Entry No. 46 — the Portland file — filed under: import
Cargo
Cargo has been importing since 1996, when ceramic artist and folk-art collector Patty Merrill started it to keep endangered craft traditions in circulation; designer Bridgid Blackburn came on as partner in 2008 and the whole operation moved into a Central Eastside warehouse in 2014. In 2020 it became the Cargo Emporium, folding in shops from allied vendors, and the floor is still sorted the way a manifest is — Africa, Central Asia, Japan, Latin America, Southeast Asia — rather than by what the thing is. That means textiles, kimonos, jewelry, furniture, paper goods, craft supplies and apothecary shelves all shuffled together by where they came from, with makers in Guatemala, Vietnam, the Philippines, India and Mali behind them. There's a second location in Astoria, but Portland is the big room. Doors are 11 to 6, every day.
→ Three more vintage, record & maker shops in Portland — never the same twice
The story
Cargo started in 1996 as the working theory of one person. Patty Merrill, a ceramic artist and folk-art collector, opened it to buy directly from makers whose traditions were quietly losing their market — the store's own phrasing is that it exists to "celebrate and sustain endangered traditions while fostering connections with global makers and artists." Interior designer Bridgid Blackburn came on as partner in 2008, and in 2014 the whole operation moved into a historic Central Eastside warehouse: old-growth timber beams, high ceilings, concrete underfoot.
The organizing principle is geography, not function. Cargo sorts by where a thing came from rather than what it is, so the floor reads as Japan, Indonesia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, African textiles, Tuareg silver — and inside each of those you get kimono next to yardage next to beads next to a cabinet. Standing collections run to clothing, jewelry, furniture and seating, apothecary and soap, paper goods and gift wrap, craft supplies and notions, tarot decks, religious iconography and puzzles. The maker relationships behind it reach Guatemala, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, India and Mali.
In 2020 it became the Cargo Emporium, which in practice means about fifteen hand-picked local businesses now hold permanent pop-up shops inside the warehouse — Postcard Bookshop, RX Letterpress, Altar PDX, Seaworthy, The New Modernist and Loaded Hips Press among them. The building rents out for pop-ups and workshops, and Cargo runs Collector's Sales for people downsizing or settling an estate, deliberately shorter than a standard estate sale: reasonable offers accepted, but no deep markdowns and no 50%-off day. The Portland room runs 11 to 6 daily; the Astoria store at 241 11th St closes at 5.
What it's like
You come in off a fairly plain block of SE Yamhill and the room opens up — warehouse volume, timber overhead, no aisle logic to follow and no one steering you. Nothing is arranged to be shopped efficiently, which is the point: you drift into Mali, surface in Japan, and lose twenty minutes to a tray of beads. Staff let you wander and are worth asking, since a lot of the stock has a specific maker and a specific place behind it. Handle the textiles like textiles — ask before you unfold a kimono. The Emporium shops sit inside the same floor rather than behind their own doors, so the transition from Cargo to somebody else's shop is something you notice a beat late. Budget an hour minimum, and in winter dress for a cold concrete floor.
The move: Arrive around 4:30, pick one region each and spend twenty minutes in it, then meet in the middle and buy the other person the single best object under $25 from your half of the world. Yamhill puts you a short walk from the Water Avenue restaurants for dinner after.
📍 Before you go Open 11am–6pm daily. Phone (503) 209-8349. It's a warehouse — dress for a cold concrete floor in winter, and give yourself an hour minimum. Workshops, events and collector sales rotate through, so check the events page before you go if that's the draw. Don't confuse it with the Astoria store, which closes at 5.
- 📍 Portland
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 81 SE Yamhill St, Portland, OR 97214
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Stark's Vacuum Museum — Ten minutes north on Grand: another collection built entirely from what people handed over, except sorted by suction instead of by continent.
- Mill Ends Park — Cargo is a warehouse organized around the whole world; walk it off across the Hawthorne Bridge to a park measuring 452 square inches.
- Scotch Lodge — Cargo shuts at 6 and Scotch Lodge is a windowless whisky den nine blocks east — daylight browsing straight into no daylight at all.
More weird in Portland
Good to know
How do I get there, and how long does it take?
81 SE Yamhill St, Central Eastside, a short walk from the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge. Open 11am–6pm every day; phone (503) 209-8349. An hour is the floor, not the ceiling.
Is this expensive?
It's browsable at any budget. The same floor carries beads, soap, paper goods and craft notions at pocket-money prices and antique textiles, cabinets and seating at collector prices, so you can walk out with a $10 object or a piece of furniture.
Is this the same store as the one in Astoria?
Same company, different room. Astoria is at 241 11th St and closes at 5pm daily; Portland is the larger space and the one with the Emporium shops in it.
Can I sell them a collection, or rent the space?
Yes to both. Cargo runs Collector's Sales for downsizing households and estates — shorter than a typical estate sale, reasonable offers taken, no 50%-off day — and rents the space for pop-ups and workshops. Email [email protected].
Is there anything scheduled worth timing a visit around?
Workshops, in-store events and Collector's Sales rotate through, and there's recurring Day of the Dead programming. The lineup isn't fixed, so check the events page the week you go rather than assuming.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-08-26