Alberta Arts District // Our Portland Neighborhood Tour
october 2017
a&bé bridal shop PDX is beyond excited to be located in the heart of the Alberta Arts District in Portland, OR. Being located on the famous Alberta main street means that we are surrounded by the most amazing small businesses. This blog is dedicated to sharing a few of our favorite neighbors. Two of our a&bé stylists, Ingrid and Alyse, spent a day touring Proud Mary Cafe, Grayling Jewelry, and Salt & Straw ice cream.
PROUD MARY CAFE
The neighborhood tour kicked off with a delicious breakfast at Proud Mary cafe. Before I get into all of the juicy details of their meal, here’s a little background on who Proud Mary is, and what they are all about!
Nolan Hirte first founded this Australian coffee brand in 2009. Proud Mary Cafe focuses on all-day breakfast, delicious lunch, pastries, teas, and specialty coffee. Their coffee is roasted by them, in their roasting room right behind our bridal shop. My personal favorite specialty coffee is the australian coffee, which is an iced coffee with cream, and a scoop of ice cream. It’s not on the menu, so be sure to ask for it because it’s too yummy not to order!
Okay, now let’s get into what our a&bé bridal stylists ate for breakfast to kick off the neighborhood tour!
Shown in the photo above, is the ricotta hotcake - a Proud Mary Cafe must! This dish is a vanilla ricotta hotcake, with sticky macerated berries, lemon curd cream, and a cinnamon cookie meringue. Drooling yet?
Cauli-town is the savory dish shown above - which includes: warm spiced cauliflower, dahl puree, pickled onions, tahini, toasted sesame, and cilantro! It’s basically like eating a warm hug.
There is a reason why Proud Mary is always a full house. Not only are their dishes inventive and extremely satisfying, the space sophisticated and welcoming, but their passion for community and providing their customers with genuine care is what a&be bridal shop loves most. If you haven’t been, GO! They will leave you wanting more!
GRAYLING JEWELRY
The next stop on our tour was another Alberta Arts District gem: Grayling Jewelry. Katy Kippen fell in love with jewelry making in high school, with much support from her grandfather who was a stone cutter. Not long after, she began selling her first designs, spent some time in the fashion industry, and then founded Grayling in 2009.
Katy is committed to designing jewelry for women who value style, and comfort. Having been allergic to nickel, Katy has vowed to create all of her pieces free of it! Her jewelry is as comfortable and versatile, as it is unique and gorgeous.
The best part of this company is that all pieces are handmade in-store! Katy and her incredibly warm team are always creating something new, and to be able to watch them create with passion in-action is pretty amazing. If you crave creative high quality pieces of jewelry, this is where you need to go. Trust me - you’re going to have a hard time not buying everything they have!
SALT & STRAW ICE CREAM
Founders and cousins, Tyler and Kim, have somehow figured out how to make something good even better - ICE CREAM!
Kim has always had a soft spot for ice cream. Though she spent most of her career working for several awesome fortune 500 companies, Kim always dreamed of having a local ice cream shop where locals could explore fun flavors. She soon found love and support for her idea, which brought her to Portland.
Tyler completed a degree in business. Though after traveling through Asia, he decided to enroll in Culinary school in Portland. Kim learned of her cousins plans to move to her new city, and saw an opportunity for them to grow her idea together!
Now - you will see a line wrapped from their front door to around the block. Yes, it really is THAT good. Their flavors are imaginative , playful, and down right yummy. You have not lived until you have had Salt & Straw ice cream. My personal favorite is Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper - who thinks of that??
Here at a&bé bridal shop Portland we can’t decide if being located across the street from them is a blessing, or a curse (only because we eat their ice cream almost every day).
That’s a wrap of our Alberta Arts District neighborhood tour! Please come support small local businesses and enjoy the wonder and magic of our neighborhood on Alberta main street. Whether you are bride who is coming to a&bé bridal shop to find your dream wedding dress, or just a local wanting to wander this neighborhood - prepare to be blown away!