Tom & Jess of PDXchange

Jess and Tom first arrived in Portland in 2001, hailing from Maine. They were both hoping for a change, and a cross-country move seemed like a great start - so they packed up their lives and headed west.

Tom found work with a San Francisco-based human rights organization with a retail and wholesale Fair Trade business in Portland, hired to ultimately liquidate their Portland presence. The Fair Trade business model intrigued Tom with its mission of supporting artisans in developing economies around the world.

Tom and Jess brainstormed how to keep the essence of the mission alive in Portland. Thus the seed of an idea became pdXchange, opening in 2013 to support artists from around the world while focusing on Portland art.

Meanwhile, Jess had been climbing the ranks at a well-known retail establishment, but was fed up with the profit-chasing of a big clothing brand. With decades of retail experience between the two of them, Jess and Tom were both inspired to do things differently.

Supporting artists around the world was the first priority. But as we got to know our neighbors, the opportunities to connect with local artists felt natural and necessary. We were meeting so many talented people with exciting work to share! And so PDXchange evolved to incorporate both local and international artwork, mixing distinct pieces from over 100 local artists and 15 distant countries.

Through our doors came so much inspiration, from the artists we worked with and the shoppers who supported them. We became a destination for out-of-towners looking for more than your average Portland gift shop. And we became a go-to spot for locals who love to support Portland artists.

Jess took the lead on fostering community and curating a unique collection of art here at PDXchange. She is the visionary of what we do, bringing in artists from all over Portland and the world. When Jess connected with the Portland Street Art Alliance and commissioned several artists for murals in the shop, she fell in love with another community worth celebrating. And so we started carrying artwork and stickers from local street artists.

Customers love spotting the sticker versions of street art they recognize from around town, and our sticker wall has become a constellation of creative expression - a love note to a city that expresses itself with such vibrant variety. It has become such a thing, we now have international street artists sending their stickers to sell at PDXchange!

We have continued to morph and evolve over the years, with a mix of fair-trade art, locally-made gifts, and street art. PDXchange has become a place that is hard to define - and we like it that way. Because really, you are the one who makes us what we are. Every person who enters our shop defines PDXchange by what they are drawn to, what they’re excited to see, the pieces they take home with them, and the energy they leave behind.