Tender Loving Empire

Portland based design shop and music label—what an interesting concept. Here you can find Portland souvenirs, clothings, various home goods (from other brands), as well as a small collection of music records and cassettes because they are also a music label…I mean, CASSETTES?! Wow that's fun! I had a great shopping experience here and found this store a warm, homey, friendly space.

Not sure if the whole store is racist or just this one clerk that was there today 9/15 around 5:30pm. Three of us (Latinas) walked in and were not greeted at all by the woman who was there with a hat on behind the counter. She was wroting something down and never bothered to look at us or say a word. The store was empty till we walked in. She didn't acknowledge us at all as we walked around looking for souvenirs before our flight but you better believe the moment a white man walked in minutes after us, she gleefully said hi. We left immediately.

cute finds and super friendly staff, literally the staff make it what it is

Such a cool store! They partake in the great Portland tradition of supporting local makers and merchants. Grabbed a few souvenirs for us and our friends!

My go-to for the best gifts for anyone in my life! Unique jewelry, delicious speciality food items, awesome T-shirt’s, wonderful card selection, luxurious self-care products, etc. etc! The staff at every location is always wonderfully friendly and helpful! I immediately feel happier as soon as I walk in the door at TLE! If you’re having a bad day, I recommend stopping in TLE for some gorgeous artisanal treats and the best energy to brighten your day! I guarantee you’ll leave in a better mood. Also, highly recommend their care packages. The packaging itself is amazing and the products are all wonderful! You can select one of their beautifully curated care package or select your own items and make it into a care package (crinkle paper, cute box and nicely styled) for just $6. Your loved ones will feel extra special! Definitely a gem of Portland!

Beautiful and creative spot with lots of cute local goods

Fantastic customer service and cute, locally made cards and gifts for foodies, beer/wine lovers, babies, and really everyone. Fun fact: The words on the neon sign above the checkout stand are from a song by Portland-based band, Modest Mouse. 🤓

Such a lovely spot to stop at for Portland themed gifts, merch, and stickers. As an added bonus, the shop focuses on featuring local businesses and artists, which not only makes the products unique and better looking but keeps local businesses alive. Highly recommend!

Another cool spot! Good vibes, a variety of items - from clothes to household items to stickers, cards, and crafts, even records too. Good for gifts, some Portland related while others not themed and good for all occasions. Good location, helpful staff. Prices are on the high side, especially for their clothes, but found a few items and bought them to support a small business.

I stopped in tender loving empire to look for a gift for a friend who recently received a promotion. The store is beautifully styled and offered many local artisan gift and products. I loved the vibe. While everything was beautiful, the price point made it a little unobtainable for gifting. I totally get locally made and custom made on a small scale will cost you, but a small printed card without words on the inside will run you minimum $6.

Cutest little shop that supports small business owners! If you're visiting Portland, please check out this shop! There's multiple Tender Loving Empire shops you can visit and each of them slightly sell different things. I bought so much goodies & love the shop's brand statement! Items range from stickers, pins, magnets, waterbottles, patches, totes, books, clothing, earrings, postcards, dog accessories, car accessories, drinks, little snacks, music, and much more! Just go explore when you have the time! :)

I first visited this shop about 8ish years ago when I was last in Portland and loved it so much that I sought it out when I came again. Everything is made by local artisans and crafters and even the store smells so good. The shop workers were super nice and let me take a shirt off the window mannequin (it was the only one with the right size) to buy. Also, I had been looking forward to buying Portland Bee Balm lip balm and they still stocked it! So happy.

Love all the locally made goods here and picked up a hoodie that is super soft and cute. I then found the same store at PDX and was stoked that I could go there in the future if I don't make it to the store downtown.

Stopped by here on Westend Wednesday, however I have run past this store numerous times (it just isn't open at 6a morning). I even won a neat print by participation in the spin wheelie activity! Super friendly team. Lots of neat giftable things for the holidays ranging from candles, prints, magnets, etc. Def worth checking out!

Dear Tender Loving Empire, take all my money! I'm so glad my local friend told me about this place because my boyfriend and I ended up buying a bunch of things there. The store is full of locally made gifts and souvenirs and is super cute with great art all over. All the displays were lovely and put together nicely. While we were there, they were doing a deal where you could get a print for $5 with a purchase over a certain number of dollars. We definitely spent enough dollars and ended up getting a really cool print of the white stag sign. Unlike Mt. Hood, we actually saw the sign during our visit to Portland, so we thought that was a great keepsake. Tender Loving Empire has jewelry, bath products, tons of stickers/pins/magnets/postcards, glassware, housewares, prints, cat and dog toys/accessories, kid stuff, books, records... seriously so much stuff!! I kept finding more things I wanted to buy. We eventually had to get out of there. It was a great stop on our trip and I'm so glad we got a chance to check it out! Definitely recommend if you're looking for a unique locally made gift or souvenir. The girl ringing up our purchases was super friendly and chatted with us a bit. Loved the vibes here.

Stop two on my Portland bankruptcies tour. I wished I had a newborn to buy gifts for because the baby section was LIT. Already bought one candle but had to get a second candle (in my defense the first one was a heavier scent and this was a lighter, fresher one) and some cute soap (love a fancy soap) and these weird jellies. 10/10 cuteness.

I love this cool, local change and have found great things to purchase in every branch in the city. I especially enjoy their music selection, much from their own label. I usually end up adding to my record selection whenever I walk in the store. Even if I intended to purchase something else. The staff is always friendly and helpful and really add to the shopping experience. This particular branch is close to my work, so I often end up here looking for last minute gift ideas for holidays and birthdays and never fail to find something for people to love.

So cute! Love the unique stuff at this shop. Seems to support smaller businesses and artists. Full of color and character- would make for a great gifting destination!

One of my many fun stops on a perfect fall day in Portland's terrific 23rd Street area, I really enjoyed visiting this shop. Ella waited on me, and she tipped me off to some of Tender Loving Empire's super cool offerings. Great Portland-based items, really creative and fun. Plenty for anyone's brainwaves! Plus, they have their own record label, and have some terrific local bands. Do it, visit, and you won't be disappointed.

Support this store because it all goes back to the artists! My friend and I stopped by here, as we were drawn in by the cool window display of stationary and gifts. I like stationary like the next basic bitch, so this was a no-brainer. But what we found was more than just awesome goods, but a place to celebrate the local Oregon artists that make up this store. All of the items here are crafted by an artist, including the music that's playing in the background because Tender Loving Empire is also a record label! How cool is that? CDs of the music can be found inside. Tender Loving Empire is located in the Pearl and Alphabet, with friendly staff who are happy to tell you about the unique and fun items that are sold here. I guarantee there's something here that'll make you smile.

All of the TLE stores in Portland are my go to whenever I need to send a fun postcard or small gift to my family back at home. Lots of quirky fun things to look at here, a little bit of everything! Children and adult apparel, vinyl, pins, cards, soaps, treats, there's something for everyone.

We were looking for places in Portland to visit and this place immediately caught our attention! It's extremely close to a parking lot which was very convenient to the area we were in. We walked inside and immediately fell in love with the space, it was super colorful and they had so many cool products and things! My wife bought a few stickers from there and she loves them! Definitely a place to visit when you're in the area!

What a cute place with a lot of fun modern and unique gifts from Portland. They sell everything from postcards to cat toys, beer to artisan chocolate and more. It is worth a browse if you're in the market for something distinct from Oregon. If you miss your chance downtown, fret not, there's a store in the international Terminal, gate D. Just down from Rogue. Right now you can sign up for their sweepstake and win a free trip to Portland or just get a free postcard. Cute stuff. Definitely one of my faves.

Cute store with local Portland/Oregon made goods. Food, crafts, clothing, household goods. Didn't buy anything at this location but I also visited the one in NW 23rd and airport. Got the marionberry jam at airport location (over 3oz), thankfully airport price is same ass tores in town

While shopping right before Christmas, I went into this wonderful store. There were lots of items to purchase from different artists and super cool prints. If you are looking for just the perfect gift, this is a great place to stop by.

Oh gosh! Where to begin with TLE; they sell a mix of prints, pretty bling, bags, shirts, cards, notebooks, and they even have a mini music section. They support local bands by selling CDs which have a little sticker with their own "if you like (insert band names)" recommendations. Too cute! I couldn't leave without purchasing a print, my own little piece of Portland to bring back home with me. Their goodies are a tad pricey, but are all so adorable and crafty. I Heart Tender Loving Empire

I was very disappointed with my visit to this store. I gave it a three because I think it was a really cute store. Otherwise I would have given it a two based on their customer service. Two girls were working and giggling and flirting with a guy. They'd giggle and make silly jokes all while SEVEN customers were in the store and not one of those customers were greeted or acknowledged. It was terrible. Five people walked right past them and they just continued giggling and joking and flirting. When I talked to them about what a good time they were having, they giggled. Then I told them 7 customers were in the store and ignored and they were surprised ... like they had no idea. It's a small store! Crazy. I feel bad for the owner because the girls' customer service is not helpful for business

[Visitor from CA review] I visited 2 out of their 3 locations on my trip and both times spent a long while in each shop leisurely browsing. They're small shops, but they're so PACKED with treasures, that it's fun trying to discover everything. They pretty much have almost everything that's handcrafted under the sun here, along with music, cards, shirts, candles, plushes etc. Everything! Really great for souvenirs too. I purchased some jewelry and it's a fond memory of my trip here :) You'll definitely have fun browsing this shop whether or not you're intending to buy a gift.

Helpful staff and great experience at the shop, but it's tough as a consumer to discover you paid a marked-up price. When I peeled off the $76 price tag before gifting a necklace, I was thrilled to find a tag for $69 hidden underneath. Do better to hide that price gouging next time!

SUPER love the staff here. I usually pop in to find the fun little things to add to care packages for loved ones and I am never disappointed. I love that they have so many local artist represented and so much to pick from. This most recent trip I met Ella and she is such a wonderful person for hookin a sister up with that awesome customer service. Way to make my day Thanks, Ella, for being such a gem! Sam Approved

This store is absolutely adorable! I was walking down the street and an array of cute character pins caught my eye through the window. I entered the store and fell in love. Everything was so cute. A soft indie acoustic song was playing overhead as i browsed through the selection of funny cryptic cat pins AND the store associate was super friendly and nice and charming. I love this store!!

My only issue with this shop is that I wanted to buy ALL. THE. THINGS. My honey and I popped in during a recent visit to Portland and, while the shop is quite small, it is packed full of so much goodness that I spent at least 20 minutes just looking stuff. They carry lots of cards, magnets, jewelry, and other perfect little things to give away. I found the prices to be fair for so many unique, handmade items. Oh, and they carry Oh, Hello Friend, which is one of my favorite inexpensive and super cute jewelry brands. While I didn't buy all the things, we did pick up a few gifts for friends, all of which were greeted by genuine oohs and aahs upon receipt.

Cat shaped donuts stuffed toys? Okay! This shop is chock full of quirky Portland-made products and everything was pretty nominally priced. I walked out the proud owner of a lumberjack-themed temporary tattoo for a themed work event but also fell pretty hard for their button trios that highlight like-minded individuals from history, like the Beastie Boys, Prince/Madonna/Michael Jackson, Salt N Pepa, etc. The shop boy was sweet and took his time when interacting with customers to get to know them a little more. Again proving that Portland is the friendliest place on Earth.

A gorgeous and friendly little store! I bought everything I need to put together a "baby's first PNW hiking" kit as a Christmas gift (onesie, sunglasses, boots, hat, book of kid-friendly hikes). There was also plenty of locally made food, alcohol, art, and home goods on offer, plus music w/a listening station. I'll be back next time I'm in town!

This store rules. Tons of locally made art and crafts, local music, gifts, cards, stickers, etc. Totes awesome. Even if you don't find something you simply must get, you will leave with a belly full of inspiration. Seriously, I dare you to go inside and not leave with an idea of something you want to go home and create. It's an atmosphere of pure awesomesauce.

After eating at the food trucks on a blistering afternoon, my lady and were walking back to our car and she noticed a small shop that perked her interest. I didn't mind going in because of how cold and windy it was outside to any excuse to get warm was good enough for me. After entering the store I realized why she was so drawn to Tender Loving Empire. This small shop is basically a brick and mortar of my lady's Pintrest page. The store is filled with little trinkets made in Oregon that you won't find at the airport. As visitors to Portland is was a perfect place for us to pick up some unique souvenirs that weren't massed produced in China or ordered off Amazon. My lady ended up purchasing a hand painted coaster and some locally made jewelry. Both of the items were intended as gifts but ended up becoming gifts to herself. Tender Loving Empire might not be the biggest shop in Portland but if you're looking for some cool and unique forget-me-nots then this place is worth a stop. Heck, just another reason to stop at the vast field of food trucks!

Do you have those moments where a piece of art comes along and hits you? Hits you in a way that it just has to come home? Unfortunately for my sister/roommate, that art tends to come in a freak-ish package, this time, it was a piece of white painted wood with a miniature alpaca, a tiny man on the alpaca and pile of crayon shavings. Let's call it "WTF art." I am attracted to WTF art. As soon as I walked in to Tender Loving Empire, I chuckled and pulled this piece of work down off the wall. $40 seemed like a steal for a piece of crazy Portland art. Tender Loving Empire is oozing with creative and unique local creations. You'll especially find homemade/printed stationary, jewelry, wall art, books, and other decorative items. The best part, in my opinion, is that these items are priced in a way that allows you to purchase without pings of guilt and buyer's remorse. For out-of-towners such as myself, it's the perfect place to buy signature Portland/Oregon gifts and souvenirs minus the kitsch. This will be my go-to spot when I hopefully return next year with my family.

Love love LOVE love this store! Myself and a couple girlfriends were wandering the neighborhood and stumbled upon TLE and all three of us fell in love with the place! We all bought at least 2-3 things and wished we had a TLE in Southern Cal. Such unique and creative things here and the prices were reasonable as well. A definitely must-hit next time I'm in Portland! :-)

Sorry Tender Loving Empire. I am unmoved by your hipster wares. Some of the cards were cute and I may even return one day to buy one. The jewelry looked handmade indeed. As if some kiddos at summer camp endeavored to make pretty presents for mommy. The granola bar-esque frumpy clothes were most certainly not for me or for anyone else that enjoys anything resembling fashion of today or even classic fashions of other eras. Ms. Olivia O. dragged me in the other day and I was reminded how little I appreciate tchotchke's. I will be giving Tender Loving Empire a wide berth and thus giving all you that adore TLE extra space for browsing its cutesy stuff.

I am a huge aficionado of the Tender Loving Empire stores and I can't recommend highly enough! They have cute body products, sustainable goodies, and beautiful pieces of jewelry. Def a store I get mesmerized by.

Reason for visit: it's awesome here. Visit date: October 2, 2014 First time? No. I love it here! I visited this place for the first time three years ago and I remembered it to be a cute store that sold locally made products that made me smile. When I visited again today -- pure excitement! I'm in Portland for business this time around so after my meeting I convinced some colleagues to join me. We arrived just minutes before they were going to close the doors and I felt kind of bad because we stayed for a good twenty plus minutes after closing, but the guy working didn't rush us at all. Super nice! They have a great selection of jewelry, soaps, paper goods and prints, knick-knacks, housewares, and kid stuff. Some items can be on the pricier side, but they have quality goods and you're supporting local! On this visit I picked up an in-house screen printed tote (and its totes adorbs!). So, in short, friendly staff and awesome goods!

I always have loved small business and independent creators and supporting local. Ever since my first visit to Portland ever (Hawthorne location) to now, living in this beautiful city and placing order for pickup from their warehouse downtown close to where we live. I LOVE THIS PLACE! Whether your local and want to proudly wear something unique and creative, or visiting and want something fun, fresh and unique to take home with you, or looking for a great Christmas, Birthday, etc. to gift.. Quality has always been top notch as well, which is super important. This place has something amazing waiting for you to find!

I was looking to shop at "Portlandy" stores during my time in Portland last week. Big surprise there, right? Potentially the most eloquent way to word my request for help at an Information Desk, too. Nonetheless, the response came that I should most definitely visit Tender Loving Empire. What a great, eclectic, fun shop! At first I walked in and just kind of stared at everything in awe. I didn't know what to buy! I loved it all! It was overwhelming. Shortly thereafter, the guy working walked over and asked if I had visited before. I told him I was from out-of-town, and we struck up a semi-long conversation about Portland and where else to visit (in addition to help in how to navigate the store, of course). In the end, after listening to some of their record label's artists with the provided headphones and perusing some more, I chose to purchase a Portland flask, a Portland magnet, a Portland post card, and Portland bee lip balm. I'd say it was a successful, and very Portlandy, visit.

This place is great. great for tourists who are roaming the mean streets of Portland,... Yanno,.. Lookin for a good local, crafty, knick-knack. And great for the pure-bred portlandians, too. Especially since 80% of their Merch is made by the hands of local artists. I walked in recently and was immediately greeted by the sweetest, coolest chick ever. She was very helpful. Even though the store was closing, and she was wrappin up her register, she still stopped what she was doing to discuss where I should eat dinner after my shopping spree :) I ended up getting some cool dish towels and "Salt-n-pepa magnets" !!! Good find. Go in. Look. Buy. Don't buy. Listen to the cool tunes. Ask for dinner suggestions. Hang. You're missing out if you don't.

An independent record label and store that is as much an art gallery as a place to shop. Handmade cards, stationary, art, jewelry, clothes, trinkets. I love that in the CD/records section they breakdown the local Portland artists that they represent and compare them to the sounds of other artists so that you can find the one you're most likely to resonate with. You can just feel the Portland love in here.

I bought myself a necklace today and I hope it doesn't show up on Regretsy under "Compare and Save". I love my piece and found it unique and special. Though, one can never be sure. Cute place, similar (but better curated IMO) to Crafty Wonderland (who has more children stuff...and I hate kids). Also a fan of the record label they house.

It's adorable! I love this little shop so much. I usually stop in Everytime I head to powells books and silently browse around, the staff their are really helpful but not intrusive or dismissive which is nice for someone as introverted as myself. All the local and handmade stuff makes shopping for my friends super easy during this holiday season and it's got such a nice vibe to everything.

This place was loud, pretentious and I couldn't find a single thing I was interested in in the entire place except for a sticker I was not about to spend $3 on.

I always love this store! If you need a gift idea for yourself or a loved one they have it! I also love their great selection of reusable stuff! Everytime I'm in Portland for work I swing by!

Super cute inexpensive local artist friendly shop! Lots of cute magnets, stationary, stuffed animals, fun music, friendly service - great place to pick up gifts to bring home if you're vistinf

[ 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. {note: visit http://www.pdxploration.com/2010/07/of-empire-records-and-upside-down.html for larger versions of the collages}

I'm torn about this review. It's a stylish little shop with many interesting handmade items and evidently some vintage and consignment mixed in. I did go in with the specific purpose of looking for something cute for a coworker's new baby. When I picked up a onesie that was on clearance for $18 (originally $27), my fingers went nerveless and I dropped the small garment. I do like supporting local businesses, but unfortunately at that price point I could not. Yes, I understand handmade items involve more work and the price has to be higher so the craftsperson can make some money, but fortunately or unfortunately I'm my parents' (read children of the depression) child and have a hard time parting with that kind of money for a piece of clothing worn by a child that will be outgrown relatively rapidly and on which the child spits up on, etc. (you know what I mean). The gods of the craftspeople and local shopkeepers are going to probably strike me dead with today's predicted thunder and lightning, but I didn't spend much time going over things in the rest of the shop before heading over to City Target where I found a onesie with a little jumper-type dress over the top for $9 (Carter's, 100% cotton). New mom was thrilled with the outfit. I hope she takes a picture so that Baby Matilda can see she was a stylishly-turned-out baby. I'm sure Tender Loving Empire will do just fine without my patronage as they have three locations in the Portland area, and I certainly do wish them well, and it's strictly AOK, but simply not for me.

in a word: RAD. Awesome place to buy funky gifts for out-of-towners, or just be stingy but happy, and keep them for yourself! TONS of awesome screen-printed shirts, hoodies, wallets, hats, sweaters, you name it. All done with love, by local artists. I say support them, because there is some creative genius packed into this tiny little shop. Cards and zines and jewelry too. Very Unique stuff a lot of which is made out of vintage findings and buttons and whatnots. Even a metal flask with Oregon on it, made out of duct tape. Doesn't get any more DIY/Portlandy than that. Blink and you'll miss it. But don't blink!! You'll be so happy you didn't.

Cute. Artsy. Handmade. Stuff. Me want.

I would like to shyly ask this store to be my friend. I accidentally stumbled across Tender Loving Empire the other day, and I'm so glad I did. It's just so chock-full of awesome handmade stuff: t-shirts, cards, pillows, art, jewelry, and about a zillion other things you won't be able to live without. There's not really a bad item in the store, which makes me sort of glad that this place isn't within "casual browsing" distance of my house. As if that isn't enough, they're also a record label and a comics imprint. What?! Ok, I'm sold.

Hipster gift shop with mustache paraphernalia. Well, there's more to it than than that (tees, cds, earrings, local gifts), but I'm just old & grumpy.

I will keep this one short and sweet. This store is tiny-but-mighty. It packs all-things-adorable that mostly hail from Portland, or at the very least, hail from the blood, sweat and tears of individual creative types. Peruse the shelves and you'll quickly get a sense that everything in this little shop was made with love. From the artistically duct tape-adorned flasks to the Christmas ornaments, stuffed animals, cards, jewelry, and even music from cool smaller local bands (like The Wild Ones.....love them!). Everything in this place has basically been featured in Portland Monthly Magazine or on Portland Picks. Everything is special, and if you have gift-giving needs, but can't think of what to get.......take 5 minutes out of your day to check out what this little guy has. Then feel great about supporting them, and feel great about the fact that your gift is guaranteed to be unique and special.