Trophy Case: Best Local Stuff of May 2016
Image: Plum Geek
BIG IDEA
OK, this robot isn’t going to fetch your slippers anytime soon. But Ringo the Robot serves a more important role: teaching kids to program. Each tiny robot is loaded with light and touch sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and even bot-to-bot communications, all of which can be manipulated via code. Make it dance, find its way out of a maze, or just drive your cat nuts. $100, plumgeek.com
KID STUFF
Founded in 2011 by a Portland mom and named after her first daughter, Tatiana, Tati & Me makes vivaciously bright dresses to brighten up your child’s summer without constricting play. Starting at $76, tatiandme.com
Image: Tati & Me
STYLE
Did climate change kill June-uary for good? Who knows. Prepare for the worst with light spring jackets in downtown boutique Bridge & Burn’s summer collection. $188–248, bridgeandburn.com
Image: Bridge & Burn
STATIONERY
Beauty in imperfection: the guiding principle of each weathered Bull & Stash notebook. The refillable books are handcrafted from American cowhide and wear with age, promising to endure long after you’ve filled its pages. Starting at $25, bullandstash.com
Image: Bull & Stash
BATHROOM
Portland designer and photographer Michelle Rajotte wants to resurrect a lost turn-of-the-20th-century design movement called Decorative Art. Her company, Looking Glass Baths, creates wild, custom clawfoot tubs that combine functionality with gallery-ready aesthetics. The Aether, for instance, is a 1912 white tub covered in individually cut mirrored mosaic pieces that took more than 100 hours of painstaking labor to apply. lookingglassbaths.com
Image: Looking Glass Baths
