Sometimes you’re walking down the street in Portland on a Sunday afternoon and you see a double decker bus that’s actually a dress shop.

At least, that’s what happened to Joe and I. It was one of those sightings that made me say, “That’s so Portland.”

The bus is a 1965 British Bristol Lodekka from Liverpool that the shop owner, Erin Sutherland, found on Craigslist, parked in Springfield, Or. (It carted Liverpool citizens around from 1965 to 1982.) She spent six months gutting it, painting it, and converting it into a store, and opened Lodekka in October of 2010. Most of the shop’s inventory—dresses, accessories, and shoes as well as shirts and ties for the guys—comes from small-town Oregon and Washington thrift stores that Erin scours in search of vintage gems.

Pretty awesome, right? I haven’t been inside yet, but definitely plan on visiting the next time we’re in the neighbourhood.

I’m going to keep bringing more glimpses of the city to you guys with these ‘Portland Minute’ posts, so let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like to see or learn about…

ps. Another double decker business in Portland

xx~C.

*Top photo is mine. Bottom photo via Behind The Food Carts