Reading Frenzy is Having an Out of Storefront Experience
Summer 2013
Attention Mail Order Customers! As we're in the midst of preparing for our relaunch we are only processing and shipping mail order 1-2 days a week. Please expect up to 7 day delay on your order.
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Dear Readers,
Can you believe it's already been three months since we had to close down our beloved shop on Oak Street? Since then we've launched and completed a successful Kickstarter campaign and secured a great new space on Portland's historic Mississippi Avenue! Thank you to everyone who came by to support us during our final days downtown, contributed to or shared or Kickstarter project, or has mail ordered from us in the last three months. When we had to close it down I honestly wasn't sure if it would ever reopen, but 1000+ of you convinced us there was still life in the old girl yet.
May 31st brings our final event -- Lisa Hanawalt reading and signing My Dirty Dumb Eyes -- before reopening this August. In the meantime your faithful proprietress is taking a quick trip abroad to table at the East London Comics and Art Festival put on by the folks at Nobrow Press and hopefully score heaps of quality comics and other goodies to bring back and share with you at our reopening! During the trip I'll be visiting various pals I've made over the years through the shop -- Pete Jordan (Dishwasher, In the City of Bikes), Xtina Lamb (Printed Wonders, and Seaside Sisters), Iain Aitch (We're British, Innit), Bee Lavender (Hip Mama, Lessons in Taxidermy), Mark Pawson (Disinfotainment), and Simon Goode (London Centre for Book Arts) -- one of the many perks of running this unlikely little enterprise for so many years.
We'll see you at the Mississippi Street Fair on Saturday, July 13th! We won't be open but we'll be outside the new space with some special treats for you! We plan to be reopening in mid-August but the date hasn't been pinned down quite yet, but we are brewing up a little show with former Reading Frenzy volunteer and fancy pants designer Ian Lynam in conjunction with TypeCon the week of August 21st so it shouldn't be any later than that. We'll keep you posted!
Keep Reading!
Chloe
February 01, 2013: You may have heard that Reading Frenzy will be closing our Oak Street location -- February 14 is our last official day of business in our current space. But never fear -- we have found a new location and are in the final throes of lease negotiations! We hope to make an official announcement next week! While we are sad to leave our longtime home, we are so excited about our new space, which will allow us to more than double our retail space, have a devoted gallery area, hold bigger events, and offer workshops (among many other exciting developments)!
We are suspending consignment as of February 1, as we will be closed for about six weeks. We will be mailing checks due from the February pull but returns will not be available until we reopen in April. Current consignors are welcome to pick up items early if this is a problem or concern. If you already have returns waiting now is the time to pick it up. Anything left here prior to August 15th, 2012 is going to be considered a donation and given away (as per our longtime consignment agreement). We hate to do this, but we are looking forward to a fresh start in our new space and that's not going to include continuing to store hundreds of unclaimed consignment items.
More info coming soon!
Reading Frenzy is participating in Little Boxes this year! Little Boxes is a shop local initiative that rewards customers with discounts and chances to win prizes, it's also a great excuse to explore the city and visit new places. Come on by from 10am-7pm this Friday and Saturday, pick up your map, and start shopping! At every shop you visit you can enter the raffle, and if you make a purchase you get a stamp on your map that will entitle you to a 10% discount at the next participating shop you visit!
This year's Little Boxes event includes 170 of Portland's best independent retail shops across the entire city and every major
shopping district. Download the map and game board here or pick up a paper copy in any participating business to start planning your route now!
Here are some of our favorite places by neighborhood:
DOWNTOWN/WEST END:
Reading Frenzy (921 SW Oak St.) Get a sneak peek at some of the items we'll be featuring in our 17th Annual affordable art show -- HOMESPUN!
Tender Loving Empire (412 SW 10th Ave.) Most covetable: Sailboat Automata -- turn the crank to float your boat!
Radish Underground (414 SW 10th Ave.) Most covetable: leather studded -- rhinestones or studs -- cuffs and reconstructed sweaters!
Crafty Wonderland (808 SW 10th Ave.) Most covetable: Olbapi! stuffed animals! These heirloom critters are made with vivid cotton print fabrics and recycled stuffing with felt and embroidered details.
PEARL DISTRICT
Eden (221 NW 11th Ave.) The visionary shopkeeper behind Flutter opened this Pearl District treasure trove last year!
Cargo (380 NW 13th Ave.) I love getting lost in Cargo and always find a pile of treasures I can't live without! A mix of vintage and new imported goods, a lovely selection of books, and a lovely selection jewelry.
NORTH PORTLAND
She Bop (909 N Beech St.) Every town needs a "female friendly sex toy boutique"!
Black Wagon (3964 N Mississippi Ave.) Cool kids clothes, books, toys, and art!
Flutter (3948 N Mississippi Ave.) A wonderland of vintage and new housewares, jewelry, paper goods, perfumes, and clothing!
Pistils Nursery (3811 N Mississippi Ave.) The sweetest little shop where you can learn how to make your own terrariums or just pet a chicken!
Icon Tattoo (149 N Russell Ave.) These lovely ladies won our hearts at our Game of Thrones fan art show! Beautiful work!
Queen Bee (3961 N Williams Ave.) Cool wallets, bags, and textiles made on site!
Lark Press (3901 N Williams Ave.) Letterpress paper goods and other items -- good for special occasions and baby gifts!
SpielWerk Toys (3808 N Williams Ave.) Waldorf inspired toys for imaginative play -- no batteries required!
SELLWOOD
Star's Antique Mall (7027 SE Milwaukie Ave.) The biggest and the brightest!
Sock Dreams (8005 SE 13th Ave.) Sock Dreams! Need I say more?
SOUTHEAST
Mirador Community Store (2106 SE Division St.) Essentials for homemakers and homesteaders!
Ex Libris (4185 SE Division St.) Everybody's favorite repurposed journal makers!
EAST BURNSIDE
- Redux (811 E Burnside St. #110) An explosion of handmade goods with a focus on jewelry and accessories!
Taking the Lane editor Elly Blue has invited two contributors, Katie Proctor and Kathleen Youell, to read their pieces from the latest issue for Print Fancy!
Taking the Lane is a quarterly bike journal exploring the psychology of biking with a feminist perspective. Covering such topics as sexuality, sense of place, body image, and-ooh la la-economics, Taking the Lane goes beyond the asphalt with stories of how biking shapes our very lives. Every issue is an eclectic and entertaining take on a central theme, as diverse as the bikes we ride. The latest installment, Childhood, features stories on cycling, childhood, and parenting, from the memory of running away from home by bike at age 7 to parents' stories of how they manage bicycling with kids of all ages. Some are funny, some are visionary, some are sad. It's hard not to notice the cargo bikes full of babies and diligent parents guiding their children to school on X-tra Cycles and training wheels these days. Childhood was inspired by the families that bike together, the kids who embrace two wheels, and memories of freedom and sparkly banana seats.
David Cooper, author/publisher of Drink Primer will be mixing mini Negronis while accompanied by a guest reader. He promises to have made everyone a Negroni (up to 50 people) by the time the 10 minute reading is done!
A straight forward and entertaining guide for the home bartender, Drink Primer contains
25 cheekily illustrated cocktail recipes from long time Portland
bartender David Cooper. From the slinky Aviation to the reserved Pimm's
Cup, this primer contains all the secrets
to perfecting the perfect aperitifs or setting the stage for a (classy)
all nighter. Full of lore and helpful hints, Drink Primer is sure to spice up your 5 o'clock!
Drink Primer is available for purchase here.
The semi-anonymous author of A Field Guide to the Aliens of Star Trek the Next Generation will join us for Print Fancy! to read from the final installment of the series.
Joshua Chapman, the (fictional) teenage author behind A Field Guide to the Aliens of Star Trek the Next Generation, loves Nine Inch Nails, cats, and Data. He hates his home, high school, and Counselor Troi. A Reading Frenzy favorite, Field Guide isn't just about Star Trek. Every review of a new life form carries the sub-text of Joshua's world view and troubling adolescent life. To him, the Enterprise represents a refuge from bullies and parental neglect. Hilarious and heartbreaking, every issue plots a new season and a new year for Joshua, documenting his journey from confused 11 year old to angry high school senior at odds with his future. A sensitive and insightful young man, Joshua has the ability to use science fiction as an allegory for real life, and makes some surprising insights on morality, sexism, and parenting. For his final installment Joshua combines seasons 6&7 in anticipation of graduating, and the lack of compelling aliens. Nonetheless, these seasons' episodes inspire Joshua to solve his own paradox.
All six issues of A Field Guide to the Aliens of Star Trek the Next Generation are available here.
Collective Tarot contributor and comic artist Annie Murphy joins us to talk about this unique project and maybe give an impromptu reading if we're lucky!
A labor of love imbued with the spirit of 20 artists, The Collective Tarot
will help you divine meaning and define intention with wise words and
insight. The accompanying booklet sheds light on the mystery of the
cards to guide you on your journey. A hallowed tradition with a modern
twist, this magical collaboration is the perfect antidote to rainy days
and lost ways.
The Collective Tarot is available for purchase here.
CART
