Two more to throw on the pile of holiday sales and events: Tribute Gallery is hosting a three-day pop-up store of handmade gift ideas for those who like to keep it local.

And if you're okay with your goodies having traveled a little, Mabel & Zora's cute stock of dresses will be on sale at 15% off both Friday and Saturday Nov 27 & 28.

The holidays are coming up fast, yo! That means you'd better be set up with some party clothes, and Xtabay is making it easier for you: On Saturday, December 5, the SE Clinton vintage mainstay is offering 25% off along with "festive libations" and cupcakes. If you don't already know, Xtabay is one of PDX's best sources for vintage eveningwear, especially coats and dresses, as well as bags, baubles, and shoes. It's definitely worth a look-see, especially if your wardrobe could use a little something special to sail you through to New Year's Eve.

I have nothing to say but "oh my GOD" and "WOW" to this Hermés orange John Galanos dress. You wear this, and you steal the show. You win. Done.

Some of Portland's best stores—on both sides of the river—are teaming up for the "East Meets West Passport Event" on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and buy nothing day the biggest shopping day of the year! (Actually for the whole weekend.) The deal is that you pick up a Shop Local Passport at any of the participating stores on Friday, Nov 27, and get it stamped by at least six of the locations by that evening for entrance into that night's VIP after-party at the Cleaners from 8-11 pm. (You can still come to the party anyway but it'll cost ya five bones!) At the party there will be prize drawings for goodies from the boutiques as well as rad businesses like the Ace Hotel, Cacao, Canoe, Clyde Common, Entrust Salon (1111 E Burnside Ste 100), Grendel's, Kir, and Le Pigeon. FURTHERMORE, there are discounts at the stores with your passports, like so:

Friday, 10am-12pm: Buy 1 Get 1 Half Off
12pm-8pm: 20% off store-wide

Saturday 11am-7pm: 15% off store-wide w/Passport

Sunday 12-6pm: 15% off store-wide w/Passport

Okay and I've saved the best for last—these are the stores on the East Side: Frank James, Lille Boutique, Redux, Rock 'n' Rose, and Second Nature. On the West Side: Covet, Flora, Frances May, Narcisse, and Radish Underground. Unfortunately I will be out of town while all of this is going on, so if you need some gift ideas, these are all on my wish list...

Yet another option has emerged for your post-Thanksgiving shopping rush: the Sunday Best Holiday Sale, now in its fourth year, is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday 11/28-29 at the Ace Hotel Cleaners on SW 10th and Stark. The lineup of vendors looks really solid—hit that link for way more info on what to expect to find. A couple of my picks are soaps by Camamu:

and pottery by Pigeon Toe Ceramics:

November 29 has been announced as the date for this year's Secret Society Sale, with 40 Portland makers selling handmade goods including everything from jewelry and clothes to vegan truffles and "natural assemblages incorporating wax, resin, bones, and insects." These events are an awesome way to take a big whack at your holiday gift-list, especially for original stationary and stocking stuffers. I find that out-of-town friends and family are usually extra-appreciative of little treasures that represent a little piece of connection to your hometown culture (especially parents who don't understand how to use Etsy, and grandparents who recognize the return to handcrafted goods as an indication that your lifestyle might not be moons away from everything they know). Plus, given that it's at the Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell), you can stop in to the Secret Society Lounge, open at noon, for snack and/or a little something to lubricate the extraction of money from your wallet. Cuz trust me, it's gonna happen anyway, and this way you can control its flow to benefit your people, and your economy.

For extra warm-fuzzy points, bring in non-perishable food items for the Oregon Food Bank—the first 200 people to do so will receive "goodie boxes," (and for further reading on how wack economic times impact OFB check out Patrick's article on the subject from last year). In addition, all of the vendors are donating 10 percent of their profits from the sale, and if you visit Burgerville (the MLK, Ivanhoe, or Hawthorne locations), Echo, Goldrush Coffee Bar (2601 NE MLK), Mint, Miss Delta, Union Rose, or the Secret Society Lounge on the 29th, 10 percent of their proceeds will go to OFB too.

The annual Catlin Gabel school's giant rummage sale has long been circled on the calendar of every avid thrifter in town—65 years, in fact. It's had the reputation of being a repository for castoffs from some of Portland's richest families, where one could therefore plunder for fancy labels and good quality in clothing, housewares, and more at thrift prices. The thing is huge, taking up 88,000 square feet of real estate at the Expo Center. But this year's sale (which starts at 5 pm this evening) will be the last. As reported in the O in September, the increasing use of Ebay to sell valuables rather than donate them has taken its toll on the sale's inventory and so after this weekend the rummage retires. Get it on for the last time. Same place, same rules:

Thursday, November 5 5 p.m. — 9 p.m. (35 percent markup on all items)
Friday, November 6 10 a.m. — 8 p.m.
Saturday, November 7 10 a.m. — 8 p.m. (25 percent discount all day)
Sunday, November 8 10 a.m. — 2 p.m. (50 percent discount and bag sales all day)

This beautiful Tocca coat at Parallel is so sharp and ladylike, it defies era:

Solid investment!

Okay, so booze and shopping combined is an ages-old combination. (It's a much better idea than combining weed and shopping, as I learned in high school after wasting my hard-earned babysitting money on the stupidest pair of sunglasses ever at Urban Outfitters because they made me laugh—not a good reason.) Today you can get your sippin' on and shop for the weekend beyond at Time Bomb Vintage (2540 SE Division) from 7-11 pm! Yay for booze and dress-up!

You may have heard that Mabel & Zora are closing their original location up on Alberta, but never fear—the newer, swankier store in the Pearl shall remain! This also presents an excellent opportunity to snap up deals at the progressive sale running throughout the month as the clear the racks and prepare to boogie. The deets:

25% off 10/1 - 10/4
30% off 10/5 - 10/11
50% off 10/12 - 10/18
75% off 10/19 -10/24

This applies to everything in the store. I actually prefer the term "gambler's sale." Do go you now? Later, in the 75% off zone? I say both, just to be safe.

Things are getting supa-green on the corner of NW 4th and Couch with the arrival of Seven Planet, which has also taken Greenloop under its wing. The two forward thinking companies now share a home at 412 NW Couch Ste 112, and the 'loop is unpacking and unloading some of their stock to pave way for the future lying ahead. Stop in for up to 80% off on good goods!

It's a bit chilly out, don't you think? Kind of an abrupt-seeming transition into fall, actually. Or... is it? My iPhone predicts sunny skies and warmer temps by Tuesday, so who knows. The upside to climate change is that it keeps things interesting. Regardless, when the weather does chill out, we are finally getting to break out the sweaters and knitted bits of all kinds from their cedar-scented hibernation. This always seems to be a telling moment, when you reactivate a piece it's always a "oh, yay!" or an "oh... " If you feel like tipping the scales towards the yays, the all-local, all the time Union Rose is offering 10% off its knits, including scarves, sweaters, hats, mitts, and collars, today through Saturday.

If you're feeling insecure in regards to your absolute beauty, now is the time to cast those worries to the wind, because it's the Back to School Sale at Soho Boutique! According to their press release, the fine folks at Soho can help you find "the exact pair of jeans that will make you ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!" Well, I'm sold. Especially if the jeans turn me into a foxy vixen like this chick (also on the press release):

The Back to School deals include 20% off all regular priced denim and 20% off regular priced clothing (it seems "jeans" are not included in the category of "clothing"-fair enough.). Head to 1605 NE Broadway to catch the sale, going on now through Saturday, September 19th.

About halfway through the summer I noticed that the ass of my bikini bottoms were almost completely see-through. I didn't get it at first—it's not like I had ridden my bike in them or anything. Then I realized they had been worn through just by lounging on the rough surfaces of our region's natural swimming spots, the sunning rocks on the edges of rivers and lakes. It wasn't quite sale-time when I splurged on some Malia Mills replacements over at Lille, but if you've managed to wait it out this long you're in luck: Popina Swim just kicked off their end of season sale, with 30% off all Popina print pieces, and 50% off all Tommy Bahama. Perfect if you've got an upcoming trip to escape the cooling climate (anyone else hear rumors of an indian summer in the works?) or access to an indoor pool. My friend Leah just scored this suit from Popina a few weeks ago and it is the cutest thing ever:

Sale is on through the 13th!

What a bummer it is that there's rain predicted all throughout this coming Labor Day Weekend. Boo! On the upside, at least, is that if you have the verve to venture out you'll find killer bargains all over the Pearl district: up to 80% off at more than 50 stores! Surely you'll find something you like—peep the list here, which includes everything from Bubble Boutique to Whole Foods. A few of my picks:

It's the shoes that always get me. I love designer shoes. Dries Van Noten kills me dead. So obviously, it's necessary to be aware of sales (having an extremely small shoe size helps, too). When the savings reach the 70% off tier, that's when we're talking business. I can buy a pair and if I stay home with Netflix and bring my lunches to work for two weeks, I can sort of afford them! It's good to know, then, that Mario's is having one of its frantic end-of-season sales starting today, in the downtown Portland, Seattle, and Bridgeport Village locations. Look for that magic 70% off mens and women's clothing, accessories, and shoes for the next 10 days, and I shouldn't have to tell you that sooner is better than later.

A cutey little booty from Sigerson Morrison...