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Keeping Portlanders weird ain’t easy work. Across the city at any given moment, dozens of Depop resellers (think eBay, but cooler), environmentally conscious fashion lovers, and dedicated bargain hunters scour the Goodwill bins and estate sales to source the next eclectic piece for their vintage booths and stores. Willamette Week caught up with the owners and sellers behind these businesses to ask the question we’ve always wondered about: What’s the story behind your best thrift find?
The Mushroom Thermometer
Looking for a graphic T-shirt with a quote you’d hear from your Republican uncle? Or maybe a pair of Frye leather boots in near pristine condition? Whether you’re looking for kitsch or couture, Hollywood Vintage (2757 NE Pacific St., 503-233-1890, instagram.com/hollywoodvintagepdx) offers a hodgepodge of oddities with something for everyone. It’s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of booths across the warehouse’s two floors, each vendor offering a niche of vintage arrays.
“I love to go to estate sales.” says Serena, an employee busy behind the counter at Hollywood Vintage. “I waited in line at this one sale in Gresham for like six hours before the sale started. I was like five people back. The whole house was filled with ‘60s and ‘70s mushroom psychedelic-type décor and knickknacks. It was peak COVID times, so they were only letting 15 people in at a time.”
After reflecting on her favorite find at the sale, Serena went with a circular mushroom-themed wall thermometer from the ‘60s. “I think it’s really unique,” she says.”It’s so bright and colorful. It’s a fun way to know the temperature of my house.”
The 6-Foot Whale Dork
With two locations on the eastside and a long-standing history as a Portland thrift staple, Rerun (multiple locations, portlandrerun.com) offers customers the chance to discover the find of a lifetime, and also aims to be a community space to connect with fellow thrifters. Its retail spaces are packed with clothing, home décor and furniture, but categorized in sections that offer the convenience of conventional retail shopping.
When it came to his best thrift find, Rerun’s co-owner Joe Hilsenrad had a couple of items come to mind. “There was a taxidermied mongoose fighting a snake,” he says, laughing. “There was one time my wife, Angela, was out of town—it was a petrified whale dick, aka a dork. It was almost 6 feet long.”
He continues:
“My favorite thing about it was, how do you price a petrified whale dick? You can’t look it up. So I just said, ‘Whatever price sells it before my wife gets back.’” The incredibly rare find ended up selling for $18 before Rerun’s co-owner, Angela Homme, returned from her trip.
The Forever Pastel Handbag
Are you looking for an ultra-curated fashion-focused thrift shop nestled between some of Portland’s best (and weirdest) shopping? Look no further than tigersden vintage & modern (3900 N Mississippi Ave., tigersdenvintage.com). The highly organized sections and racks make locating your next best find easier than ever.
“Oddly enough, I found my favorite thrift find back in high school.” Olivia, an employee at tigersden, said after she finished methodically reracking clothes and checking in on customers. “It isn’t super special, it’s just this ‘60s pink vinyl handbag. That’s one thing I’ve never gotten rid of because I love it so much. I walked in [to Hollywood Antiques, now Antique Alley]w and saw it on the shelf, and it drew me in because it was this bright pastel pink. At the time, it was a little too expensive for me to grab, but I came back later and it was still there and it was marked down. I took it as a sign.”
The Jazz Guitar
If you frequent Woodstock, you’ve likely heard of Red Fox Vintage (4528 SE Woodstock Blvd., 971-302-7065, facebook.com/RedFoxVintageWoodstock). Billed as “55 of Portland’s best vintage vendors under one roof,” Red Fox offers an array of vintage clothing, accessories and home goods to satisfy even the most eclectic of Portland thrifters. Each booth is a closet-sized time machine packed floor to ceiling with nostalgic items from across the decades.
Co-owner Erin Beauchamp’s greatest find? “It was a jazz guitar from the ‘40s,” she says in between helping a line of customers. “I didn’t even know what I was buying when I bought it. A customer came in and told me what it was and was blown away that I had it.”
Beauchamp couldn’t quite remember the history the customer shared. That remains a thrift mystery.