Downtown Portland is dressed up for the holidays. Do your holiday shopping downtown and enjoy some monumental attire in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Downtown has some festive surprises in store for you.

Beginning Friday, November 11, in Pioneer Courthouse Square you’ll see Allow Me (aka “Umbrella Man”) dressed up in a festive ugly sweater. You can join in on the fun by coming downtown and taking selfies with yarn-bombed statues. Tag your pictures with #uglysweaterpdx for a chance to have your photo featured on @downtownpdx Instagram. 

The holidays are not available online! Head downtown for the best holiday gifts for the loved ones on your list, and maybe you’ll find some treats for yourself while you’re at it. Visit longtime favorites Nordstrom, Macy’s, Powell’s Bookstore and Pioneer Place and new businesses including Well Made Goods featuring cool clothes for rad ladies; Kiriko Made, local producer of modern clothes made from vintage fabrics from Japan; and Hello from Portland, filled with incredible gifts produced by local artists. If all that shopping makes you hangry, you can stop at Pine Street Market or experience tea service at the new Headwaters at the Heathman Hotel to refuel.

PDX Pop-Up Shops have popped up again this year, turning Portland’s vacant retail space into temporary stores where local designers and artists can “set up shop” for the holiday season. The program showcases local design talent, encouraging downtown shoppers to seek out unique gift offerings this holiday season. The shops are opening at 606 SW 9^th Avenue starting on Friday, November 11. This year’s local talent includes:

Faith Hats offers reclaimed luxury cashmere sweaters, as well as cashmere hats and scarves, hand made locally from 100% recycled materials. The shop will also feature a new collaboration with Swiss brand Tallis, combining hand dyed cashmere and ethically sourced fur.

Via Raiz is a concept store dedicated to modern Mexican craftsmanship. We showcase the work of contemporary designers who are reinterpreting traditional Mexican craft in jewelry, textiles, and homewares - bridging the divide between ancestral craft and modern design.

Blanchet House of Hospitality located in Old Town offers food, shelter and aid to all those in need of a safe place to be nourished and restored. Blanchet Farm in Carlton works with men in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction; as a part of their rehabilitation, men are trained in woodworking, constructing high quality Adirondack chairs, picnic table benches and other custom wood products. 

Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) assists small businesses with economic opportunities through empowerment, education and entrepreneurship.  MESO's diverse entrepreneurs will host a collective shop with their handmade, natural, one-of-a-kind products.

PDX Pop-Up Shops are open Friday, November 11, through Saturday, December 24. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and closed Mondays. 

Be sure to stop by former Pop-Up Shop now permanent store Boys Fort as it supports other local entrepreneurs by hosting its own Pop-Up Shops this season: Beyond the Fort features local brands Adelina, Amara, Menagerie, and Frock.

On three Sundays in December, parking at SmartPark is the best deal you can find — it’s free! On Dec. 4, 11 and 18, customers who park at a SmartPark garage can visit the customer service kiosk at Pioneer Place (lower level near the Gap) or Director Park (SW Park and Yamhill) any time between noon and 5 p.m. to show their eligible SmartPark ticket for the day and receive one $5 parking voucher to cover parking for the day.

For more information on downtown events and happenings this season, please visit www.downtownportland.org, Facebook: Downtown Portland, Twitter: InDowntownPDX; and Instagram: DowntownPDX. Join the conversation using hashtags #uglysweaterpdx and #pdxpopupshops.