Decorating our personal spaces with the earth in mind is a green city attitude that Portland dwellers are famous for. Almost every neighborhood in the urban zone boasts some kind of used furniture and home accessories vintage store (including the well-known Rebuilding Center, coupon here) that is in no way boring or dull. Quite the contrary. These boutiques are hip, fashionable, stylish, affordable, and most importantly are considered green, keeping unnecessary items out of the landfill.

For example, the mid-century modern, retro, used furniture, and home accessories boutique Lounge Lizard (1310 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) is a funky place for people who don't want their home decor to come from the same catalog as their neighbor's. The store is packed from top to bottom with velvet couches, ceramic lamps, retro coffee tables, psychedelic wall art... and that's just the entrance! As owner Christopher Twombley says, "Each piece tells a story.

Christopher, who opened Lounge Lizard six years ago, goes to local auctions and on local buying trips to estate sales, and typically brings back one of a kind pieces for sale in the store space, which he shares with vendors. There are no employees; owner and vendor work cooperatively. The vendors put their pre-approved products on consignment and then work a certain amount of hours instead of paying rent. They also have the option to trade items with other vendors. Clients can work out trades, too. For example, when I purchased a light fixture last year and then decided to bring it back a few months later, Chris was open to a trade.

I stopped by Lounge Lizard last Saturday for a glance at new finds and a brief gab with one of the vendors working at the front desk.

Unexpected Treasures
Lounge Lizard is well known for is their vintage swag lighting. The amber drop light fixture (shown at left) is one of my favorites. Priced at $59 (yes, you heard me right), this fabulous find would look stunning above a dining room table, in an entryway, or a living room setting. Even if you live in an apartment space where the landlord won't let you paint the walls, I'd bet you would be able to change the lighting, bringing in a cozy warm energy that's all yours. And when you move out, you get to take the light fixture with you.

The point here: It's vintage, it's fabulous and it's cheap. Try finding something remotely similar in a big box store at that price! That kind of vintage quality is not often seen in less expensive, newer products.

While at the store, I asked vendor Amanda Kill what she loved about the stuff in the store. She answered, "I'm passionate about furniture and accessory items from the 1950's. My house is a 1964 pink ranch with pink appliances. Everything is pink and in mint condition. I usually sell my stuff here or trade it for new arrivals."

"New" for Amanda is not a newly made product. It's a piece that moves from one person to the next and is recycled in a sustainable and local way with little transportation cost or toll to the environment. Plus, there's a certain pride in finding a unique piece that defines your style.

The exotic vintage brass tray (shown at right) is priced at a mere $20. I can tell you that it's a bargain.  I ran my hands across the piece and loved it. It’s perfect as a wall hanging, on top of a bar with your favorite shot glasses and tequila bottle, or as a dining room table centerpiece adorned with a vast assortment of candles for a romantic dinner.

A Shift in Consciousness
Shopping for home decor the vintage way in Portland is no longer about picking up someone's old furniture that has been set out on the street (although who knows what treasures you can find), or waiting for the latest hand-me-down from grandma's house. It's about a shift in consciousness, moving away from buying what's brand new and often made in far away places like China, to buying gently used stylish items, closer to home, that have been loved-on for many years. It's fun and accessible to Portland's city dwellers of all shapes and pocketbook sizes. That includes you and I.

For more info on Lounge Lizard, visit www.loungelizardpdx.com.

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