105 Best Places to Shop in Oregon, USA

This local favorite, set amid a handful of cafes and other shops out in southwest Portland's charming Multnomah Village neighborhood, has a friendly, knowledgeable staff (including the full-time feline staffer, Molly Bloom) and great selections of children's books, remainders, Judaica, and fun greeting cards.

Furniture and housewares made with local myrtle wood are among the treasures you're apt to find at this extensive community gallery that also features seascape paintings, colorful ceramics, and fine jewelry by a number of notable artists in the area. 

Every Sunday between mid-May and mid-October, the town closes three blocks of 12th Street to traffic from 10 to 3 so that as many as 200 vendors can sell goods they've grown or made. There are booths and tables full of fresh fruits, vegetables, farm products, arts, crafts, and treats of all kinds, plus excellent live music.

A highlight among the several galleries in Florence's Old Town, this co-op features the diverse works of more than 30 esteemed creatives living and working throughout the area and working in a variety of media.

You'll find everything for the bird lover here, including bird feeders, birdhouses, a huge supply of bird seed, and colorful bird-theme gifts ranging from wind chimes to stuffed animals. There are several other locations in the Portland metro area.

This fabulous independent bookstore near Lloyd Center mall has new and used books on all subjects, including the Pacific Northwest. The staff is unpretentious and helpful, and there's a good selection of games and puzzles, too.

The numerous art galleries that line Cannon Beach's Hemlock Street are an essential part of the town's spirit and beauty. A group of about a dozen galleries featuring beautifully innovative works in ceramic, bronze, photography, painting, and other mediums have collaborated to form the Cannon Beach Gallery Group. You'll find information about exhibits and special events on the website.

There's more than just run-of-the-mill board games at Cloud Cap. For children and grown-ups alike, the games here challenge the mind and provide hours of entertainment. There's a room with tables to play or try out a game, and game nights some evenings. The knowledgeable owners and staff may sit down and join in the fun and are always happy to answer questions and offer suggestions.

A local legend and global force in recreational outdoor wear, Columbia Sportswear is especially strong in all-weather jackets, pants, and durable shoes. The national brand's Downtown flagship store, just two blocks from Pioneer Courthouse Square, stocks the latest styles. You'll find another outpost at the airport.

It might surprise you just how popular surfing is among Portlanders, but a visit to any of the major wave-producing beaches along the Oregon Coast—such as Oswald West State Park and Pacific City—will show you otherwise. This well-stocked shop carries everything you need for a day of cold-water surfing, plus stylish beach apparel, sunglasses, and skin lotions. You can also rent boards, wet suits, and gear, or take a lesson on how to shape your own board.

This stylish, green-conscious lifestyle shop (with a second location in Hawthorne) is filled with gorgeous accents for your home and garden: bamboo planters, horticulture coffee-table books, laser-cut greeting cards, soy candles, modern jewelry, and dozens of actual houseplants. EcoVibe makes a lot of its own apparel and accessories and also carries noted sustainability-focused brands like Ética Denim and Corkcicle kitchenwear.

For a town of less than 1,200 residents, Joseph has an impressive focus on the arts. This shop is owned by an artist, Leah Svendsen, whose enchanting encaustic paintings are on display and for sale. If you'd like to try your hand at making some art while in Joseph, she offers weekly workshops on the encaustic painting process, which involves using hot wax, resin, and pigments. Participants take home two small paintings they've created. The two-hour workshops cost $125 and include instruction, supplies, and beer and wine for those 21 and older. (Ages 13 and up can take the workshop.) The shop also carries furniture made in Oregon, works by local artists, kitchenware, linens, and other home goods. 

Although the diverse selection of comics is the key draw at this spacious shop in the slowly reviving Lloyd Center Mall, you'll also find witty and humorous books (from Twin Peaks viewing guides to How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety), young adult graphic novels, vinyl records, and decidedly irreverent artwork. The staff knows the material well and works hard to stock a provocative and offbeat selection of works, many of them self-published or produced by small indie presses.

Portland's premier estate and vintage jewelry shop occupies a dapper Craftsman bungalow along a fashionable stretch of Nob Hill's N.W. 23rd. Inside you'll find an ever-changing inventory of radiant gold and silver rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, many inlaid with dazzling gems. The antique wedding and engagement rings are especially popular.

If the aroma of fresh waffle cones causes a pause on your downtown stroll, you've probably hit one of central Oregon's favorite soda fountain and candy shops. Try the Oreo cookie ice cream, a local favorite, or the homemade chocolate. If you purchase a stuffed toy animal that calls the store home, expect for it to smell sweet for weeks to come.

This artists' co-op is chock-full of landscape photography, textile art, and handcrafted jewelry. Some of the gallery's more "whimsical" items are clever remixes of household materials—think lamps made of toasters and jewelry made from cutlery.

On-site craftspeople at this western superstore fashion hand-tooled saddles considered among the best in the world. You'll also find authentic cowboy/cowgirl gear and quality leather products, plus gifts and art. The store is next to Hamley's massive—and gorgeous—steak house, saloon, and café.

Famous for holiday gift baskets, Harry & David is based in Medford and offers hour-long tours of its huge facility on weekdays at 9:15, 10:30, 12:30, and 1:45. The tours cost $5 per person, but the fee is refunded if you spend $40 in the mammoth Harry & David store, great for snagging picnic supplies to carry with you on any winery tour. Reservations are recommended.

An animal-rights-minded shop located inside Cargo Emporium, Herbivore is a terrific resource if you're seeking clothing and accessories—from cotton-rayon tees and sweaters to braided canvas belts and wallets fashioned out of reclaimed bike and truck tubes—that have been created without the harm or use of animals. There's also a great selection of books on veganism, plus food, health-care products, and gifts.

Watch talented contemporary glass artisans at work in the hot shop and browse the extensive array of works for sale in this acclaimed studio. Items range from tiny marbles to bowls and tableware. 

Upscale boutique Imelda's has funky, fun shoes for women, and its adjacent brother shop, Louie's, offers the same style and flair in footwear for men. In both shops, you'll also find a good mix of accessories, jewelry, and bags.

Open since 1920, this venerable smokehouse uses alder for all processing and specializes in Pacific Northwest Chinook salmon. The mouthwatering fish that's smoked on the premises includes hot smoked pepper or wine-maple salmon, as well as smoked halibut, sturgeon, tuna, oysters, mussels, rainbow trout, and salmon jerky.

This small, colorful store sells models and stuffed animals as well as other toys.

Blow a glass float or make a glorious glass starfish, heart, or fluted bowl of your own design (prices start at $65 for a glass float). The studio's expert artisans will guide you every step of the way. It's a fun, memorable keepsake of the coast.