NW Kids Magazine September 2023

Editor’s Note

The summer has flown by and it’s already Back to School time! In addition to a fantastic guide to resale shopping for all of your family’s autumn clothing and gear, this issue also includes one of the biggest Birthday Party Guides we’ve ever had. Are you looking for a place to party, a custom cake or just the right performer to entertain your guests? You will find it all between these pages. Speaking of Back to School, we’ll see you back here next month for the first Open House Guide of the 2023-24 school year. and it’s gearing up to be a great one. May your transition into fall be smooth and seamless. We’ll see you around town soon!

Cheers, Mary

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NW Kids is published monthly by Miche Media, LLC.

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Publisher Michelle Snell michelle@nwkidsmagazine.com

Editor/Account Manager Mary Brady mary@nwkidsmagazine.com

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2023-2024 Birthday Party Guide

Birthdays are special and we are lucky to live in an area with endless ways to make them even MORE special! Are you looking for a venue, sweet treat, activity or performer? You will find them all here - and then some!

Cakes, Treats & Everything Sweet

Candy Lolli & Pops lolliandpops.com

Rocket Fizz rocketfizz.com

Rose City Sweets rosecitysweets.com

Sugar Cloud Cart (Cotton Candy cart rental) sites.google.com/sugarcloudcart.com/ welcome/home

The Candy Basket theartfullgardenandcompany.com

Frozen Treats

22 Below 22beroll.com

Cloud City Ice Cream cloudcityicecream.com

Cool Moon Ice Cream coolmoonicecream.com

Cup & Cone cupandconepdx.com

Dairy Hill Ice Cream dairyhillicecream.com

Eb & Bean ebandbean.com

Fifty Licks fifty-licks.com

Great Northwest Ice Cream Company facebook.com/gnwcompany

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream handelsicecream.com

Scoops & Sweets at Holler Treats hollertreatspdx.com

Hurry Back Ice Cream hurrybackicecream.com

Kate’s Ice Cream katesicecream.com

McBee’s Shakes Crepes & Cones mcbeescafe.com

Nectar Frozen Yogurt Lounge nectarfroyo.com

Nico’s Ice Cream nicosicecream.com

Ome Calli Frozen Treats omecallifrozentreats.com

Pinolo Gelato pinologelato.com

Ruby Jewel rubyjewel.com

Salt & Straw saltandstraw.com

Staccato Gelato staccatogelato.com

Sunny’s Legendary Frozen Yogurt sunnysfrozenyogurt.com

The Village Ice Cream Factory thevillageicecreamfactory.com

Wailua Shave Ice shaveiceorderspdx.com

Custom Cakes Baker & Spice bakerandspicepdx.com

Bee’s Custom Cakes beescustomcakes.com

Cake It cakeit.us

Champagne Poetry champagnepoetrypdx.com

Decadent Creations decadentcreations.com

Dream Cakes dreamcakesportland.com

FAT Cupcake fatcupcake.com

Fun & Fancy Cakes funandfancycakes.com

Helen Bernhard Bakery helenbernhardbakery.com

Just a Dash justadashcakes.com

Mehri’s Bakery & Cafe mehris.com

Miss Zumstein misszumstein.com

New Cascade Traditional (Gluten-free) newcascadiatraditional.com

Nothing Bundt Cakes nothingbundtcakes.com

Petunia’s Pies & Pastries (Gluten-free & vegan) petuniaspiesandpastries.com

Piece of Cake Bakery pieceofcakebakery.net

Sweetpea Baking Company (Vegan) sweetpeabaking.com

Unicorn Bake Shop (Vegan with gluten-free options) unicornbakeshop.com

Donuts, Cookies & Pies

Angel’s Donuts & Ice Cream facebook.com/Angels-Donuts-IceCream-171378416919449

Bipartisan Cafe bipartisancafe.com

Blue Star Donuts bluestardonuts.com

Coco Donuts cocodonuts.com

Crumbl Cookies crumblcookies.com

Delicious Donuts deliciousdonutspdx.com

Lauretta Jean’s laurettajeans.com

Pacific Pie Company pacificpie.com

Pie Spot pie-spot.com

Pip’s Original Doughnuts pipsoriginalonline.com

The Pie Guy facebook.com/The-PieGuy-990846617608515

Voodoo Doughnut voodoodoughnut.com

Places to Party

Acrobatics & Trapeze

Echo Theater Company echotheaterpdx.org

Sensational Play sensationalplay.com

Animals & Outdoors

Oregon Coast Aquarium aquarium.org

Oregon Reptile Man oregonreptileman.com

Oregon Zoo oregonzoo.org

Portland Goat Parties portlandgoatparties.com

Portland Insectarium pdxinsectarium.org

The Maize at The Pumpkin Patch portlandmaize.com

Arcades & Video Games

Electric Castle’s Wunderland wunderlandgames.com

Enchanted Forest enchantedforest.com

GameTruck Portland Private, exclusive parties that come directly to you including: Video games, LaserTag, and ZTAG.

gametruckparty.com/portland

Next Level Pinball Shop & Museum nextlevelpinballmuseum.com

Replay Sports Pub & Arcade relaypub.com

Arts, Crafts & Building

Art World School artworldschool.com

Bricks & Minifigs

Enjoy a 90-minute birthday celebration for up to 10 kids with super-fun Lego-themed activities and your own dedicated host to entertain you and guide your event! bricksandminifigsportland.com

GAMETRUCK PORTLAND

CeramiCafe Art Lounge

Are you looking for the perfect place for your next party or event?

CeramiCafe Art Lounge is a fun, relaxing, and unique way to get a group together. The most popular package is just $60, plus $22/person (6 person minimum) and includes the following: items chosen, 1.5 hours of fun in a private space, clean-up and a staff person to assist you! ceramicafenw.com

Creative Culture creativeculturediy.com

iSandbox Factory isandboxfactory.com

Mimosa Studios mimosa-studios.com

Portland Child Art Studio portlandchildartstudio.org

SCRAP scrappdx.com

The Craft Factory craftfactorypdx.com

Venvino Art Studios venvinoartstudios.com

Vibe of Portland vibepdx.org

Whimsy Wees Art Studio whimsywees.com

Bowling

Allen’s Crosley Lanes crosleylanes.com

Big Al’s ilovebigals.com

Grand Central Bowl & Arcade thegrandcentralbowl.com

KingPins mykingpins.com

Milwaukie Bowl milwaukiebowl.com

Park Lanes parklanes.net

Punch Bowl Social punchbowlsocial.com/portland

Super Play superplayor.com

Tigard Bowl tigardbowl.com

Cinemas

The Judy: Northwest Children’s Theater’s New Home Book The Family Cinema at THE JUDY for your next party. Private rental of The Cinema for up to 170 guests. Use of the Blu-Ray player and projector – Play your favorite movie or use the HDMI hookup for karaoke or video games on the big screen! Unlimited popcorn – plus you can add pizza, drinks, and more! A host to make sure your party runs smoothly. thejudy.org/birthday

CERAMICAFE

Climbing

Circuit Bouldering Gym thecircuitgym.com

Portland Rock Gym portlandrockgym.com

Stoneworks Climbing Gym belay.com

Dance, Gymnastics & Active Play

Metro Gymnastics Center metrogymnastics.com

Naydenov Gymnastics ngymnastics.com

OMEGA Gymnastics omega-gymnastics.com

Oregon Gymnastics Academy ogagym.org

Play Fit Fun

These active birthday parties are either 60 or 90 minutes in length and are perfect for kids ranging from kindergarten - 8th grade. What are the parties like? Think of the best of P.E. and Field Day put in a blender…and mixed in with some Minute To Win It & Team Building!  playfitfun.com

Precision Elite Gymnastics precisionelitegymnastics.com

The Children’s Gym childrensgym.com

The Gym-Nest thegym-nest.com

Westside Dance and Gymnastics Academy westsideacademy.com

Escape Rooms Escape Games PDX escapegamespdx.com

Escapism Portland escapismportland.com

In Search of an Exit insearchofanexit.com

Food & Fun

Cake Hoopla cakehoopla.com

THE JUDY PLAYFITFUN

Pietro’s Pizza

pietrosrestaurants.com

Two Sisters Play Cafe

Looking for an intimate setting for your next toddler party? Visit Two Sisters Play Cafe, LLC’s website for more info on booking parties at this fun cafe!

twosistersplaycafe.net

Dollhouse Tea Room

Book a Birthday Tea Party for up to 12 guests! Includes custom invitations, charming tea settings, a fabulous luncheon, over 200 gowns (in sizes

2T-women’s 24), accessories and jewelry, a tiara for the birthday girl, party favors, a special gift for the birthday child, signature decorated cupcakes and so much more!

dollhousetearoom.com

Fun Centers & Theme Parks

Animal Rides Happy Rides happyrides.business.site

Bullwinkle’s fun-center.com

Enchanted Forest enchantedforest.com

Hopworks Brewery

Hopworks is your next birthday party destination! They offer a dedicated kids play area at both of their pubs, with a variety of toys for all ages. They have a kids menu with several healthy choices sure to please the crowd. Their Powell Mothership has a private banquet room that can be rented out too!

hopworksbeer.com

Merry Kitchen

themerrykitchen.com

Oaks Park oakspark.com

Indoor Play

Dizzy Castle dizzycastle.com

LEKA Playland

lekaplayland.com

Liggle Land

liggleland.com

DOLLHOUSE TEA ROOM

TWO SISTERS PLAY CAFE

HOPWORKS

Nest Playground nestplayground.com

Ocean Plays Indoor Playground oceanplays.com

Pilea Play pileaplay.com

Playdate PDX playdatepdx.com

Playforest playforestkids.com

Play Street Museum playstreetmuseum.com/oregon

Scotty’s Playhouse scottysplayhouse.com

can be used for serving food and drinks. Both options are $350 for 2.5 hours. sellwoodcommunityhouse.org

The Wiggle Room

thewiggleroom.com

Karaoke

Punch Bowl Social punchbowlsocial.com/portland

Voicebox Karaoke Lounge voiceboxpdx.com

Laser Tag, Paintball & Vehicles

Clackamas Ultrazone

They have the largest Laser Tag Arena (5,000+ sq. ft.) with the longest game times in the area. Play their fun arcade games! Throwing a party? They have three party rooms including the fan favorite Glow Room! Private events are also available outside of standard operating hours. After some intense games, take a break at the snack shack, which includes ice cold beverages, chips, and candy.

Sellwood Community House

Bring the fun indoors with the Imagination Playground! Kids 4+ will love to build, create, and play with these blue foam blocks that come in all shapes and sizes. Party guests can also use balls, scooters, and other indoor play park toys. Or for kiddos aged 1-5, sit back and let the little ones climb, jump, and tumble through an obstacle course built just for them! The wind tunnel is also a favorite and the “littles lobby” outside the studio will be stocked with toys. The adjacent kitchen

clackamasultrazone.com

SELLWOOD COMMUNITY HOUSE

CLACKAMAS ULTRAZONE

Crossfire Lasertag crossfirelasertag.com

Impact Action Sports impactactionsports.com

K1 Speed k1speed.com

Malibu Raceway at Skibowl skibowl.com/summer/mt-hoodactivities/malibu-raceway-skibowl

Sykart Indoor Racing sykart.com

Splat Action Paintball splataction.com

Miniature Golf & Golf

Envision Golf envisiongolf.com

Glowing Greens glowinggreens.com

Infinity Golf golfwithinfinity.com

Topgolf topgolf.com/us/hillsboro

Twin Pines Country Club twinpinescountryclub.com

Museums & Science

Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum spucegoose.org

Experiment PDX

Experiment PDX is the place for science-themed birthdays! Thrill your friends with a science show by their very own Dr. L Ektron, have a LEGO Robotics party or a slimemaking extravaganza, or treat your guests to an hour in their handson museum with marble runs, electrical circuits, pendulums, gears and pulleys, microscopes, fossils, mantises and more! Check out their craft parties, too! experimentpdx.com

Gilbert House Children’s Museum acgilbert.org

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry omsi.edu

Oregon Rail Heritage Center orhf.org

Skating & Ice

Skating

Mountain View Ice Arena mtviewice.com

EXPERIMENT PDX

Mt. Scott Community Center

portlandoregon.gov/parks/60409

Oaks Park Roller Rink oakspark.com/roller-skating.html

Sherwood Ice Arena

Celebrate your birthday with Sherwood Ice Arena! Packages include skating for 12, Party room for 1 hour, birthday themed tableware and decorations, dedicated birthday hostess, and cake . They also offer packages with pizza, Joe’s Burgers plus a 15 minute skating lesson. sherwoodicearena.com

Sports, Bounce, & Active Play

Aim High Martial Arts

Book your party with Aim High! Choose from two different party packages. Activities offered include: Bounce House, Bounce Obstacle Course, Laser Tag, & a Martial Arts Lesson! Pick your party color and they’ll do the rest! aimhighma.org

DEFY Beaverton defy.com/defy-beaverton

iFLY iflyworld.com

Jump 4 Joy jump4joypdx.com

Kidstrong kidstrong.com

NW Fencing Center nwfencing.org

Trackers Earth, Oregon

Celebrate your special event at Trackers Earth. You can choose archery, axe throwing, role-playing games, paintball, martial arts, jewel crafting, blacksmithing, ceramics, and more. Partygoers get their own area for decorating, presents, and cake. Trackers provides experienced guides who assist with all activities and festivities with all gear provided. trackerspdx.com/youth/birthday-party

Whipper Snappers wippersnappers.com

Tree to Tree Adventure Park tree3treeadventurepark.com

Urban Warrior urbanwarrior.fit

TRACKERS EARTH

Swimming & Water Play

DolFUN Swim Academy dolfunswimacademy.com

Emler Swim School emlerswimschool.com

Farber Swim School farberswimschool.com

North Clackamas Aquatic Park ncprd.com/aquatic-park

Portland Parks & Rec portlandoregon.gov/parks/38284

Safe Splash Swim School safesplash.com

Tualatin Hills Parks & Rec thprd.org

Wings & Waves Waterpark wingsandwaveswaterpark.com

Performers

Balloon Artists

Joe Mishkin joemishkin.com

Joy Entertainers joyentertainers.com

Slightly Twisted Balloons slightlytwistedballoons.com

Tuxedo Jimmy

Tuxedo Jimmy, balloon artist, and Chandra, airbrush face painter/airbrush temporary tattoo artist, have been making parties special for over 10 years. Based out of their hometown, Portland, they serve all surrounding areas. Tuxedo Jimmy & Chandra love what they do! They arrive early with professional equipment & attire, are insured and make every party, including yours: memorable, fun and special!   tuxedojimmy.com

Clowns, Characters & Puppeteers

Blast Kids Parties blastkidsparties.com

BJ the Clown bjtheclown.com

Cha Cha the Clown chachatheclown.com

Dragon Theater Puppets & Princesses dragontheatre.com

Olive and Dingo oliveanddingo.com

TUXEDO JIMMY

Penny’s Puppets pennypuppets.com

Princess Power Parties princesspowerparties.com

Red Yarn redyardproductions.com

Second Star Party Characters secondstarpartycharacters.com

Wishes Come True wishescometruepdx.com

Face Painters

Beyond the Lines Face Art beyondthelinesfaceart.com

Cherry Lime Cheeks cherrylimecheeks.com

Fancy Faces by Amy fancyfacesbyamy.com

Mystique’s Fancy Faces mystiquesfancyfaces.com

Nicole’s Face Painting nicolesfacepainting.com

Portland Face Painting portlandfacepainting.com

Circus Arts & Magicians

Alexander Master of Marvels parlorofwonders.com

A-WOL Dance awoldance.org

Dave’s Killer Magic Shop killermagicshop.com

Erika Ryn erikaryn.com

Magic with Hart hartkeene.com

Mark Benthimer magicpdx.com/pages/markbenthimer

Presto the Magician prestothemagician.com

Scramble James scramblejames.com

Musicians Aaron Nigel Smith aaronnigelsmith.com

Kelli Welli Smart, fun, and absolutely never silly or ridiculous original songs for kids and the people who love them. Find Kelli’s wide-ranging and award-winning music on her website, radio, and all streaming platforms! kelliwelli.com

KELLI WELLI

Micah and Me micahandmerocks.com

Mo Phillips mophillips.com

Red Yarn redyarnproductions.com

Tallulah’s Daddy makemusicwithmatt.com

The Alphabeticians thealphabeticians.com

Balloons

Balloons on Broadway balloonsonbroadway.com

Boom Boom’s Balloons boomboomsballoons.com

Bouquets & Balloons bouquets-balloons.business.site

Lippman Co. lippmancompany.com

Magic Balloons PDX magicballoonspdx.com

Bounce House Rentals

Ready. Set. Bounce. Jump into fun with their incredible bounce houses, thrilling water slides, and vibrant yard card signs! They make any birthday unforgettable and full of laughter. Contact them to see how they can bring family friendly fun and excitement to your birthday party. Great for kids of all ages! readysetbouncellc.com READY.

Planning & Decor

Cheers To You Party Goods cheerstoyoupartygoods.com

Dream Hour Events dreamhourevents.com

Hooray! Yard Cards hoorayyardcards.com

Small & Might Event Rentals Plus smallandmightyevents.com

Think Pink Flamingo Flocking thinkpinkflamingoflocking.com

Salons

Cookie Cutters haircutsarefun.com

Kid’s Castle Cuts kidscastlecuts.com

Pigtails & Crewcuts pigtailsandcrewcuts.com

Sage Kids Salon sagekidssalon.com

Sit Still Salon & Shoppe sitstillkids.com

Tickle Clips tickleclipssalon.com

The Perfect Gifts

Black Wagon blackwagon.com

Finnegan’s Toys & Gifts finneganstoys.com

Kid at Heart Toys kidsathearttoys.com

MudPuddles Toys & Books mudpuddlestoys.com

Piccolo Mondo Toys piccolomondotoys.com

Presents of Mind presentsofmind.tv

Spielwerk Toys spielwerktoys.com

Thinker Toys thinkertoysoregon.com

Thrifting is trending!

tips to make it fun and easy!

by CARMEN RIPLEY-WILSON

Back-to-school shopping is here! With this particular venture of buying a lot of items at once, finding ways to save and be sustainable is key.

One fantastic option is shopping at resale stores, which is an easy “sell” as most kids love to go thrifting! It’s also a wonderful practice to model as part of improving our sustainable footprint and passing this value on to our children.

Portland has many resale shops, including ones that specialize in children’s clothes. These shops hand-select their inventory by considering top-quality items, the season’s needs and customer favorites. You’ll find name brand clothing (and also unique or handmade items) at affordable prices so you can be sure your back-to-school budget goes further. And you can maximize savings even more by going through your kids’ closets with them and reselling their outgrown clothing, shoes, toys and books.

Here are tips for reselling your kids’ outgrown clothing and finding the best pieces at resale stores this month:

1 2 3

Clean out the closet.

As you go through your kiddos’ closets and drawers to see what they will need this school year, put all outgrown clothing, shoes and coats into a bin. Make sure all clothing is freshly washed and shoes are cleaned before taking them to a resale shop.

Create a list.

Write down the types of clothing you need, how many of each to get and the sizes you’ll need. Trace each child’s foot on a piece of cardboard for easy shoe checks at the store.

Make a plan.

Check your local children’s resale shops’ websites to find the hours and days they take inventory. This way the store staff can go through your consignment items while you shop.

continued on p. 30

4 5 6

Look for items that do double-duty.

If possible, look for shirts, pants, shoes, etc. that can work for at least two seasons (fall/winter or spring/summer). Here in the Pacific Northwest, items like rain boots and raincoats are necessary most of the year, so be sure to pick up a new set if your kids have outgrown last year’s rain gear and even a second set if they need one left at school.

Take your time.

Resale shops have a wide variety of items.  You may need to spend some time visiting a number of resale shops, having your kids try things on, and pairing outfits to find those resale gems they’ll love.

Take more than one trip.

While getting your fall, winter and spring items in one trip might be convenient, it’s not always practical. Children outgrow their clothing and shoes very quickly – sometimes before the price tags are even removed. Also, resale shops tend to carry seasonal items, and they generally receive new inventory daily. Some resale shops even have online stores or use their social media platforms so that’s also a great place to cruise!

Quick tips for consigning and reselling used items:

1. All items must be freshly washed.

2. All items must be free of excessive wear, stains and damage.

3. Most shops take 1 tub or 2 shopping bags at a time.

4. If you have large gear to consign, call first to make sure it’s something the shop can accommodate.

Back to school is one of the busiest times of the year for a children’s resale shop. Shops are bustling with parents bringing things in as well as shoppers looking to score those must-haves. When you visit your neighborhood resale shops, not only will you be saving money but you’ll also be supporting a local business, helping other parents, and teaching your kids about sustainable practices that have an impact! It’s easy and really fun!

Carmen is the owner and founder of Beanstalk. She brings years of sustainable thinking and environmental awareness to the local clothing, toy and gear resale business. With her medical background, she truly cares about the well-being of families and their exposure to quality clothing, toys and gear. For more information, visit beanstalkpdx.com.

Local Resale Stores

Back On The Rack

Hillsboro shopbackontherack.com

Beanstalk

Fremont & Montavilla locations beanstalkpdx.com

Cloverdilly Kids

Bethany Village cloverdillykids.com

Cookie Pot

Children’s Boutique Gladstone

cookie-pot-childrens-boutique. business.site

Denim & Frills

Vancouver, WA denimandfrills.com

Hoot-n-Annie SW Portland hoot-n-annie.com

Little Roo’s Lake Oswego littlerooskids.com

Mommy & Me Resale

Vancouver mmresale.com

Once Upon a Child

Vancouver onceuponachild.com

Pass It On Sales

Hillsboro

Oct 5-9

passitonsales.com

Piccolina SE Portland

piccolinaresale.com

Pinwheels Resale SE Portland

pinwheelsresale.com

Pipsqueak Resale Boutique

Vancouver, WA

pipsqueakresale.com

Rock It! Resell NW Portland (Cedar Mill) rockitresale.com

Superkids Resale Events

Oct 3-8 (Gresham)

Dec 5-10 (location TBA)

superkidsresale.com

Sweetpea’s SE Portland

shopsweetpeas.com

Village Kids Supply Co.

Multnomah Village

facebook.com/villagekidssupply

We Love Kids

Milwaukie

we-love-kids.edan.io