of empire records and upside down cities

[ t  e  n  d  e  r ]

escape the pedestrian passageway that is tenth ave,

beyond banal exteriors lies wonder and whimsy.

enter past the red sail boat on the wooden sea, 

frozen till cranked.

linger beneath the handmade upside down cardboard city, 

sense of space defined.

immerse in handcrafted wearable art, indie music, and screen printed tees,

a realm of purchasable goodness.

converse and connect, a chill spot to unplug, look someone in the eyes,

talk instead of tweet.

[ l  o  v  i  n  g ]

                               concert

         record       production     comics     ga||ery

          label                house      imprint

c   u   s   t   o   m    s   c   r   e   e   n   p   r   i   n   t   e   r

real               "keep this                         husband                                     

people.          town alive"                             &                  r

                     -finn riggins                          wife                   e

                                                                                          p

                                         b          c  a                               u   f

 jared mees                     o        h         m                            r   u

     and the                       y     i                                           p   r

  grown children                     n            m      "You are        o   n

                                        e     e          u          part of         s    i

           m  e d i a                a              r           this place"     e    t

           a   r  t   s                    t   s    d                                 d   u

           collective                                                                     r

                                      t y p h o o n        h0ssannas               e        

           

     general purveyor of things artistic based in beautiful Portland, OR                     

[ e  m  p  i  r  e ]

i walk in by accident, waiting for toy story three (d) at the kiddie corner living room, i find myself yanked off the street by the gravitational pull of artistic uniqueness. 

greeted by jared and brianne, i feel instantly amongst friends. it's not just a shop, but a multifaceted pdx dream space. part record label, part custom screen printer, part gallery...this is love for the fun quirky soul.  feathered clips, new school hip hop pins (run dmc, public enemy, salt n pepper, tupac), robots, cog clocks, one of a kind wallets, funky flasks, eclectic cards, affordable local indie tunes, and more (cursory glances won't do, this is a place to peruse). i walk out with music, a "friends and friends of friends" collaboration and this year's "pdx pop now!"

only after leaving do i realize these were the same fun folk behind "Tallest Building in Hell," one of my favorite recordings ever (in my mind i picture a bunch of people in a room having a freaking amazing time playing together).

precisely one week later, returning for the sugar skull arranged "rad hatter" art show, i am again awed and inspired, floored by a wall capped with creativity (many of the local artists who decorated the TLE walls took on the challenge of making common trucker hats uncommon. don't miss the chance to see this, it's one thing to look, another to see how they look on you). again i walk out with music, this time "boy eats drum machine" and "jared mess and the grown children". i see a habit forming.

exactly a week after that here i sit ,writing about our new favorite store. and while this is true for so many reasons,what I really love is that Tender Loving Empire isn't just about community, it is community.  

Tender Loving Empire

412 SW 10th Ave (SW 10th and STARK)
Portland, OR 97205

www.tenderlovingempire.com

P.O. Box 1058
Portland, OR, 97207

503.243.5859

Every Day 11-6