Crave Holiday Shopping Party

Updated with thoughts on the event!
Name: Crave Holiday Shopping Party
Date: Wednesday, November 30, 5-9 p.m.
Location: 800 East Burnside Portland, OR
Contact information: www.craveportland.com
Cost: $15 in advance, $20 at the door
What is it: A holiday shopping extravaganza filled with boutique shopping, entertainment, food and fun – all in one place

Info: It’s not women-only, but unless your idea of a party includes shopping, it’s best to stay away.

The Crave Holiday Shopping Party features more than 50 hand-picked boutiques, pampering goodies and lots of giveaways. Check out their website at www.craveportland.com for more information.

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Post Event:
Despite arriving early, it took about 20 minutes to filter through the entrance to the Party, which was dissapointing, considering that they could have started checking people off the list even before the ‘doors’ opened.

Once admitted, patrons were ushered through under a tent that showcased a bar, a stage for fashion shows, and a few vendors. Drinks were around $4-$6 and food was the same price.

Most vendors were set up inside hotel rooms at the Jupiter Hotel. More than 700 tickets had been sold to this event, and when there are two shops per hotel room, things got pretty crowded, pretty fast. It was definitely an ‘elbow out’ session.

A majority of the stories offered goodies of some sort – freebie items, draws for prizes or percentage off coupons. For future Crave parties, I would suggest going early if you hope to get any of these. Among the best deals I saw were free makeovers, $5 off coupons (on any item) and beauty samples.

The next event will be in March, in Lake Oswego. See www.craveportland.com for more details.