Old Portland Hardware & Architectural

This is a really neat place filled with tons of vintage curiosities. I always have a great time browsing but don’t think I’ve ever found anything to actually purchase yet. That said, I’m sure I’ll be back again to see what new items they’ve added to the store.

This is an amazing place. Walking into the store front is like walking back in history. There is a wide selection of fixtures, furniture and miscellaneous items from the past. There are many items specific to Portland as well. From knobs to hinges to meters to things I could not identify but looked really cool. I was fascinated with the different items. It is overwhelming to be in this place because there are dozens of incredible items to look at in every direction. I was tempted to purchase a brownie camera and antique architect table, but couldn’t take anything more home from this trip. Antique tools, skeleton keys and vintage signs. So many wonderful things!

I was wandering the lower East Side of Manhattan with a friend from the Midwest. We stopped into a mid-​20^th century store.
My friend exclaimed that they remembered being dragged around by parents to «antique» stores as a child. The parents were constantly exclaiming «that’s not an antique, we had that when we were kids.»
And so goes the dance of antiques.
This business has a lot of floor space. That is filled with architectural, scientific, industrial oddities, curios and a large collection of unsanded walnut wood slabs.
Antiques and inexpensive are never found in the same sentence, and so it goes with this.
The business has an active art gallery program with very nice shows, often opening the first Friday of the month in the evening. They are also steampunk central.
Well curated and spacious. Worth a look for oddity value, and you never know when you might need one of those oddities.

FANTASTIC store!!! Had ALL sorts of very interesting vintage pieces. They were in fanastic shape and surprisingly very reasonably priced! The service was extremely professional unlike some other stores we went to. This will be a mainstay on our list of gold mines!

I stopped I’m because I was looking for a key to an old armoire I have recently purchased. The staff was incredibly friendly. Although they didn’t have a key that would work in my lock, the did give me another lead. This place is just fun to browse. They have a fascinating inventory of up-​cycled creations using their huge collection of architectural pieces. It was a fun half hour just wondering if and down the isles. It’s very clean, well lit and organized.

This ‘Portland jem’ has such an eclectic and intriguing selection of unique treasures. A must see for anyone looking for one-​of-​a-​kind décor or architectural accents.

I kind of miss their old location that was on Division. It was cozy and had this small attic/​upstairs area that felt secret and you could poke around in.
Well, on with the new (old) location! Old Portland H&A has every little knob and gear you need for your next craft or fixer-​upper project. More space here, and they use it well. Every item seems masterfully placed, whether on a wall, or a shelf.
I’m more of a peruse-​r, and the staff has never been pushy or anything. This is the spot for all you handy dandy dapper folks.

Old Portland Hardware is by far the most unique antique store you will ever come across, and they get 5 stars from me. The place is tidy and welcoming, the selection is great, the pieces they make themselves are rad, and the service is A+ wonderful. I have no idea why a couple of folks on here call the staff rude; they’ve been nothing but extremely helpful, funny, and approachable to my wife and me.
I’m typically not that into antiques, but their selection is very, very cool. The vast majority of it would fit very well in any design style. To me, though, the most interesting stuff is what they create WITH antiques — a very affordable, beautiful desk made out of a thick slab of walnut and a sewing machine, for example. I have gone there a couple of times to buy raw pieces of wood, and Bret and Tyler gladly told me everything I would need to know to finish mine like their pieces. Their enthusiasm for it is notable and refreshing.
Again, the service my wife and I have received has been superb. So good, in fact, that we have felt guilty for taking up so much of their time. They were a joy to be around.
Visit it some time!

This was such a gem to find! I loved every single thing in this store and just wish I owned a home to put it all in. I pretty much guarantee that if you’re looking for some antique looking hardware for your home, you will find it here. It’s a beautiful store with beautiful products. Just walking through the aisles gave me so much inspiration for how I would decorate my own home. Do yourself a favor and check this place out!

Great folks running this cute place. It’s large and not cluttered and suffocating like most antique lighting/​fixtures/​hardware stores. Fair prices and a fantastic selection. I look forward to returning soon!

I keep discovering New Favourite Stores in Portland (we’ve been here roughly a month, now), and Old Portland Hardware & Architectural is currently at the top of the list. If you love Ye Olde artifacts that bear the marks of the generation/​s who used it, you will find this place to be nothing short of a miraculous and beautifully composed fantasyland of incredible industrial pieces. The Husband and I were completely spellbound in this utterly gorgeous store, which is surprisingly cavernous, and one of those locales you could spend an entire afternoon with your jaw on the floor. And you will want to touch EVERYTHING, so please go ahead and do.
It’s not cheap. You’re buying rarities, oddities, and Portland history. You’re also benefiting from the obvious expertise and fine eye of whomever is gathering these rare treasures (hi, you’re awesome, can I live here?). But I fully intend on picking up a few pieces here in the near future as Old Portland truly taps in to my ideal aesthetic and love of the old and unusual.

This is the best place I have ever stumbled upon! I need to come back and get more awesome oddities!

Old Portland Hardware & Architectural is the Disneyland of salvage stores. Seriously.
In town for the weekend, this was our first chance to check out their new location. And what a happy visit it was!
Old Portland Hardware has a fantastic selection of interesting, vintage, repurposed stuff. It is arranged beautifully in this magnificent olde building that looks like it was just made to house this collection. The people here are clearly enthusiastic about their inventory and their mission. More than once, when my husband and/​or I were noticed eyeballing some item or other, the staffer on duty came over to tell us something about the item’s history and function — and, in some cases, new function (AND, did this in a friendly, «I have something cool to share» kinda way, not an overbearing, «I have something I want to sell» kinda way).
And, the good folks here not only sell nifty olde things you can take home and reuse/​restore/​repurpose, in many cases they’ve already done so themselves — such as an orphaned speaker grill that has found new life as a light and the base of an old Singer sewing machine that now functions as the base of a desk.
It seemed there was something cool around every corner. I stopped short — and only felt a tad old — when we happened across a «Youngstown Kitchen by Mullins» kitchen sink. This very logo graced the — very similar — kitchen sink from my childhood home.
We truly enjoyed every inch of our exploration around the the store. Old Portland Hardware & Architectural is high on the list places we must visit EVERY trip to PDX.

The best store in the world, just got better. Today we finally made it over to see the gorgeous and huge new space. Three times the size of the previous location on Division. And if you have even the faintest interest in Portland architecture, you MUST see this grand old building. It’s the perfect spot for this treasure trove and its talented owner. As usual, Bret has not only selected wonderful items, he’s arranged them beautifully. Now looking forward to their Grand Opening even on December 7^th

It’s like walking into your grandfather’s garage when you start looking at all the vintage hardware here. They’ve also got mahogany doors, french doors with stained glass windows, old clawfoot bathtubs, redwood burl. We saw a big old coil brass lamp as well as lots of dresser and door knobs, to old light sconces that look like candle holders.
You just might find what you are looking for here, even if it’s just to take a step back in time.

What a great store with a lot of great stuff. Very unique selection with things you will NOT find anywhere else. Wish the store had more of a friendly vibe though. Staff is cold, arrogant, and suspicious. It’s cool to have pride in your work but Dam Bro, you don’t have to be a dick about it!

Old Portland Hardware is a great resource for antique or modern recreations of antique remodeling hardware and fittings. It’s your place for classic door handles, light fixtures, and all sorts of stuff.
I stopped in here for a post for my old crystal doorknobs and found exactly what I needed. When I was in the store I couldn’t help but admire their light fixtures made from old classic fans and other steam-​punk-​meets-​American-​Country style fixtures.
The stuff in this store isn’t particularly cheap, but the stuff they offer looks like it’s pretty quality so it’s likely worth it. I look forward to rolling in here for fixers and updates for my older American Bungalow.

This place is pretty cool.
There are LOTS of things to see here. It’s fun to just browse and explore all the old items.
I wouldn’t bring a kid though since there are MANY glass items, and a lot of the things seem breakable (especially in the back-​room upstairs, where they have LOTS of cut-​glass windows panes).
The one thing that was off-​putting was when an employee in the back came around and asked us if we were finding everything okay. My friend (who was renovating her newly purchased 40’s home) having seen the big «YES WE BUY!» sign in the front of the store, held up one of the ‘knob & tube’ tubes they had for sale in their bins and jokingly asked if they wanted to buy all the knobs & tubes she was pulling out of her walls.
The guy’s response? A quick and rude «NO. We already have enough. Our bins are overflowing.»
(Which is funny, because the bin she pulled it from had only four other rods in it. FAR from «overflowing».)
Perhaps it was just that one employee, but he could have been nicer about his response. And really, everyone else was nice.
Personally, I didn’t have, at that time, a need for anything… so I can’t say it was much use to me.
But it was a fun visit.
And the puppy the front counter guy had was ADORABLE. :-)

I thought I knew what I was in for when I embarked upon my weekend of window shopping for antique and salvage hardware, etc… I had no idea.
This is the cleanest, most amazing shop I was in all day. Everything was so organized and orderly. I could have spent all day in here. I was psyched to see the laurehurst fan co. fans on display.
LOVE this shop.

I was driving down Division earlier in the week and did a u-​turn after seeing this place out of the corner of my eye. Old Portland is located in an old lumber yard building and is just loaded with interesting doors, windows, door knobs, lamps, fixtures, etc. for the upkeep or refurbishment of your older home.
I spent quite a lot of time looking around and it was fun to explore everything they had to offer. The folks working there were super friendly and you really don’t need an excuse just to show up and browse around. Unfortunately I couldn’t put most of what I liked into my suitcase for my trip back to the Bay Area. However, I did end up with a neat electrical fuse fixture that is now a neat paperweight on my desk. It’s also interesting that it was only a few years ago when my 1920s vintage Albany house was powered through a fuse box.
And Old Portland doesn’t sell junk. What I saw was all well selected and in good working order. The folks here indeed seem to have an excellent eye for quality and and associated expertise for helping your through your home improvement ideas.