portland guide: farmers markets

The season of farmers markets are upon us!  Although there are some that go year round, most stick to a May-October schedule and if you love them as much as I do, then a one day a week pop-up isn't enough.  Today I'm sharing a portland guide: farmers market for my local friends (or those of you planning a visit) so that you can find a market any day of the week! 

neatly organized things

After reaching the one year mark of living here in Portland, I started getting the itch to get out of the house a little more than just adventures, shopping & coffee dates.  Although I do stay busy with my own projects (like this blog & launching my new shop) I thought finding a small side job would be great because I could meet people, do something I'm good at and make a little cash too (who doesn't like that?).  I came across an ad for a 3 day a week gig working for a super cute stationary shop in the pearl district and jumped all over it.  Thankfully the owner liked me enough to offer a position I actually just passed the one month mark!

I have been self-employed for so long that I actually haven't worked for someone else in almost 10yrs.  Having a boss is almost foreign to me and I never thought I would have a "day job" again, but the reasons are different and I was able to go about this on my own terms- so it works!  Since I had previously co-owned an online paper & pretty things boutique, I've been able to help out in some areas where the current owner just hadn't had time to focus on because besides running the shop, she is also very busy designing invitations for clients.  One of my favorite tasks is heading up the instagram account for Ecru.  I decided to go with a 'neatly organized things' theme over there and I love how its turning out.  Its a great way to show off the products we offer, connect with our vendors and get a little creative in inventory photography. Its a fun challenge to set up these little vignettes and the feedback we have received is great.  I'm glad I get to leave my house to do things like this! Hashtag do what you love.

If you are on instagram and you like organized things- follow along! @ecrumodernstationer

explore: street-14-coffee

Last week I decided that I really wanted to take a day trip to the coast.  Its such a nice drive and under two hours makes it extremely ideal to visit often.  I mentioned it to my friend Andrea and we decided to make a day of it on Saturday and I'm so glad we did!  Our main goal was to visit a vintage shop (which I will share tomorrow), but I absolutely fell in love with this coffee shop called Street 14 Coffee, that is located in the historic Commodore Hotel that I just had to share.

One of the employees shared a story about the Coffee Shop sign and mentioned it still has the original working bulbs (neon) from when it was in use at its first shop back in the day in Portland.  Another reason I heart old things.

We were fortunate to visit on an incredibly beautiful day, check back later this week to see more of the adventure!

finding your community

Community usually refers to a social unit larger than a small village that shares common values.  Finding the community you belong to can become quite the challenge, especially if you dwell in a small town or you simply can't find your people.  Moving to Portland, I knew this wouldn't be a problem because the resources for the handmade community overfloweth!  With just a little browsing, I found so many great places here that I can't wait to check out.

I'm participating in my first Portland market on May 11th with Crafty Wonderland and while browsing their site and clicking on through about five other vendors I came across ADX / Portland, a membership based 10,000 sqaure foot space that caters to the thinkers & makers.  Helping creatives by providing resources such as a work space, machine use, classes and support by other artisans.  

Through them I found Destination DIY, an independently produced public radio show and podcast bringing you stories about all kinds of creativity.  They hold Makin' It: listening party & project nights, basically, beer-pizza-live dj & projects. Obviously I'm going next time.

Also through ADX I discovered Portland Made, a collective of Portland based designers, local goods retailers, and manufacturers.  I'm attending their launch party tomorrow night and wanted to share a little more about them with the video below.  I plan on doing a recap of the event, so don't miss it!

Portland Made from Portland Made on Vimeo.

If you have been wanting to find a community of your own and don't know where to start- try connecting with a etsy street team, browsing the community section of craigslist for local events & classes and even a quick google search.  You never know what is out there until you look for it!