A woonwinkel is a home shop or literally "living shop" in Holland. One of Woonwinkel's founders was working in The Netherlands, learning a little Dutch, eating a little herring, and trying not to get blown away by the wind when she and her business partner cooked up the idea of opening their first shop in downtown Portland, Oregon. They used Woonwinkel as a working name but then it stuck. It has a light ring to it, fitting the cheerful mood of the colorful shop and nodding nicely to the scandinavian aesthetic of the interior and the products. While woonwinkel may be a generic moniker in Holland, this Woonwinkel is anything but ordinary. We carry gifts and home goods created by independent designers from all over the world, often handcrafted and sometimes one of a kind. Stop by and visit us!