’ve had enough of the trendy hoo-ha, The Free House might be your place. Attention weary bar crawlers: refuge lies within.
The Free House
1325 NE Fremont St.
Portland, OR 97212
503.331.2000
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A friend gave us a book called All About Me, in which you had to answer a bunch of questions that were all… about… yourself. We thought it was so cheesy that we made a game of it. Not a serious answer anywhere.
But when we stopped into Chapter Four to see what was new, we realized that All About Me should have been a reflection of ourselves. We should have filled it with all the things we love, like fantastic hats (from cloches to berets) and gorgeous scarves. We’d have filled pages with local jewelry, colorful denim, adorable coats and jackets (including a ruffle-front number we cannot live without). And of course dresses (especially the slate-blue jersey dress that goes from day to night with comfort and ease) and a lovely selection of tops, from lacy numbers to The Perfect White Shirt. Chapter Four has them all, and at wallet-friendly prices that made us swoon.
In fact, Chapter Four has inspired us to rewrite our own book.Chapter One: The main c haracter (yours truly) dresses totally adorably!
Chapter Four
4792 N. Albina Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
503.841.6290
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Pubs are a little like movies: they tend to favor one gender over another. For those of us interested in the opposite sex, this can make dating quite tricky. Sports bars have a tendency to degrade conversation from the issues of the day to monosyllabic grunts during commercial breaks. On the other hand, ultra-trendy, velvet-settee lounges are the social equivalent of a tiny, fluffy dog in a big pink purse—not to mention it’s hard to reveal our quirks and dreams to a potential soul mate over the thump of a K$sha re-mix.
If you’re like us, and your dates could also use a slightly more subtle, sophisticated touch, may we suggest Spints Alehouse? The new-ish, tastefully decorated German/Northern European restaurant serves up fresh and delicious schnitzel, spaetzel and cobbler (the peach cobbler deserves its own write-up) alongside an impressively original list of local and nationally sourced cocktails and brews, some of which have existed practically since the dawn of beer.
And since nearly all entrees are nicely priced under $20, we won’t be preoccupied with who’s paying for this impressive spread.
Spints Alehouse
401 NE 28th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
503.847.2534
www.spintspdx.com
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In high school, there were the goths, the preps, the punks, the tomboys, and somewhere in the middle of it all, us. Admittedly, our style hadn’t yet quite hit its stride; still, we could already sense that it was heading somewhere more… nuanced. Now that we’re grownups (at least on the outside), we would like to think our freshman selves would be proud of our ability to layer and accessorize.
Perhaps that’s why shopping at Narcisse is so satisfying.  . Unabashedly feminine elements don’t shy away from mystery or moodiness here; antique armoires and buffets display delicate jewelry and luxury bath goods in a way that recalls peeking into mom’s drawers when we were young.
The frocks, scarves and slacks convey easy, casual elegance—nothing here is fluorescent or pre-fab. And because they are the only shop in the U.S. to carry Denmark’s Noa Noa line, our clothing can reflect who we turned out to be—original.
Narcisse
1015 SW Washington St.
Portland, OR
503.224.2422
www.shopnarcisse.myshopify.com
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 We have 16 pairs of jeans. Is that a lot? Not enough? We shop for a dress, and come home with jeans. We need a cute top, we come home with jeans. Our complaint that we have “nothing to wear” is only a problem from the waist up.
And now that Blake has re-opened in Uptown, it seems our denim problem is about to be compounded. The new space is huge, hip and friendly, and boasts 40 different denim brands. Forty!!! It’s denim heaven—brands like Cheap Monday, James, GStar and Made and Crafted (a hot new line from Levis) share the stage with Joe’s, DL1961, Seven, Paige, and—well—everything else! If you need a dress or a top, you’ll find supercute leftfield denim dresses, silky dresses (with pockets!) and everything from $20 Alternative Apparel tees to affordable/adorable tops from RVCA, OBEY, and our favorite, The Furies (femme-not-frilly with big, graphic designs). Plus sweaters, hats & scarves, and a leather jacket you might not be able to live without.
To top it off, Blake carries waist sizes up to 33. Love!
Blake
26 NW 23rd Place
Portland, OR 97210
503.222.4848
www.loveblake.blogspot.com
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Browsing is pretty much always fun—and if done right, guilt-free. It’s fun to browse yard sales, luxury stores, farmers’ markets, and it’s especially fun to browse on payday. But all that browsing makes us greedy for those rare conditions that create the perfect fashion experience: friendly salespeople, an amazing space, and clothes that stop us in our tracks.
Athena Frazier must understand our yearning, because she created Covet boutique. And covet we have, ever since she first opened the impeccably styled apparel and accessories shop in 2008. The pretty-as-a-picture storefront beckons to us like a wardrobe door leading to fashion Narnia. Once inside, the bright and airy decor, cheerful staff (they actually smile and encourage you to feel the luxe fabrics and textures), and carefully edited favorites work their magic. (Who can resist the likes of Missoni and super-fashy Citizens of Humanity denim?)
What’s more, online shopping arrives this week at lovecovet.com, so the spell this boutique casts won’t wear off when we return home. Repent? Never! Just covet, covet, Covet.
Covet
429 SW 10th Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
503.222.6838
www.lovecovet.com
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Last week we were stopped in our tracks by a bag of coffee. The hip, retro logo caught our eye, and when we smelled the bag… OMG… heaven. We almost couldn’t put it down—the aroma was positively lickable, and these were just the beans!
Water Avenue Coffee Company (WAC) is supplying local baristas with beautiful beans, and they’ve recently opened a retail/roasting house of their own. You’ll want to stop in for pastries from Nuvrei, Pie Spot “pie holes,” and to enjoy an exceptional espresso, cappuccino or latte (etc.) at your leisure. Haven’t had enough WAC? Take home a bag of beans, or ask about their quickie classes on everything from pulling espresso shots to proper use of a French press. Or just sit at the counter and chat up a barista—they’re incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of coffee, from the plantation to the cup. (You could easily spend an hour or two just learning about grinds, pour-over methods, and the Chemex drip.)
It’s pretty much Coffee Heaven—for serious and casual drinkers alike. Water Avenue Coffee, you had us at “hello.”
Water Avenue Coffee Company
1028 SE Water Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
800.655.3955
www.wateravenuecoffee.com
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