These are the Olympic gymnasts of lights. They're tiny, flexible and shine bright.
The new Invisiled lights from WAC Lighting look a bit like narrow pieces of fancy tape embedded with lots of little LED lights. Make that really, really narrow pieces of tape. The light strips are less than 1/8th inch tall which means these words stand taller. And they're less than 7/16th inch thick. (There are papers out there envious of that slim physique.) They're easily tucked under cabinets to brighten counter tops, the better to see those carrots your chopping. Or slipped behind crown molding for drama worthy of a Hollywood movie set.
Most everybody has their own shopping circuit in the Pearl District, one of Portland’s most-vibrant arts districts. Bounded by the Willamette River on the north, N.W. Burnside on the south, N.W. Broadway on the east and I-405 on the west, the live-work-play neighborhood covers more than a mile, so it’s easy to not stray from what you know. To get beyond our usual haunts, we turned the minimalist in us loose in search of all things clean-lined.
Grab some earplugs to protect your hearing when the whistle-blowing trains roll by, turn up your testosterone dial to keep aggressive contractors in their souped-up trucks from cutting you off and head for this lively design district in Portland where everything from paint to fine furniture to balloons for your next THANKS FOR WORKING ON OUR REMODEL bash awaits!
This vibrant, walkable historic district centered around N. Mississippi Ave. continues to draw independent proprietresses and purveyors of everything from antiques to specialty salt from around the world. Head here if you want an artsy-yet-sophisticated shopping experience among a young, independent crowd.
Museum patrons and theatergoers know from the odd shop nestled in between arts institutions off the South Park blocks such as the Portland Art Museum, the Portland Center for the Performing Arts (think the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and the Newmark Theatre) and the Oregon Historical Society. Some of these specialty shops, though, merit a standing ovation of their own.
Newly renamed, Burnside East—the business district between Sandy Blvd. and S.E. Stark St. between 39th and 12th avenues— has both a working class feel and enough boutiques geared to people with good taste to make a trek there worthwhile.