You’ve exhausted the theaters, you can’t take your parents to the club and you don’t want to stay on campus. There is only one thing left to do: Take your family shopping.
Eugene has something for nearly everyone, with a variety of shopping venues in the area. Some local favorites include Saturday Market, Fifth Street Public Market and the Valley River Center.
The Saturday Market is an outdoor market and a popular weekend destination. The Saturday Market showcases “over 200 booths filled with fine locally handcrafted goods, clothing, jewelry, candles, wood and leather work,” according to the Eugene.com Web page.
“With the Saturday Market, you kind of get an idea of the spirit of Eugene,” said Kim Still, assistant manager for the Saturday Market. “People of every walk of life, train of thought, mixing, mingling and coexisting happily.
“The most important thing is that the maker is the seller at the Saturday Market. That’s something that doesn’t happen hardly anywhere.”
The Saturday Market is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide what its literature calls “a low-cost marketplace for local handcrafters and artisans and a weekly celebration for the Eugene community.”
Located at 76 W. Broadway, the Saturday Market offers free parking in two city overpark buildings and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Specific directions to the Saturday Market can be obtained by calling call 686-8885.
The Fifth Street Public Market has a wide variety of shopping selections. With 34 stores, two restaurants, and 10 cafés, the market is an eclectic mix of retail, boutiques, cafés and restaurants. It is also home to a Nike store and Wunderland Electric Castle video arcade.
The market’s directory features retail stores including Mindy’s Needlepoint, Paper Traders, Rhythm & Blooms, Twist (Claytrade) and Uncommon Scents.
The Fifth Street Public Market is located at 296 E. Fifth Ave. and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 484-0383.
With 140 stores, the Valley River Center has plenty to keep the family busy this weekend.
“We are the largest shopping center between Portland and San Francisco,” said Makia Lucier, a 1997 University graduate who now works in marketing for VRC.
On Saturday, Valley River Center hosts a fund raiser to benefit Willamette Science and Tech Center (WISTEC), a local museum. The exhibit is called “Take a Seat for Science,” and local artists are donating chairs that will be displayed throughout the mall and auctioned to raise money for WISTEC.
For more information, call 683-5513. VRC’s weekend hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Students can take advantage of all that the area has to offer by exploring some of the shops downtown, or checking out the Gateway Mall.
Located at 3000 Gateway St. in Springfield, the mall has three department stores and more than 70 shops, according to Eugene.com.
The mall includes shops that specialize in fashion, home furnishings, gifts, electronics and services. It is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
For information, call 747-3123.