St. Johns and North Portland

I was on the prowl again last Saturday, exploring an area of Portland that's been on my "To Do" list for awhile now. St. Johns, the northiest of north Portland (and where we lived in a teeny little house when we were first married over 36 years ago!).

We drove into St. Johns via the St. Johns bridge, my very favorite Portland bridge.

First stop was rounding up something to eat and as we walked down the main street of North Lombard, we saw a coffee shop that caught our eye, the James John Cafe. I ordered a Greek salad that was delightful and Howard ordered their special (something involving trout and pickled vegetables - he said it was delicious!).





After a stroll up and down the heart of St. Johns, we hopped in our car as we were on a mission. I had heard (and read) about a vintage store named Refind, which was billed as French Country Chic Vintage Furniture and Clothing. When we pulled up to its location at 7440 N. Lombard, big signs announced that it was going out of business! Dang. But it wasn't out yet, so I began to salivate with the possibility of real bargins. The bargains were average, the store so-so, but of course I managed to score a few things, most notably a basket of old glass fuses for 25 cents each!




Right next door to Refind was U.S.E.D. Vintage Emporium. It was cute, but sparse, so not a highlight. It does, however, have potential . . . and the outside was painted a nifty color.

On our way to my next destination, we drove past a shop selling candles. It was Howard who made a U-turn and was I ever glad he did. We entered this wonderful little shop, the Orleans Candle Co., which was filled with candles (soy candles in all styles - tough to find), essential oils, and all kinds of things related to New Orleans. The shops bills itself with the tagline: Candles, Botanicals and Spiritual Supplies. We were greeted by the shop owners, Tanya and Jonathan, and they made us feel like we had been friends for years! If you are looking for candles, this place is worth the drive, especially if you want soy candles in tealights (which we did)!

Next up turned out to be the highlight of my day and a shop that I will definitely be adding to my regular repertoire of places to stop when in Portland. And the place? Nah, I don't think I'll share the name or location, but here are the photos of the "mystery" shop:





I was only kidding, of course I'm going to share my latest find! The name is Rearview Mirror: Eclectic Delights and it is located at 2205 N. Killingsworth Street, right next door to Beaterville Cafe.

And speaking of beaters, this one was parked across the street:

And the best for last. We stopped briefly at SCRAP (what's a trip to Portland without a stop there!), where Sarah, the store manager, had tucked aside something she thought I would like. Like? Is she kidding? I love it! And I love it even more that she thought of me and tucked something aside.

And my haul for the day? A modest pile, but all in a day's work!