My boyfriend and I went shopping at several stores in an area to check them out. Some of our observations included: 1) Nordstrom Rack had a strange entrance layout but rolly carts and felt warehouse-like due to the high ceilings and lighting. 2) Fuego creeped me out but my boyfriend noted their innovative use of vertical space. We had mixed impressions between cluttered and inviting. 3) The Apple store had minimal product but many employees and was the only store without its name above the entrance. 4) Sunglass Hut was empty and unapproachable. Bath & Body Works seemed focused on short-term business due to worn floors and employee attitudes.

1. Shopservations
{ What we saw

2. I brought my boyfriend with me because
we thought it might be fun to check the
shops out together.

3. I had no idea NR
had rolly carts. I
checked and they
really do roll!
Although the
ceilings aren’t too
low because the
store’s so huge,
their height, along
with their office
building inset light
style felt pretty
warehousey.
Our first stop was
The real shocker:
Nordstrom Rack. Of all the places we
It’s a strange entry with went, including the
modern Apple
separate sets of doors on
store, when I asked my
two almost edges of the boyfriend which he’d
same corner of the building. store he’d like his house
to be like, he said the
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t Rack! Because it was
noticed the security entrance the lowest pressure!
sensors before !

4. Sloth animal in
front of modern
art piece. Totally
unrelated. This is
My boyfriend noted that
Fuego creeped me out they used vertical space
just how I
because it had my number. and none of the other decorate! Really
pretty freaky. I
My boyfriend’s impression stores did.
feel so marketed
was: cluttered! My feeling to.
was, ooo, pretty
The interior was cozy with I can’t believe
here, pretty an emphasis on warm anything at
there, pretty, cool, and wood tones. I felt invited Fuego is $149 !
interesting everywhere. and free to wander.

5. Only one store dared not to
post it’s name above.
Apple.
I was surprised to find that our store’s
lighting looks like film sprocket holes! I also hadn’t realized that, like AT&T, Apple
employs a fulltime, in uniform security officer.
The interior was minimalist when it came to He wouldn’t let me take his picture. How had I
product, but packed with employees...who missed him all this time?
were just milling around.

6. Sunglass
Hut
isn’t a shop
either of us
frequent….
Neither of us had much of an impression of it. My boyfriend felt its vast emptiness
made it unapproachable. I guess I felt like something should be going on in there.
Their idea of impulse buys was eyeglass cleaner….
This store struck me as conservative and doomed to fail.

7. The severely worn floors and all about business attitude of the employees at
Bath & Body Works made it clear this business was in it for the very
short term.

8. Clearly the oddest thing of the night
was walking by a bank with…a
crane inside it. Note the crane front
and central in this image. I’m sorry
to say that it was my boyfriend who
observed this. People were working
on it as we were walking by.
After that, three hotel security guys
were chasing a guy in a green
Adidas jacket. I didn’t get a
picture, though, as I was too
shocked. Things like this just don’t
happen in Portland. Or…apparently
they do. Crazy night! Thanks for
making us get outside to witness it.