As the USA’s unofficial capital of free-thinking alternative lifestylers, Portland, Oregon is bursting at the seams with crafty sorts who either make their living as makers or love to indulge in some weekend artisanal hobbying. And so it follows that all these designers and makers need somewhere to buy their mechanical pencils and hand-crafted hammers from, and that place is Hand-Eye Supply. HES has been a big success story since starting up in 2010, and has established itself as the one-stop shop for all the necessary materials to help Keep Portland Weird. Or at least keep it creating…
Everything on the neat, reconfigurable shelving units of Hand-Eye Supply’s spangly new flagship store has to pass a three-pronged checklist in order to be deemed worthy of a carefully arranged place. On the design front, a product must be innovative, attractive and/or ergonomic, and from a practical point of view it must be functional and purposeful. The third, and perhaps crucial, criterion is the product’s story, which should offer something in the way of interest, heritage or uniqueness. It seems that those creative Portlanders who aren’t shopping here are working here; as well as having the right person on hand to advise customers on the best bit of kit, the multi-talented staff are part of the regular community engagement events, workshops and projects.
