If you're looking for a shelf-stable gift for your foodie friend, look no further. “Recovering” food writer Jim Dixon opened his specialty food store as a shop for his import business, Real Good Foods, having fallen in love with olive oil on a trip to Italy with his wife. In 2024, Dixon moved it from NE Couch Street to a historic building at 3402 SE Division St. Wander the narrow aisles of imported pasta and small-producer vinegars and snag a mortadella and burrata sandwich while you do your edible holiday shopping. Or taste through Dixon’s olive oils, a glass of wine in hand. —Alex Frane

Wellspent Olive Oil $30+
Dixon’s hand-selected olive oils run the gamut from floral to citrusy, vegetal to peppery. Sample at the counter and pick your favorite.

KariKari Chili Crisp $16/$40
Crunchy peanuts add another dimension to this crave-worthy jar from Seattle—a primo stocking-stuffer for those spice obsessives in your life.

St. Agrestis Phony Negroni $16 per two-pack
“Phony” as in no booze: St. Agrestis is at the top of the NA-spirit game and offers several spins on the Negroni, including classic, mezcal, and coffee.

Homey in a wonderfully creaky way, this shop (3059 NE Glisan St) feels like it’s full of a friend’s personal treasures. The name refers to its three parts: Ceramics artist Martina Thornhill curates a mix of candles, linens, and other home goods alongside her pottery. Her husband, book dealer Drew Steadham, maintains a rotating stock of used and new titles, ranging from photography monographs to a section labeled “Rad Politics.” And their friend Tony Remple, proprietor of the Musique Plastique record shop and label, joined earlier this year. Remple’s modest few crates pack a punch; look out for his own archival releases and a hugely eclectic mix of vinyl and cassettes. —Matthew Trueherz

Martina Thornhill pinched shell bowl in citron yellow $42
Chunky and fluted like an heirloom pie dish, it’s a great small serving vessel or keeper of bedside knickknacks.

Altered States: The Library of Julio Santo Domingo $45
A Colombian billionaire’s strange archive of sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll, and other forms of magic, with ephemera from the Marquis de Sade, Baudelaire, Freud, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, the Rolling Stones, and Andy Warhol, to name a few. Published by Anthology Editions. 

Pop Negatif Wastad self-titled EP $15
Rumor is this Welsh duo’s lone record (released in 1989 and reissued by Musique Plastique in 2020), played on the hallowed dance floor at the Manchester rave and acid house venue the Haçienda, a.k.a. New Order’s warehouse club.

Portland designer Marty Lemke, known for her clothing line Marty Jean, runs a dream of a consignment store for gift shopping (3808 N Williams Ave). Not too curated but not too much of a grab bag, either, Circle Round boasts a wide range of sizes (we’re talking 00 to 3XL), price points, and styles. You’ll find hand-painted leather jackets, shifts from indie designers like Mara Hoffman and Zero + Maria Cornejo (not to mention Lemke’s own line), and a range of vintage garments. Despite the eclectic approach, an appreciation for natural fibers makes a through line. Beyond garments, the shop swoons for local jewelers, and keeps a spread of artsy home goods and cheeky accessories around, too. —Brooke Jackson-Glidden

Jenny Lemons martini baseball cap $32
With its jaunty two-olive extra-dirty, this hat is ideal for the average Beefeater dad and the outdoorsy thirtysomething who packs a flask of prebatched vespers for any backpacking trip.

 Uni Nira earrings $140
From Portland-based jewelry artist Kiersten Crowley, these not-quite-hoops are cast in brass and hand-finished to a celestial glow. Buy them for the most intimidating creative director you know.

Happy Organics heirloom tomato candle $30
Tomato season may be over, but this 100-percent beeswax candle, from a third-generation beekeeper in California, pays faithful homage to a peak-summer Brandywine.

Head into this single-story brick building in Multnomah Village (7784 SW Capitol Hwy) and you’ll find shelves lined with all manner of children’s toys and entertainment: games, puzzles, books, plushies, remote-controlled trucks. But don’t go in expecting action figures and Barbies. Thinker Toys, as the name suggests, leans more toward educational entertainment. The science-teacher parents who originally opened it in 1994, Tye and Joan Steinbach, sold the business to another set of parents, Kelley and Zach Blank, in early 2024. Today the shop still operates with the same principles, combining fun and education for infants, toddlers, and grade school–age kids. But those looking for an easy win with a kiddo—LEGO, toy trucks, scooters—will find plenty of options, too. —Alex Frane

American Sign Language Blocks $47 
Debossed with sans-serif letters and their corresponding American Sign Language symbols, these 28 basswood blocks are a great beginning tool for education and play. 

Mischief Maker Slingshot $23
From a Portland-based toy company, this classic wooden slingshot comes in multiple colors and launches soft foam balls, ensuring even the worst menace on your gift list can’t do too much damage.

Butterfly Garden $28
Any aspiring entomologist will love this pop-up butterfly habitat. It comes with a dropper for feeding and a voucher for five caterpillars, so that kids can watch them pupate and grow.