Tomorrow is the First Friday Art Walk in Portland.  This happens, well, every first Friday in downtown Portland, from 5-8ish.  The galleries and coffee shops and restaurants and everything in Portland, I swear, all open up to the public and let you wander through.  Lots of them have free munchie food, like cheese and crackers, and free wine (if you’re 21+!), if you get there early enough.   This is seriously my favorite date night every month.

And that’s what I was going to write about.

But, then this song happened.

And I remembered how amazing the thrifting scene in Portland is. So, I’m gonna tell you all about it, because I’m a grown up, and I do what I want.  (It’s been a long week full of sick kiddo and sick me, and I think I’ve said this to Agent P about a million times over.)

So, here’s the lowdown on thrifting in Portland, with much influence from my girlfriend, who loves thrifting in a way that I don’t think I can even begin to explain.  (She says that being around other people’s discarded junk is therapeutic for her.  Huh.)

We’ll start with the standards.

First up:  Goodwill.  My personal favorite is the one in Falmouth, because that’s where folks from Falmouth bring their stuff, and I have found some ah-may-zing things there, like a Le SportSac duffle bag with the tags still on it.  If you go to their website, you can check out the color of the week, which are all half off.

Next:  Salvation Army.  Honestly, this isn’t my favorite.  Be prepared for the hunt, as things aren’t organized by size.  But, if you shop deal days, you can get some decent stuff for cheap.  Be warned:  nothing is half off on Monday.

And, now, for the goodies.  Portland has a ton of really great, locally owned stores.

Little Ghost Vintage is owned by an awesome girl named Dawn, and is technically more of a vintage store than a thrift shop, but I love it, so I’m gonna tell you about it anyway, so there.  Dawn knows her vintage, and while you aren’t going to get stuff super-duper cheap, you are going to find awesome, one of a kind pieces here.  She has clothes and stuff for your apartment.  Located at 477 Congress Street, you can just hop on the Metro bus and go right there.

Just up the street for Little Ghost Vintage is 604 Thrift.  Located right across the street from the State Theater and just a few doors down from Coffee By Design, this is my favorite to stop into when I have just a few bucks in my pocket and I’m not looking for anything special.  Fairly priced and locally owned, this store is adorable.  I’ve found sunglasses, earrings, and cute sundresses in the summer.

Last, but certainly not least, I’m going to encourage you to check out Portland Flea-for-All.  They’re located at 125 Kennebec Street, down near Bayside Bowl.  While, once again, technically not a thrift store, they’re only open on Saturday and Sunday, but they are awesome.  They have vendors, selling everything from records to vintage clothes and jewelry.  If you wander upstairs, you’ll find some awesome housewares.  They take credit and debit cards, so be careful.  The best thing we’ve found here is a tie between awesome clothes for me at Alley Oop Vintage and some super sweet (cheap!) Rogue’s Gallery gear for my girlfriend.

I hope this gets you started.  Do you have a favorite?  Leave it in the comments and I’ll check it out!