A stroll around Tilde in Portland, Oregon will not feel like your everyday retail experience. Instead you will discover little treasures vignette by vignette just as you would in a well curated gallery. Owner Debbe takes us through her vision for her brick and mortar shop, and welcomes us into her space designed to make you feel right at home.
Tilde opened almost 4 years ago to work with emerging designers/artists and feature their colorful products in an environment that was more “home and art gallery” than “retail store”. Because I grew up in an artistic home and produced a successful jewelry line in the past, I understand the importance of supporting work created by an artist or designer. In doing so, we not only directly help to sustain them, but also strengthen the entire handmade community.
We are a modern lifestyle shop with a focus on men’s & women’s accessories and a smattering of home decorative, tabletop and stationery items. Most of our products are smaller items meant to serve as an accent either for your body or your living space.
Tilde is more than a place to shop, we also encourage you to explore. Information on each designer is placed around the store. We want our customers to identify with the personal and special nature of handmade objects, and learn a bit about the creative process behind the artwork. We feature a different visual artist on our walls each month keeping the environment dynamic and fresh. We use original mid century living and dining room furniture for display (which are also for sale) in an effort to be a place that is full of your favorite things that, by the way, you can also purchase!
Portland, OR is very supportive of small businesses and handmade items. Many of our customers will only ‘buy local’ and many ask us about the origins of each product. Tilde is a perfect match for both our city and our neighborhood. I play an active role in our business association and organize special neighborhood events intended to benefit all our local businesses. The more people that stroll through our little neighborhood, dining and shopping, the better for the community as a whole.
The fun of merchandising and the live exchange with customers made having a storefront an easy choice for me. Nothing beats selling a product directly to the customer. You get immediate feedback which helps with decisions on future purchases. More importantly, I feel Tilde plays a positive role in our neighborhood. Our brick & mortar shop makes for a lively place to work each day. Plus we try to change our window displays monthly with different craft inspired creations. Hands-on crafters keep the art movement alive with the average person. Not everyone can appreciate art on a museum or high-end gallery scale. Functional crafts allow immediate appreciation and enjoyment on a down to earth level. I think it’s important to keep this sort of work accessible and available.
Featured:
Rachel Austin
Shoshona Snow
Moufelt
Tasi Designs
Tilde
7919 SE 13th Avenue
Portland OR 97202
503.234.9600
I am a licensed artist who creates modern surface patterns, lives to travel, and eats lots of olives. Yep, it’s kinda that simple. You can find my work on fabric, tableware, lamps, wallcoverings, etc. Are you ready to transform your art business by doing a trade show? Then you are ready to be a 
Oh that is just lovely! I wish I lived closer!
I have visited this lovely store on one of my vacations to Portland.
I was immediately saddened upon entering that I didn’t have a purse full of money as I wanted one of everything in the store.