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BEST LAUNDRY
Most of us aren't trying to save the earth when we wash our clothes--we just want to get that damn guacamole stain out of our Bermudas. But at THE POSH WASH (6806 NE Broadway) you can get clean and stay green at the same time. That's because last month, owner Harriette Fleming installed the state's first 50 coin-operated "resource efficient washing machines." REWMs, as they're known in the laundry biz, are front-loading units that use a rotating drum, much like a typical dryer. The clothes tumble in and out of a shallow pool of water, rather than agitating in a deep tub of water, as in a traditional washer. According to the city's energy office, this seemingly small difference has a big effect on natural resources: REWM use up to 50 percent less water, and 70 percent less energy, than traditional machines. That's good news for Ma Nature--and Ma Fleming, who dished out $1,495 per machine, twice the cost of a standard top-loading agitator. The laundromatron says she's counting on the water and energy savings to save her money in the long run. And, if the earth-friendly machines bring her some new resource-conscious customers, so much the better. But she's not betting on it. "I think that when most people want to wash their clothes, saving energy is not their main priority," she says. BEST REASON TO MAIL YOUR TAX FORM AT THE LAST MINUTE
It was April 15, and at post offices all over Portland, deadline-shirkers scurried to send in their income tax forms. Meanwhile, the patrons of Jake's Grill were celebrating--even though they hadn't mailed their forms yet. In a rare example of rewarding those who procrastinate, the downtown restaurant handed out gift certificates to anyone still holding onto a tax form. Not only did these laz--er, overextended souls get a voucher good for $10.40 (of course), but Jake's Grill even arranged to courier the last-minute forms to the post office before midnight. Now that's a deal worth itemizing. BEST CUSTOM-BUILT LINGERIE
AUNT JANIE'S PSYCHODELICATES CUSTOM BRASSIERES (503-460-0409; prices range from $30-$60) are the second-best thing you can give your boobs. Instead of those lacy Victoria's Secret bras, which only see company on "special" occasions, give your breasts the art, flair and design they deserve. With Aunt Janie's custom brassieres, you can also try daring moves like wearing nipple rings without ever coming in contact with a needle! Just add rings to the rubber nipples and you're ready to roll. If the fake pierced look is a bit too risqué for your mammary glands, check out the Mommy Bra, complete with pacifiers, toys, eating utensils and baby shoes. For those who have always dreamed of serving drinks from their "shelf," the Champagne Glasses Bra couldn't be more handy. If after looking through the selection Aunt Janie offers you still don't see your dream bra, don't fret--ask Aunt Janie for a custom order. Please note that she will not do extremely sexually explicit or offensive bras--there's already enough of those around. BEST BUMPER-STICKER COLLECTION
Forget "Arms Are for Hugging" or "Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty." For unique bumper stickers that express your real views to other motorists, check out PHRESH IDEAS (next door to Key Largo at Saturday Market, open Saturday Market hours or by appointment, 285-6539). In this tiny store filled to the brim with revolving racks, you can find hundreds of poignant stickers with profound messages such as "Vacuuming Sucks" or "Dear Lord, please save me from your followers." Owner Phresh Phred prints the large bumper stickers himself and has appeared in the book Bumper Sticker Wisdom. BEST ROCKING HORSE
It was, as the storybooks say, love at first sight. As Bobby Tichenor recalls, she was flipping through an F.A.O. Schwartz catalog about six years ago when she spotted a picture of the ROCKING DRAGON that now resides in the back corner of Annie Bloom's Books (7834 SW Capitol Highway). "I fell in love with it," says Tichenor, owner of the kid-friendly bookstore in Multnomah Village. She's not the only one; the dragon seems to enchant every kid who wanders back to the children's books section, regardless of age. "When we first got it," Tichenor says, "one of our regular customers, a woman near 80, hiked up her skirt and got on." Tichenor notes that the dragon is getting a bit the worse for wear, its tail now "wounded." But, as any reader of The Velveteen Rabbit knows, that's just more proof it's well-loved. BEST DISPLAY WINDOWS
BEADS FOREVER (3522 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 230-2323) consistently produces fantastic store windows--bowls spilling luscious bead fruit; an over-the-top Easter homage to pagan goddesses--which definitely serve their purpose of attracting passersby. The only trouble, clerks explain, is that shoppers try to buy the props--even when they're not for sale. All the employees pitch in to keep the windows artistic and intriguing--a challenge, they admit, when the medium is beads. BEST ALTERNATIVE TO AN UMBRELLA AND SUNGLASSES
Raining one minute, blazing sun the next, or a simultaneous combination of the two. What do you wear to deal with such tempestuous weather in a highly pedestrian city? Sure, you could carry sunglasses and an umbrella with you at all times. Or you could pare down and check out the BRONZE-COLORED STRAW CREATION at Parvenu Hat and Cap ($12, 1033 SW Morrison St.). The visor is only slightly smaller than an opened umbrella. Shade your eyes, dodge drops and ensure your personal space with this old-fashioned approach to combating the elements. BEST VICTORIAN REVIVAL PIECE
A good balance of rain and sunshine produces a flourishing garden. How do you ensure healthy flora in Portland's climate of ample rain, where sun can be on short supply? Behold the GAZING BALL ($36, Dish N Dat, 510 NW 11th Ave.), a decorative and practical addition to your garden, introduced during the ornate Victorian era. Placed in a sunny area on a bird bath or large terra cotta pot, the shiny silver globe maximizes rays by reflecting light toward shady areas. It also looks really cool. Make sure you get a hand-blown sphere, which has metallic finish on the inside--otherwise your centerpiece is likely to chip. BEST SOUND SYSTEM
Almost every commercial space in town has some kind of music in the background. The tunes are designed to be unobtrusive or maybe subtly manipulative. Most often the quality of the sound is bad. Speakers are generally housed in those circular grilles you see in drop-ceiling panels. Or, as in your favorite funky pizza joint, the tunes emanate from a couple of boxy and tattered speakers connected to an equally tattered receiver that's tuned to a classic rock station. The sound system at URBAN OUTFITTERS (Northwest 23rd at Westover Road) is a notable exception. Made by Bose, it consists of a subwoofer box for each floor and lots of small, strategically placed satellite speakers. All are mounted near the ceiling and housed in sleek industrial-looking metal boxes. No matter where you walk, the sound is crisp and the bass is big. (The Chemical Brothers never sounded better.) Store manager Stephanie Vaughn says the great sound "is pretty intrinsic" to the shopping experience. Employees choose the music from a monthly playlist provided by Urban Outfitters' home office in Philadelphia based on requests from store staffs across the country. "We often request performers with local ties, such as Elliott Smith and Heatmiser," says Vaughn, "and there's a display on the first floor where customers can can check out who's playing." The best time to catch tunes on the system is on weekends when it's really thumping. BEST OFFICE SUPPLY STORE
Forget Office Depot for office supply fetishism, the real place to satisfy your specific urge is the OFFICE SUPPLY CO. (706 SE 6th Ave). The store, as one employee said, is "really old" and boasts a useful but antiquated inventory of products that look good on desks, feel nice in the hand, and dustily sit like relics of a time long gone. Cluttering the shelves are items such as plated steel thumbtacks, petty cash slips, mimeograph paper, postal tags (such as "special delivery," "glass" and "do not crush"), standard ledger sheets and Swingline staplers with faux wood-panel accents, as well as rows of paper items, envelopes and Bates list finders (metal pop up address holders)--most in their beautiful (yes, beautiful ) original packaging. Like remembering the old days of a stern librarian stamping your book and kerplunking your card, this store makes one nostalgic for the pre-computer days when forms were filled out, stamps made frown faces and kids learned cursive. BEST PLACE TO PRETEND YOU'RE IN SOHO
The birch floors and sparse, white lines of ODESSA (611 NW 13th Ave.) are as close as you'll get to Agnes B. or Kenzo in Portland. The 10-month-old boutique's walls are lined with halter tops in supplex jersey; embroidered peau de soie (a.k.a. polyester) cocktail ensembles; filmy, paisley slip dresses; and mid-calf slit skirts. Instead of a cash register, the center of the floor (which is spacious enough for ballroom dancing) is graced by a white table, where proprietor Susan Tompkins can sit with customers. It's not exactly like New York high fashion, though--Odessa's prices are surprisingly unintimidating, from $45 to about $300, and there are as many large sizes stocked as perfect little sixes. BEST PLACE TO GET ONE-OF-A-KIND ECO FURNITURE
The JOINERY's garbage man has it pretty easy. The specialty furniture store uses all of its leftover paper and cardboard to package its Mission- and Shaker-style tables, beds, dressers and chairs. The cherry, maple and walnut carved at the store is gathered from sustainable forests and finished with natural oils. The Joinery's showroom (2415 SE 10th Ave.) includes samples of pieces, but custom work is also welcome. The super-sturdy furniture is made on the premises in a huge, glass-windowed workshop. BEST PLACE TO CHASE RAINBOWS
With all the precipitation we endure here, you'd think we'd at least get to see more than the occasional rainbow, but nature hasn't been kind to Portland in this respect. Though not quite as breathtaking as the sight of a multicolored arc stretching across the horizon, walking into RAINBOWS (1136 SW Alder St.) provides a similar visual sensation. Almost everything for sale in the Rainbows store is covered in a colorful spectrum, and there's quite an array of stuff: T-shirts, suspenders, flags, jewelry, furniture, doormats, Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers, hats, bathrobes, candles, ties and even jock straps. It might not happen often, but once in a while you may need such an item; the best place to get it is Rainbows. |
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