No matter what’s on your gift-giving list, most likely there’s a local source for it and pop-up markets make it easy to find them. Added bonus: You can buy directly from small businesses and meet Pacific Northwest creators of handcrafted goods.
“Your purchase contributes to the multi-layered community of quirky artists who make Portland extra special,” said Frank Barnett of the Makers Fair Holiday Market with 140 vendors selling home decor to fashion now through Dec. 23 adjacent to Southeast Portland’s Rejuvenation showroom.
Other pop-up stores spotlight one-of-a-kind items. Jewelry made of natural materials and art promoting environmental sustainability are for sale at Portland Audubon’s Wild Arts Festival fundraiser Nov. 18-19 at Portland State University’s Viking Pavilion.
Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs will showcase their storytelling work Dec. 6-8 at Southeast Portland’s Center for Native Arts and Cultures.
And Sustainable Northwest Wood lumberyard and warehouse at 2701 S.E. 14th Ave. in Portland is hosting its annual holiday Makers Market on Dec. 1 with sellers that include Wood Grain Crafts, which makes beer tap handles to Lego figurine wall display cases, to Jennifer L Foran’s paintings on wood with burned details to create texture and depth.
“We’ll have local artisans plus beverages from The Beer Mongers, Hip Chicks Do Wine, The Coffee Equation and sweet treats from Le Petit Cafe,” said Lynn Morgan of Sustainable Northwest Wood. Reserve free passes at snwwood.com.
Barnett, who co-founded Assemblage, a makers collective that holds pop-up markets throughout the year, encourages everyone to buy locally made goods and visit seasonal growers and crafters markets. “No matter how big or small the item, even the smallest purchase improves our viability to support each other for the foreseeable future,” he said.
Here is more information about a few Portland holiday markets, makers and ways to contact them:
Makers Fair Holiday Market at Rejuvenation
Assemblage, a makers collective launched in 2020 to help small businesses after craft markets closed during the pandemic, is co-hosting the Makers Fair Holiday Market with Rejuvenation, the light fixtures and hardware company founded almost a half century ago in Portland.
Artists and craftspeople will display their works daily through Dec. 23 inside a 1,000-square-foot space adjacent to the Rejuvenation showroom at 1100 S.E. Grand Ave. The market is free to see and open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
Sustainably-made home goods, from vases and sculptures to custom furniture, are under one roof along with children’s clothes, toys, holiday treats and personal wellness and beauty products “to give to a friend or to keep for yourself,” said Barnett.
Many makers and items are introduced each week, he said. Shoppers can meet woodturner Kevin Jesequel of Forlou Studio, ceramist Rochelle Harper and metalsmith artist Kirra Teal of Forest Fancy Jewelry. Katie Clope of Mountain and Meadows, who makes all natural, plant-based products for body and home, and Beth Grimsrud, who creates Green Grin plush sculptures, are also at the market.
Alex Duffey of Duffey Woodcraft, who crafts end tables to bowls from ethically sourced hardwoods, said “the maker community in Portland is thriving ... and I’m thankful for how supportive everyone can be.”
Niyyah Ruscher-Haqq of Niyyah Handcrafted soap, skincare and candles, said people appreciate makers “who get really nerdy about their process.” She added that as her business grows, she can continue to purchase supplies from other local minority- and women-owned businesses, and donate supplies to local charitable organizations.
From 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 15, photographer Christopher Dibble, who co-founded Assemblage, will sign copies of the new 216-page hardback book, “Midcentury Modern Style: An Approachable Guide to Inspired Rooms,” written by interior designer Karen Nepacena and accompanied by Dibble’s photographs (reserve a seat at eventbrite.com).
Indigenous Marketplace
Portland Indigenous Marketplace’s pop-up shop will be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec 6-8 at the Center for Native Arts and Cultures at 800 S.E. 10th Ave.
There will be different vendors each day, said Lluvia Magali Merello, executive director of the marketplace that serves more than 150 Indigenous and Black artists and entrepreneurs.
“Supporting a small business definitely has an impact,” posted LaDonna Dempsey of Dempsey Designs Beadwork, who creates round beaded badges and Land Back earrings made with seed beads and finished with leather backing. “I’m truly thankful for all the love and support that I’ve received thus far in my business journey.”
Also showing at the Center for Native Arts and Cultures:
- Alma Johnston of Aleut Art by Alma was taught by her father, master weaver Don Johnston, to create baleen baskets. Her lidded basket with a whale fluke carved from old ivory is also available at Home & Away, an online Arctic and Indian art gallery.
- Hozho Full Spectrum Care and Creations makes Sitz Bath Tea salts and other perinatal and postpartum products.
- Lindsey Edwards of Inherently Native creates carved bone pendants and sea-foam green beaded rounds inspired by the stormy seas of the Pacific Northwest.
- Insomnia Arte y Cultura’s Niteh Clothing brand offers T-shirts, hoodies and shorts with themes of “Native pride” as well as roses, hearts and feathers.
Wild Arts Festival
Thousands of nature-inspired works by well-known artists and authors will be at Portland Audubon’s 43rd Annual Wild Arts Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 18-19 at the Viking Pavilion at 930 S.W. Hall St. on the Portland State University Campus.
Tickets to the festival, which benefit local Audubon’s education and conservation efforts, are $12.49 at wildartsfestival.org. Admission for kids under 14 is free.
There will be more than 60 artists, including:
- Fiber artist Shino Mikami of Uzura, who makes women’s apparel and men’s T-shirts with Pacific Northwest nature scenes screen printed by hand on soft organic cotton, hemp, bamboo and other eco-friendly materials.
- Metalworker Gunter Reimnitz of Abraxas Crow Co., who twists and bends rigid steel to make sculptures of birds in flight.
- Ashley Heitzman of Ashley May Jewelry, who uses silver, brass, copper and gold as well as color and texture to create wearable art.
Authors will sign their nature-centric books noon-4 p.m. both days. Among those presenting at the festival are Marcy Cottrell Houle, author of “Forest Park: Exploring Portland’s Natural Sanctuary,” Stephanie Shaw, who wrote the 32-page picture book, “All by Myself,” and Jack Costa, whose 200-page guide is titled “Wine Hiking Oregon: Explore the Landscapes of Oregon Wines.”
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman