Are your favorite home furnishings ready for a facelift? Discover the best shops in Portland today.
Read MoreLife in Portland Blog
Cider Sensation: What You Need to Know About Portland's Burgeoning Scene
PDX can’t boast that it has the most cidermakers per capita, but the city still boasts an impressive array of hard ciders.
Read MorePreparing for Winter Weather: DIY Ways to Stay Warm, Reduce Power Bills and Prep for the Cold
DIY Pro Tips for Weatherproofing Your Home for Winter in Portland
Winter is in full force, but it’s not too late to weatherproof your home for the season. Fingers crossed, we won’t experience another week-long ice storm (#RIPsnowpocalypse2017). But just in case, here are some DIY ways to stay warm and prepare for the cold this season.
Stay Warm and Cozy With DIY Insulation
Our top priority for winter? Keeping you and your loved ones warm and cozy. Fortunately, we have a DIY insulation hack to guard you from winter’s chill. All you need are blinds and curtains to help improve your home’s insulation.
When you leave your home in the morning, make sure your south-facing windows are uncovered by curtains and blinds. This allows the sun to seep in and maximize your home’s solar gain. But when you return at night, use a curtain to cover all your windows, thus creating a thin insulating layer.
This simple DIY trick makes a real difference in terms of keeping your home warm during the chilly season. Pro tip: the thicker the curtain, the better, and hang your curtains as close as possible to the window as possible.
Shave Dollars Off Your Winter Power Bills
Not all winter woes come in the form of weather problems and leaking roofs; the steep costs of heating your home can be a serious downfall, too. But if you monitor your home’s thermostat and temperature, you can make a substantial impact in cutting down energy costs.
While you’re spending time at home, adjust your thermostat to hold a low, albeit comfortable, temperature. When you’re away from home, or at night, lower the thermostat to stay between 50-57 degrees Fahrenheit. Trust us, this will save you dozens on your winter heating bill.
Our advice? Invest in a programmable thermostat that makes monitoring temperature change in your home throughout the week simple and easy.
Scour Your Home to Uncover Any Potential Leaks
Another must-try winter DIY project: check the nooks and crannies of your home in search of openings and potential leaks. Key areas to check include: the chimney, gaps between closets and doors, pipe joints, ceiling-mounted light areas, or any broken tiles.
Once identified, make sure you work to seal those gaps ASAP, using caulk to close them all up. Just make sure you set down a plastic sheet first!
Shift Your Home Furniture Layout
The task is simple, but the rewards are far-reaching: shifting your home furniture layout can make substantial improvements in regards to your home’s heating bill costs and overall heat retention during winter. Skeptical? Try these DIY tips:
- Dress up communal areas with a rug, creating an added sense of warmth
- Avoid placing couches or chairs near radiators, which will minimize the heat in your home
- Shift your seating arrangements closer to the fireplace and move any lounge furniture away from windows and doors
- Got any other DIY tips for keeping your home warm throughout the winter? Let us know! We’d love to hear them.
Little Boxes, a Portland Holiday Shopping Tradition
Win prizes in this Citywide raffle to Support Portland's independent shopping scene
Agent Andy Barlow shares his favorite way to support small, local businesses during the holiday shopping season.
It may be hard to believe, but holiday shopping season has officially arrived. Thanksgiving is just a few days away, which means that Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are just around the corner.
If you plan on doing any Christmas shopping this weekend (or just want to treat yourself) then you have got to get involved with the Little Boxes Shopping Experience. Little Boxes is a citywide shopping event with more than 100 participating businesses and tons of amazing raffle prizes (like REALLY amazing prizes), and it’s super easy to play.
Download the Little Boxes app, and then go shopping! When you arrive at each store you will find a code to input into your app. This is an entry for the contest prizes. When you make a purchase at a participating store, you receive another code for more entries. That’s it!
Like I said, the prizes are worth it. Win a dream vacation, private cocktail classes, furniture, hotel and game tickets, a 4-day ReachNow car rental (with a brand new BMW or MINI), store gift certificates, and so more. Plus, you support local businesses.
Head over to the Little Boxes page to see more and download that app. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your Small Business Saturday!
Community Business Spotlight: Sugar Mountain Vintage
Talking PDX With Our Friends at Sugar Mountain Vintage
In this series, Urban Nest sits down with local PDX business owners to talk shop about what makes their store or business fit so well with Portland. Learn about new neighborhoods, new businesses, PDX community and more!
A Hidden Gem for Vintage Lovers in North Portland
While Portlanders are known for their love of all things vintage, analog, and old-fashioned, North Portland's Sugar Mountain Vintage is primarily focused on just one decade: the 1970's. Inside, you'll find clothing, shoes, accessories, housewares, records, and more, all carefully curated by owner Hannah Humphries. Read on for our interview with Hannah to learn how she found success in North Portland and turned her vintage vision into a reality.
UN: How long have you been in business?
August will be our 2 year anniversary.
UN: What is unique about your business?
I'm really drawn to all things 60’s and 70’s, funky and strange, but also affordable. I love providing a curated selection with an inclusive price range. Also, it's really important to build relationships with our customers and community.
UN: For you, what is most important about the customer experience?
The experience of our shoppers is everything at Sugar Mountain! Whether or not someones buys anything I want people to feel a certain emotion here of being engaged and of simply having fun! This shop is basically the opposite of the white minimalist trend in Portland. We’re a silly, funky, and affordable little shop and I want folks to feel the love of treasure that I feel.
UN: How would you describe the community that surrounds your business?
This block has acquired the nickname ‘the Mystic District’ because there's a lot of women-owned business sprouting here and being an inviting, inclusive business that tries to have a positive impact on the community is what we’re all about!
UN: What do you think makes your business a great fit for Portland?
Portland has responded so well to this shop because we’re a little weird, affordable, and definitely chill.
UN: What is your favorite thing about Portland?
My favorite shop in Portland would have to be Ed’s House of Gems. I love that it has been around for such a long time and the grumpy old men that work there are exactly what you would expect from a rockhound shop. On the whole what I love about Portland is that despite what many folks feel right now there are a lot of old shops and businesses that have been around a long time and are staying just the same and I find that charming.
UN: What part of town do you live in, and what do you love about it most?
I live about 10 blocks from here, but technically Irvington. I love North East Portland and am so happy about all the sweet new businesses popping up next to all the great older business that have been here for years.
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Learn more about Sugar Mountain on their website.