Friday Poketo held their first big, artsy, fun in-store event. If you remember, it was a quick pop-up shop for The Bold Italic that went by the name Bold Rush. Friday was the “opening party” which was followed by a “closing party” the next night. We only made it to the opening event and, as you can see, it was the same fun as usual in the Arts District.

There were a few big things going on at the event. First, there was a pop-up shop in the back corner of the store. BI brought some bags, some glasses, some fancy grooming items, some books, some of their latest issue, and a lot of art. There were tons of great art pieces that we thought about buying (Alas: too little of money in pockets.) but we did spend a lot of time perusing work by artists like Michael C. Hsiung in person. There was also some Vietnamese street food (spring rolls, we believe) and the band Beachwood Sparks played, both of which we somehow missed out on because we came too close to the end of the event.

It was fun, most definitely. More importantly, there was a good amount of people there. Familiar faces from their launch party were present but a lot of passersby, generally curious, and more stopped in. We even ran into some old friends who we had no idea were planning on attending! It was that kind of homey, friendly atmosphere we all come to expect from Poketo. As suspected, the store is becoming this space for like minded people to congregate beyond retail shopping.

If you haven’t been to the space, it goes without saying that you need to stop by. Moreover, the next time they have an event, you have to swing by. Duh. It’s a totally great crowd and it is always in support of something equally as exciting. You can see some of the photos we took below but you can also see more from The Bold Italic in addition to even more on their Facebook Page. If you’re up in Portland or have a friend there, BI will be partying tomorrow and Wednesday in a similar manner.