ECLECTIC FINDS FOR YOUR HOME AND YOU
You’ll never know how much you’ve wanted pewter measuring spoons until you see the ones that hang near the front window at TWIGGS (305 Oak St., 541-386-6188 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). The Eugene, Ore.-based Tin Woodsman Pewter Company makes the oh-so-Anne Boleyn, perfect-for-your-Tudor-kitchen set ($46). Other standouts include Melanie Thompson pottery in frescolike glazes, knitted hats by Dede Garcia ($45 for a bumble-bee inspired black-and-yellow striped toddler hat), Todd Semmes wooden bowls ($120 for a spalted maple beauty covered in dark veins that resemble a pen-and-ink drawing) and many cases filled with jewelry. Just try to leave empty-handed!

SIT. STA-A-AY. BUY
Whether you share a bed with a pug or a standard poodle (“Hey, Zoey, scootch  over! Mommy needs more blankie!”), you’ll find something for your well-loved pooch at GORGE DOG (412 Oak St., 541-387-3996 or go to gorgedog.com).
  “Eight years ago, after being in retail for 16 years, my husband and I wanted to open our own business,” says Lisa Wiltsie, with shop dog Endo at her feet. “One day we sat in the park across the street and started counting the number of dogs walking by. That’s how we decided to open an accessories shop for man’s best friend. Now I think of Gorge Dog as my happy place!”
  The shop owners cater mainly to dogowners, but a Kitty Corner is stocked with cat leashes and collars, and catnip-filled toys ($9).
Still, dogs rule here. From Ruff Wear life jackets ($40 to $45) to a colorful  dog bowl adorned with a pug ($20), this specialty shop has something for your favorite bitch.
If you find your dog’s paw-print flannel bed totally unfetching next to your toile bedding, you’ll love the store’s two-piece Donut Bed. Its polyester filler is encased in an unzippable cover that comes in red black, blue or green toile ($60 to $100), among other fabrics. Pretty dog-gone sweet!

THE POTTERY LOVER'S LAIR
If pottery is your souvenir of choice, buy a Trudi Klinger piece by which to remember the Hood River Valley. The artist, who lives in Hood River, opened this spot three years ago to sell ceramics she crafts as MYSTIC MUD STUDIO (104 Oak St., 541-386-6463). The showroom is filled with her flower- or fruit-adorned pitchers (7-inch creamers sell for $39; large flower pitchers cost $200), casserole dishes, bowls and platters.
  “The Valley really influences Trudi’s work,” says Nina Schwabenton, who assists Klinger in the shop and studio. “I adore the cherries she paints on bowls in spring, but when the harvest comes, I love her dishes with painted apples on their rims.” 

 STEM-OLOGY WITH A FRESH TWIST!
Don’t pass LUCY’S INFORMAL FLOWERS (311 Oak St., 541-386-3666
or informalflowers.com) just because you’ve already been a bride. The floral shop does do bridal flowers and custom arrangements for other special occasions, but it also displays some floral follies such as this dressform wearing a corsetlike “dress” embellished with white and chartreuse mums, sweet paintings by Hood River artist Mark Nilsson (coincidentally, we hired him to illustrate this month’s “Trade Secrets”) and one-of-a-kind aprons ($45) from Port Townsend, Wash.-based Retro Electro.