Mississippi Avenue

Mississippi Avenue in NE Portland. Indie shops, coffeehouses, food carts, live street music. Cafe tables in front of every restaurant. Bicycles and bike racks everywhere. Hand-painted sidewalk signs. Falafel for five bucks. Nothin' too fancy. Okay, maybe a couple places. But all in all, it has that small-town-meets-big-city feel I love.

Buying Olympia

"Bicycle Mini-Wallet" by Fluffy Co.

Have always loved Buy Olympia. Now there are lots of online art and design cooperatives, but these guys were a little bit ahead of the curve. When I opened Bureau, Olympia artist Stella Marrs was on my must-have list, and we've been selling her witty political postcards ever since. (I love them so much, I've even begged her to make posters. "Coming!" she says.)

Anyway, the last time I visited Portland, the good people of Buy Olympia (Washington, that is) had just opened their first gallery and retail shop, Land, on Mississippi Avenue. (For Detroiters: it's kinda like City Bird with handmade goods by regional designers.) I returned this time to see how they're doing ("Great!" they said) and pick-up a few fun little things:

"Automotive Legacy" Notepad by The Sherwood Press

"Son, it will fall to you to see that every last one of these is destroyed." 

"Hope" Greeting Card by Sarah McCarry for Stumptown Printers

"We are a people tending toward democracy at the level of hope." -Muriel Rukeyser

"Open Mouth" Postcard by Stella Marrs

"The job of a good citizen is to keep her mouth open."

The Century of the Self

Just finished watching the first part of this British documentary series, and it's totally fascinating. I especially love the story behind getting women to smoke. And selling self-expression through fashion.

Speaking of fashion, did you realize the fashion industry is copyright-free? I guess I'd never really thought about it, but it makes sense. Anyway, this is an interesting talk by Johanna Blakley on the benefits of fashion's free culture, and how other creative industries like music and software might learn from its openness.

Picnic Fun

Ooooh, why didn't I stumble upon these awesome Picnic Boxes from Boxsal when I was looking for some earlier this summer? (I really gotta check Design Sponge more.) Thirty-five bucks and compostable plates, cups & utensils. Or maybe the clever Matthew Naimi can create a Detroit version for next season? In my dreams, I would even go a step further and have local eateries like Mudgie's and Russell Street Deli fill them with yummy picnic treats for impromptu Belle Isle outings. How much would folks pay for this, I wonder?

To Whom It May Concern

Dearest AriZona Beverage Co.:

I drink your Green Tea like water. If I could hook myself up to an IV drip, I would. That sweet brew of yours keeps me smiling throughout the day. It also helped me get off the Diet Coke hooch. That was a pretty major transition for me. Years added to my life, mos def.

(Sorry, I've been watching The Wire.)

I also like that you were born in Brooklyn. I've been sore on Arizona ever since their anti-immigration bullshit. I'd hate to be drinking tea that was in any way hostile to my fellow Americans, wherever they were born. I am a Democrat, after all. Actually, I think I might be registered as an Independent. Whatever, you get my point.

But lately, as much as I love you, I've been feeling guilty. See, I pride myself on my light carbon footprint. I walk to work, I eat local produce, but then I buy these big bulky plastic containers filled with your liquid heaven. Al Gore says that's wasteful and contributes to climate change, which doesn't make me feel so good. Even if I recycle. Even if my collection of aluminum cans (which are so so pretty, tell the designer I said nice work on that!) will be re-used as cladding at the Green Garage.

So the reason I'm writing is to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your best invention ever: the Powder Stix! Oh sweet Stix, where have you been all my life? For all I know, you've been making and selling them for years. I suppose Detroit party stores don't offer the latest and greatest in eco-friendly packaging. I should probably get out more.

Anyway, I had to come all the way to Portland to meet my destiny. I'm just glad I walked down the right supermarket aisle.

And yes {blush}, it was love at first sight. You had me at "on-the-go." So much punch and portability, so little packaging! (Well, a bit more than necessary, but much, much better.)

Now I vow to faithfully use and promote your Stix, in sickness and in health. You can count on me to keep them in my purse, in my glove compartment, in my bike basket -- within reach at all times. When I need a Ginseng fix, I'll just rip open one of those cute little pocket-size packages and pour into my water bottle. (Not the kind you can just toss in the rubbish bin. The kind you have to wash and re-use. Which, I admit, is so much more work. But I want to make Al happy. He seems pretty concerned.)

Who knows, I might even share a few of my Stix with others. I think President Obama would like that. Especially if it's with a Republican. I'm all about finding common ground. And if powder tea mix can't bring us together, what can?

Yours faithfully,
Me

p.s. I like what you did there with the "x" in Stix, by the way. Kinda like you did with the capital "Z" in your name. Very fresh & hip, I dig it. That kind of innovation is why you are the #1 selling iced tea in America, no doubt. Keep it up!

Ink & Peat

Ink & Peat in NE Portland is one of those shops that makes you want to redecorate your entire home. My sister introduced me to it on a previous visit, and even though the aesthetic is a bit more "organic" than my modern city girl sensibility, it really is such an enchanting place. Proprietor Pam Zsori has a serious gift for merchandising, everything is displayed and presented so beautifully. She also is a talented floral designer, so the shop is filled with gorgeous arrangements. (Oh, and her blog, housemartin, offers great eye candy for design addicts.)

The last time I visited, my sister & I unwittingly ended up in a photograph taken for LoftLife Magazine. So today when I stopped by on my bike, I at least made sure my mascara wasn't running down my face.

Shopping is not on my Summer Camp agenda, but I couldn't resist buying a few little treats I can use while I'm here:

Cassis scented candle from Linnea's Lights. Shea Butter handcreams from Lollia. And cute bicycle letterpress card by Portland-based Lark Press.

Cool Posters

I love 20x200. Want like a dozen things. Like Jorge Colombo's iSketches. And these awesome prints by Mike Monteiro:

Third Places

Behold the Portland coffeehouse. Above is Stumptown. There's also Albina Press (which also brews Stumptown), Fresh Pot (featured in the movie Feast of Love) and countless others. Some might say pretentious, I say bring it. Detroit could use more good "third places" like these. Starbucks doesn't count. Independent & locally-owned is what I mean.

My favorite Detroit coffeehouse is Cafe 1923 in Hamtramck. I wish it was a little bit closer to my home so it could be a daily destination. It's got that corner storefront, old-school-meets-new-world charm. It's the kind of place you wanna sit and work for hours. To wit, you can usually find one or five Model D reporters sipping espressos whilst tapping away on their typing machines. The esteemed local blogger Supergay Detroit snapped this lovely photo:

I also adore Detroit's Rowland Cafe and Stella International Cafe for their European style & flavor. You just can't beat the exquisite architecture of the Guardian and Fisher Building lobbies. And who doesn't enjoy a friendly welcome from Chris? He is one of my favorite things about Detroit:

I'm not a bonafide foodie, so I tend to choose places to eat & drink for reasons more environmental than gastronomical. I want to spend my limited time & money in spaces that please me. Not sure if I'm sophisticated enough to write the formula for that pleasure. All I can say is that it involves some combination of lighting, seating, quality materials, art and music. Oh, and good customer service and people-watching. You know, just the right amount of sociability when you're feeling sociable, and just enough peace & quiet when you're up against a deadline or don't feel much like chatting.

It was through long conversations with the sage Dai Hughes that I learned the difference between a good coffeehouse and an okay one. I hope he gets to open his Astro Coffee in Detroit. I love my daily trips to Avalon Bakery, but we could use more quality spaces like these: