With Meier & Frank and the Bon Marché as some of the only department stores in the area, there seem to be few interesting shopping options for women. Luckily, there are some options, and none of them require stepping foot in the Valley River Center.
For those hip, young ladies who don’t feel like spending extra money for shipping costs, there are several places just minutes from campus likely to carry many of the items one may find at her favorite department store.
New Twist, located in the
Fifth Street Public Market, carries
a plethora of fine jewelry, dishes and home decorations. With cute and funky colors and designs, the store is aimed at a hip, modern clientele. The majority of what is found at New Twist is made up of wood, glass, pottery, gold, platinum, silver or acrylic. Everything in the store is hand-crafted. Nothing is mass produced.
Jodi Auxier, the store manager for the past five years, said the same artists have been designing for the store for five to ten years. She said the store’s buyer purchases most of the items from the New York
Gift Show.
“The great thing about being a buyer is you get to meet each individual artist, and you get to hear each of their unique stories on how they began designing their work,” Auxier said.
Directly across from New
Twist, and owned by the same
people, is Toko Asia. The store
specializes in carrying fine jewelry, glassware and home decorations. Everything in the store is directly from Bali, and the most common material used for items is bamboo. According to sales associates,
the most popular item in the store is the John Hardy bracelet. It is sterling silver with diamonds and 18 karat gold.
Also in the Market is Miss
Meers, a shoe boutique. With so many different colors, patterns, materials and designers, it is highly doubtful that a person looking for a specific type of shoe for any given occasion will leave the store empty-handed. Miss Meers features a plentiful selection of shoes by Diesel, Steve Madden, XOXO, Kenneth Cole, BCBGirls and UGG, just to name a few.
“We have a great selection of shoes for younger, hipper girls. We try to get some of the brands that
no one else in Eugene has,” 20-
year-old sales associate and
University English major Courtney Roby-Sage said.
Miss Meers also carries a selection of handbags.
At 10th Avenue and Willamette Street is Ipnosi. With cute and funky clothing, hair accessories and knickknacks, Ipnosi offers style at an affordable price.
Also located at 10th & Willamette Street is Android, a store with
an eclectic variety, ranging from 1970s and 80s vintage-wear to
original designs created by owner Peter Lin.
“Basically, we sell anything that is fashionable,” Lin said.
Lin is especially enthusiastic about the attire sold in his store because it fits any occasion and any style or trend of dress. Lin encourages people to dress however they want, whenever they want.
“You can dress however the hell you want to every day. Every day is Halloween,” he said.
For those who don’t like to
travel, the West Moon Trading
Company is located on 13th
Avenue, between Kincaid and Alder Streets. Whether in the mood
for cute jewelry, a gag gift for a friend, candles, incense, birthday cards, a new outfit, room decorations or a hat for a rainy day, West Moon has it.

[email protected]