Noun: a person's place for things

Favorite Finds – For Fathers

NOUN — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:00:02 +0000

Father’s Day is June 16th. Yes people, this Sunday!
In case you’re still scrambling for that perfect gift for dad,
take a look at some of our favorites for fathers:

Vintage tools for your handyman.

Soaps and soap dishes for your clean cut man.

A needed kit for your traveling man.

New & vintage barware for your mad man.

“Cancer Sucks” Benefit for a Friend

NOUN — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:00:51 +0000

Our friend and wonderful employee, Cristine, has been battling cancer for the last 6 months. Yuck! For those of you who know Cristine you know that she is putting up one heck of a fight and we’ve decided to fight right along with her. We are organizing a benefit to help with living expenses, the costs of her chemo and the bone marrow transplant she will require. Did we mention that she doesn’t have insurance? Double Yuck!

Please join us for this event and help Cristine!

The benefit will be held at Mississippi Studios from 7:00-11:00ish. There will be 2 amazing bands, Wild Ones and Typhoon, and a silent auction filled with beautiful donations.

The details are as follows:
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – DJ Set and Silent Auction
9:00 pm-10:00 pm – Wild Ones
10:00 pm-11:00 pm – Typhoon

We would like to fill Mississippi Studios with Cristine’s friends and family to show our support and love, so please purchase your tickets ahead of time. As of May 23rd, there were fewer than 100 tickets left (from 350). You can purchase tickets at Mississippi Studios at this link.

You can see some of the amazing donations we’ve already received for the silent auction here. Pictures of new donations are being added daily, so please check the site often.

Please contact us with any questions at shopnoun@gmail.com.

Yes, Please! (sail away)

NOUN — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:22:18 +0000

Once again I am longing for some salty air and sand between my toes. The water doesn’t even have to be warm, though that would be nice. A river, an ocean, a lake with a little cabin on the shore– These are all acceptable escapes. The items I’ve listed below should tide me over (pun intended) until I’m able to actually plan a trip.

Where are you longing to go and what items remind you of that favorite destination?

love local.

cristine

russian sailor shirt at andy & bax

canvas organizers at school house electric

triple crescent bracelet at branch & birdie

aquamarine necklace at twist

diorama at noun

Favorite Finds – A Poem for Poetry Month

NOUN — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:52:42 +0000

It’s the last day of poetry month! Here’s one of our favorites for your consideration…

He Resigns by John Berryman

Age, and the deaths, and the ghosts.
Her having gone away
in spirit from me. Hosts
of regrets come & find me empty.

I don’t feel this will change.
I don’t want any thing
or person, familiar or strange.
I don’t think I will sing
any more just now;
ever. I must start
to sit with a blind brow
above an empty heart.

Favorite Finds – Dinnertime

NOUN — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:23:39 +0000

We have a best friend who loves food. She loves to cook it, eat it, and learn about it. She blogs about it and sells it. Best of all, she loves to share it – with US! We spend most every holiday and birthday at her house pigging out on an expansive spread of comfort food that’s been inspired by her Midwest roots and fancied up with bits and pieces from her current home in the Pacific Northwest. We’re never allowed to contribute anything to the meal & rarely allowed to help in the kitchen. This used to be frustrating but we decided long ago to look at it as a gift that should be graciously accepted rather than a rule that should be debated. So we lounge in the living room and sip on champagne while we patiently wait for dinner to be served. And served it is – most often on some amazing dishes. Because what’s butterscotch banana cake topped with soft whipped cream and smoked salt without a beautiful plate to serve it on?

Not surprisingly, as our friend’s interest in food has evolved, so has her love of dinnerware. She currently owns at least 6 complete dish sets and if our count is right, we are guilty of either giving or selling her 4 of them. Personally, we think it’s a decent arrangement: she provides the food, we provide the dishes. Naturally, we think of our bestie with every new dish set we find. This past week we found an everyday set that is likely 40-50 years old but truly current in design. Pieces are ringed with black, grey and vermillion stripes off of which hang an occasional triangle. We think they are SO cute and advise any and all interested parties to hurry in and nab them up before our friend makes this set number 7.

Yes, Please! (floral frenzy)

NOUN — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:38:09 +0000

It’s almost spring and lately I’ve been all about floral… wall paper, jeans, paintings, scents, you name it. Here’s a compilation of my favorites.

Happy Spring!

love local.

cristine

judy geib earrings at twist

shakuhachi shoes at sole struck

rachel comey dress at frances may

tokyo milk lotion at flutter

plant journal at nationale

Favorite Finds – Say Cheese!

NOUN — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:15:46 +0000

We just got back from a mid-winter escape to southern California where we bathed in blue skies, palm trees & 80 degree weather. While there, we played bartender at an art opening, helped manifest Diane Keaton at the Long Beach Flea Market, and sipped on cocktails in the Magic Kingdom. It was the perfect weekend and we have loads of digital photos to prove it. We can log onto our Instagram account anytime we want and reminisce about all the fun we had. What we don’t have are REAL photos – the kind you can touch and tack up on a bulletin board. We love our iphone but we are definitely nostalgic for the days of snapshots and flashbulbs – especially at vacation time. Perhaps that’s why we stocked up on a bunch of old cameras while we were down there. Come to the shop, check them out in person and listen to what a real shutter click sounds like. Until then, check out our favorite shot from the trip:

Yes, Please! (store profile: Oko)

NOUN — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:47:37 +0000

I fell deeply in love the very first time I stepped foot into this little gem tucked away on NW Thurman. In fact, I’m pretty sure I spent no less than an hour chatting with the owner, Lisa, and wandering around the tiny space in awe of how much wonder it could hold. The store is a delightful mixture of local jewelry artists (Stone + Honey, Hazel Cox), vintage delights from the Balkan world (photographs, scissors, jewelry, tapestries), as well as a small collection of soaps and perfumes. It’s almost impossible to leave without buying a little something, or somethings if you’re lucky.

Tucked behind the Oko store front are several working studios for jewelry, ceramic, and clothing artists. It’s a homey but practical collective space, seemingly perfect for artists who want to work alone but not feel isolated. I recently had the pleasure of attending the store and studio reopening party. Oko was broken into and robbed about a month ago. The incident was a devastating blow for such a little shop but generous support from the community and local artists has helped kick off a fresh start. There’s no better time than now to pay a visit to one of Portland’s very finest shops.

You can visit Oko online at www.okogallery.com

love local.

cristine

Favorite Finds – A Very Hungry Fox

NOUN — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:12:26 +0000

Local artist Julianna Swaney has just brought in
a trio of original paintings that you, no doubt, will love as much as us.
They are currently out being framed but we couldn’t resist giving you a sneak peak…

Expect them in the shop towards the end of the month!

Favorite Finds: Love Notes

NOUN — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:58:00 +0000

Long before we found our Mr. Right, we were always very fond of St.Valentine’s Day. Unlike many people who find the day either depressing or overly-commercial, we’ve always thought of it as an excuse to treat our friends and loved ones to an extra dose of affection. We would spend weeks creating valentines to hand out to all of our favorite people. Nowadays, we don’t have as much time to exercise our artistic side as we once did, so we choose to leave the card-making up to the professionals. Below you’ll see a few of the sentiments that have made our personal short list made by some of our favorite stationers:

Valentines by Hammerpress, Rifle Paper Co., Egg Press, Lark Press and Assembly of Text