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Guide to Buckman Neighborhood
LocationThe Buckman neighborhood is located in Southeast Portland. It is bordered by the Willamette River, Kerns, Sunnyside, and Hosford-Abernathy neighborhoods. The popular Hawthorne District along Hawthorne Blvd. is also located partially in Buckman. Buckman - DescriptionBuckman's Hawthorne District is one of the most unique, and most popular areas in Southeast Portland. The area is known for its wonderful restored Old Portland homes, liberal residents, and fun and funky feel. The street is lined with unique restaurants and shops, and has a definite Portland-local flair. Buckman is one of the neighborhoods in the Hawthorne District. Check out our video of the Hawthorne District, featuring a song by local Portland band, Carcrashlander.
Homes
This area features classic older East Portland home styles with Old Portland Foursquare, Craftsman, Victorian, and other wonderful designs.
If you are looking for information on buying or selling a home in Buckman, including mortgage rates, loan calculators, home appraisers, school report cards, and crime reports, please see the Portland Real Estate page. Buckman InformationBuckman Neighborhood Association Website Historic Preservation League of Oregon Portland Public School Boundaries Buckman Schools: Elementary school: Buckman
Elementary School Portland International Airport Portland Classifieds on Craigslist.com TriMet - Interactive Maps and Schedules for Bus, Max and Streetcar A sign sitting in front of a house in the Buckman neighborhood reads, “Give a Buck for Buckman,” as if implying that somewhere along the way we stopped giving a buck. And maybe they’re onto something. After all, how many Portlanders even know where Buckman is, so overshadowed is it by districts and neighborhoods enjoying such popularity that they can go by abbreviated nicknames like Hawthorne and Belmont. Plain fact of the matter is, however, Buckman is so vast that it covers the lower addresses of both Hawthorne and Belmont in addition to the burgeoning commercial growth on SE 28th, some very hip and cool joints on lower Burnside, and the staunch array that is MLK. In other words, Portlanders may not be aware of the borders of Buckman, but, in the diversity that comes with the territory, Buckman serves as a clear window into Portland, as stained as it might be around certain edges.
Buckman ShoppingArtemisia Providing hands-on garden design and the products to complete the job, Artemisia has got your garden covered. In addition, their plants skew unique, and they carry fine art and gifts. So, when you need ideas, advice, and guidance on the shape and substance of your garden, neighbor/proprietors Amy Bryant and Michael Aiello will visit your space, design with you the garden you desire, and then bring you back to their place where you may see, touch and smell the choices first hand in their large nursery.
Bike N’ Hike When the owner, Kevin, was a teenager he walked into a Bike N’ Hike in Corvallis and felt like he was treated with top-notch customer service and respect. It seems the owner of the shop likewise admired the teen with the advanced two-wheeled knowledge. And so, when it came time to open a second location in Albany, Oregon, the owner asked the teen to help him out. Well, the kid’s all grown now, and he owns the four Bike N’ Hike locations in the Portland area. And he likes to instill the early customer service lessons he learned as a teen to all of his staff. Recently recognized by a highly esteemed BTA advocacy award, Bike N’ Hike’s inventory and service is too vast to list or try to encapsulate here. So you are encouraged by the owner himself to visit their impressive website and, of course, drop into any one of the locations where you’re just about guaranteed to be greeted with a smile.
Hollyhocks Garden Essentials Owner Holly Hood is a garden designer and consultant who, in love with Buckman and off-the-charts knowledgeable about its history, has offered there for over 8 years a design studio without the stress. In addition to the garden gear you might expect, Hollyhocks’ focus is Portland made and local garden art.
Next Adventure Recently celebrating their 10th anniversary in business, Next Adventure actually started many years earlier, before the owners, Deek Heykamp and Bryan Knudsen, themselves were 10 years old. Turns out, their moms were old school chums, and they used to go on joint family vacations with the kids, and each time the families reached a new destination, young Deek and Bryan were asked, “So what’s your next adventure?” Thus began a lifetime of friendship, a love of the outdoors, and a thriving business. “Portland’s alternative sporting goods store,” Next Adventure specializes in new, used, and closeout in just about any outdoor sporting endeavor’s equipment, clothing, and gear. In their multi-story megalith, the goal is to encourage active types to recycle the tools of their adventures so others may enjoy them, and everyone can embark on their next adventure.
Todd Pierce is a way-finder. No, he doesn’t consult your charts or read your palm or look into a crystal ball. He makes signs. Lots of signs. When you enter a SmartPark lot anywhere in Portland, and you need to know whether to turn left or right and how to find the exit, Todd’s artwork points the way. If you’re in the New York City subway system, and you need to know which direction is yours, Todd’s artwork points the way. If you’re absolutely anywhere in Napa or Stockton, California, Todd’s artwork will tell you where to go as he is the official way-finder for both. Those unique signs in front of our own World Trade Center – yup, they’re Todd’s. Todd typically points the way via pictograms or, in other words, signs without words. Pictograms are drawn pictures that relay a message. An artist and designer fascinated with the nature of pictograms and the way in which they speak beyond language and literacy barriers, Todd’s even written a book about them entitled, The International Pictograms Standard. He is a master of pictograms and has designed many, several of which he’s sold as art long before they ever graced the wall of a parking garage or subway tunnel. So who knew that, from a design studio located in Buckman, a person on the New York subway could be told where to get off.
Rock N’ Rose In a beautiful showroom lovingly hand-built with a focus on sustainability and low energy consumption by owners, Jeff and Sheila, is yet another expression of Buckman’s emphasis on responsible recycling. This time it’s clothes, quality vintage men’s and women’s garments from dresses to pants, shoes to scarves, carefully procured and, according to the owners, not requiring an endless excavation to unearth that single treasure. According to them, you’ll like everything, including their smaller inventory of new. So all you’ve got to do is find the right fit.
Side Street Gallery An owner/proprietor who actually lives just above her unique showroom, Rita Larson began her beloved business because of the delight she’s always taken in the illuminated, plastic decorations that grace rooftops and lawns during certain seasons. You know the ones: red-cheeked Santas commanding the reindeer to mush, vampires, ghosts, and pumpkins in every pose. So enamored is she that, during a fun moment with her friend, Greg (of Greg’s of Hawthorne and St. Johns’ fame), she decided to buy a container of them. Thus began a business that has grown to offer further eclectic and nostalgic items, often with seasonal themes. But the large, plastic Santas, vampires, and the like remain her core and are certainly fun to view in her bright, upbeat display area.
Sonic Recollections Alive and well on lower Belmont for over 15 years, Sonic Recollections feels right at home in the Buckman neighborhood. According to Jeff, the store manager, the vibe of the neighborhood is all about art, music, and recycling. So a store that specializes “in the Weird and the Collectible” in the form of used records and CDs is an obvious match made in Buckman.
Una Lovely and chic without the flaunt, this charming store, which features women’s clothing from New York and European small designers in addition to jewelry and house wares, is owned and operated by yet another neighbor/proprietor, Giovanna Parolari, who imbues her operation with intrinsic, quiet class and warmth.
Buckman Restaurants, Bars, and Coffee ShopsOn SE Ankeny, Crema
Coffee + Bakery pours up Stumptown and loose leaf
teas while dishing up pastry,
cakes, cookies, soup, sandwiches, and wireless.
Crush Pulverizing the options, Crush boasts three different rooms, each with its own vibe: smoking to shindig to simmer down. Then they’ve got DJ spins six nights a week, dancing, a full menu complete with happy hour and Sunday brunch, and even tarot card readings once a week.
The East Bank Saloon Though the word, "saloon" cannotes a joint where you watch your back more than you drink your beer, the East Bank Saloon is the type of place where the waitress fondly remembers coming regularly as a little girl with her grandfather and being so little that she could hug the legs of the enormous wooden bear in the entry. Family friendly and very inviting, the restaurant side of the establishment features a gorgeous, warm dining room of cool brick, wooden tables, and a grand piano. It boasts an outdoor deck area with which few can compare and a menu offering culinary delights like portobello mushroom ravioli, halibut and chips, and prime rib. Like the neighborhood of which it is a part, the East Bank Saloon is diverse and delightful.
Imbibe Imbibe’s slogan appears to be the same as their mission statement: they want you to “take it in.” From creative libations to several beers on tap to a menu that ranges from Asian to mac n’ cheese, Imbibe offers something for everyone in your party to take in and enjoy in an intriguing atmosphere of argyle walls and chandeliers.
Lizzie’s Slammer Tavern If you’ve lived in Portland any time at all, you’ve at least noticed Lizzie’s Slammer Tavern sitting at the bottom of the iconic, solid red house dating back to 1890 on the corner of SE 8th and Stark. But if you haven’t taken the time to go in, then you haven’t experienced the convivial, laid back atmosphere where everyone sitting around the bar at 3:30 on a Monday afternoon seems to have a smile for one another and you. But you simply can’t talk about the Slammer Tavern without talking about Lizzie. She is the Slammer, and her caustic sass just makes you want to stay – which is what she did, having started out there as a waitress 26 years ago. She bought the place for herself 12 years later, and the rest is an ongoing history with her beloved clientele and staff. Serving sandwiches, dogs, chili, and snacks in addition to a very cheap taco treat on Wednesdays, Lizzie’s Slammer Tavern, simply stated, pours Buckman a great time.
The
only thing the Lucky Lab seems to be more serious about than dogs
– who are lovingly welcome to eat and drink with their humans
on
the expansive back porch – is beer. In addition to brewing
their
own delicious concoctions, they even grow their own hops on the
premises and hold parties where you can help them harvest. They also
serve sandwiches, salads, and bento in a cavernous space that just
feels right. Lucky Lab is an absolute must-stop for anyone who wants to
experience Portland as a Portlander.
The
term, Masu, refers to the square wooden cup traditionally used for
sampling sake. So let’s just say they’ve got a
whole menu
of the stuff. But Masu is also a very upscale sushi and Japanese
cuisine venue offering extremely unique and creative specialty rolls
such as the Clockwork Orange topped with salmon skin salsa or the I
Heart Unagi made of freshwater eel, tempura asparagus, and cream cheese
wrapped with avocado with a little eel sauce. On the other end of the
spectrum, they also offer a Kobe beef burger, udon noodle soup, yaki
soba, and more. So, together with their location on SW 13th and Stark,
Masu has got a taste of the orient for anyone in the Portland
occident.
My Father’s Place Interestingly, the place with the patriarchal name has been passed down for the last couple generations maternally. The present line of ownership began when current manager, Darrell’s, grandmother, Merri Ann, began waitressing there eons ago. Like Lizzie nearby, Merri Ann saved her tips and bought the joint. Her daughter, Linda, waitressed there as well, and three years ago bought the establishment from her mother. And keeping with tradition, now Linda’s two sons, Darrell and Kasey, are heavily involved in a business that is expansive and includes an all ages café, an 18-and-over bar/lounge area, and a 21-and-over gaming room. Opening at 6:00 in the morning, seven days a week, My Father’s Place serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus, considering it’s all in the family, quite the dose of youthful raunch as evidenced by their themed nights such as Tattooed T&A Mondays, Tallboy Tuesdays, and White Trash Wednesdays.
Plain fact of the matter is, if you name your business after a beneficial grape fungus, you’re paying some loving attention to the wine. Paired up with both small plates and entrees, Noble Rot is also paying a whole lot of attention to the food, offering such dishes as braised pork bellies and eggplant stuffed with lamb shank. The wine selection clocks in at 450 bottles, from which they offer 5 different flights a day, each with its own “common thread” such as region, grape, varietal, or producer. Or order one of their $4.00 choices or even take a bottle to go. From small plates to large, reasonable wine to serious, outdoor seating to indoor, plus private dining upstairs available by reservation, Noble Rot invites you to enter their experience at your comfort level.
You could walk or drive right past Rontoms and never know it, which is
strange as it is ginormous. An attractively appointed, cavernous
warehouse-like structure is complemented by an outdoor seating area
almost as vast, but the exterior hints at nothing more than their image
mascot of a man strapped to a propeller. The food smacks of cocktail
party fare like deviled eggs and cheese fondue with sandwiches and
salads in between and a host of local liquors.
You know you’ve happened in on a happening joint when the staff is so happy to be there that they simply stay once their shift is done. Take Otto for instance. He loves the place so much and is around all the time anyway, he thinks he might as well work there. And he does. However, so passionate is he about the business that, even though he’s visibly young, he could – and was – easily mistaken as the owner. Technically, The Shop on Belmont is a coffee shop, but it’s much, much more. The vibe is wonderful, and each room offers a different take on what a coffee shop means to different people. There’s the room with the fireplace. There’s the room with the book-lined shelves. There’s the room with computers. There’s a backyard where you can sit under cover and watch a movie on movie nights or have Moody’s doughnuts on Sundays. Otto tried to explain that the effort is to make the place look just like a house ‘cause they want you to feel at home. And you do. Simply stated, again by Otto, The Shop on Belmont is the perfect place to “chillax.”
Slow Bar When asked how old their business was, the bartender said jokingly, “We’re this many,” and he held up three fingers. Such heralds a bar/restaurant that swims in seeming contrasts and playfulness. The setting is modern and hip, yet a jukebox sits in the corner. Tunes emanating will likely be old punk rock, but the food speaks to high-end chefdom with a pedigree that sounds like Higgins, Paley’s Place, and Tabla. They’ve got Pabst on tap right next to Stella Artois. In sum, Slow Bar is a high-end dive scene that should speak to just about anyone.
They’ve expanded their backyard patio space into an inviting dining oasis, and they expanded their name to entice you to stay awhile. The addition to the name (The Red Velvet Lounge part, that is) implies that they wish not only to be “the neighborhood dining room but the neighborhood living room as well.” Owner Michael Cox and chef Jonathan Taulbee want you to feel free to drop in and hang out, ordering “as much or as little as you like” from such offerings as Stuffed Chicken ala Champagne and Salmon Parmesan using responsible ingredients.
Buckman Neighborhood - More InfoIf you have more information about Buckman and would like to contribute, or if you have photos to share, please contact us.
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