Babylon Blog

dear portland shoppers: oh wow it's crazy out there! i attempted to hit the post office in nw portland yesterday and had to abort mission!! i was thankful today to find myself in lovely & calm hollywood district (except for trader joe's parking lot - dayum!) here are a few reasons to avoid the mall and downtown traffic and head to the charming diamond in the rough that is Hollywood District: >Hollywood Babylon 4512 NE Sandy Boulevard - DUH! the best place to score a sweet vintage gift for yourself, or anyone on your list. we just returned from a shopping vacation in AZ and the store is stocked with some great new and cozy items. as always, our prices can't be beat! >the post office@50th & Sandy isn't too hectic and has a handy self service postage machine (perfect for domestic holiday shipping) >Hollywood Theater 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard - the main landmark of Hollywood is a relaxing place to catch a flick and they have gift certificates and memberships which would make for a nice gift and also supports an amazing local non-profit >Yours Vintage 1627 Northeast 42nd Avenue - the coziest vintage/thrift shop in Portland, OPEN Thursday -Saturday 1 pm - 6 pm (behind the hollywood theater, next to bluefin sushi & trader joe's) >Antique Alley 2000 NE 42^nd Avenue - okay this is possibly one of the main draws to the hollywood district besides the theater and hollywood shoe repair - this enormous basement level antique mall has it all - great tchochkes, furniture, records, jewelry and more...allow plenty of time to take it all in. >Cosmic Monkey Comics! 5335 NE Sandy Blvd - the coolest independent comic book store around period. they have gift certificates. >Case Study Coffee 5347 NE Sandy Blvd - next door to cosmic monkey comics!, case study is the neighborhood artisanal coffee house...it's next level good. hit them up to charge/recharge before/after shopping in hollywood. >Velo Cult Bike Shop  1969 NE 42nd Avenue - across from Antique Alley. The perfect place to take a break from shopping, have a pint of beer or cider and find a perfect gift for the cycling enthusiast in your life... >Lorena's Mexican Restaurant 4160 NE Sandy Boulevard - next to the Hollywood Theater, finally! decent family mexican food (a rarity in the Pacific Northwest). and margaritas! >Killer Burger 4644 NE Sandy Blvd - the best burger in the hood - i think it's all about the bacon. they have crazy hour from 2 - 5pm monday through thursday $4.50 for a burger and fries. >Hollywood Shoe Repair 4504 NE Sandy Blvd (open weekdays) we are blessed to be right next door to one of the most talented (and fast and affordable) cobblers ever known. he gets so much traffic, and we're grateful for the overflow visiting us at hollywood babylon! >Patti Smith West over on 42nd near Fremont (3746 NE 42nd Ave) is a great curio shop with jewelry, vintage pottery and gifts, clothing and furniture all arranged in the most lovely inspiring way. ps, i looked up patty smith portland and found this article about the other patty smith <3 alright so i'm sure i missed some amazing hollywood gems - but that was a short list, so get to it! happy holidaze everyone! xo, HB NE Sandy and 41st circa 1934 (courtesy of Vintage Portland)

a new pdx jewelry designer that we love, Glass Tower Jewelry & Design. we just received some of her custom earrings and they are now for sale at our retail location.

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hello holiday shoppers! we have some new goodies in store that might be the perfect thing for someone on your xmas list! we are now featuring organic lip butters and solid perfumes made by local company MOX Botanicals: ((Mox Botanicals solid perfumes and lip butters are produced using only the highest quality ingredients. Our perfumes are handcrafted with essential oils and absolutes from both the Pacific Northwest and around the world. These scents are captured with a base of organic jojoba oil, fractionated coconut oil, Oregon beeswax, and Vitamin E. Because of the botanical and oil-based nature of our perfumes,they provide a subtle alternative to synthetic alcohol-based products.)) ....and we  have amazing new jewelry from Midnight Riders: we've also stocked up on white elephant style gifts for the whole family,  fabulous holiday dresses, tons of new coats and more! hope everyone's having a festive and not frazzled holiday season so far! xo, HB