February 2011 - John Fluevog Shoes

After three long years of hunting, John Fluevog Shoes has finally found the perfect retail space and location in Portland to open John Fluevog Portland! Aiming to have the doors open in late March, JF Portland will occupy a space just across West Burnside from The Pearl, very close to their friends at the Ace Hotel, and will actually be the retail space's first ever tenant. The interior was an untouched shell when JF received the keys, complete with exposed cinder block, unfinished concrete floor and not a drop of paint. The space will be completely Fluevogified and many of the fixtures are being handmade as we speak. There is also a rumor that there will be a car involved in the decorating. Portland has long been a target city for John Fluevog Shoes as it has always held a special place.

When John lost the infamous coin toss to William Overton over the name of the new pioneer town at the delta of the Willamette, John admitted defeat and vowed to return one day to the town he almost got to name Vogland. Since John's departure, the small pioneer town grew up into the largest logging and farming port in the Pacific Northwest, growing rich in culture and the arts and becoming the coolest underground city on the West Coast. Everyday for the past two centuries, John would follow the progress of Portland, patiently waiting for the right moment to return and embrace his roots.

Even though he gave them a short break after the holiday season, John's elves are back in the North Pole working busily, carving swirls into furniture and shellacking shoehorns getting ready for the preparations of the new store. The local Burnside Marching Band has been practicing their two-step to "Here comes the Vog" and the crowd pleaser "Can't help falling in love with Flue" while the Stumptown event planners have already contacted the New York Yankee Confetti Enthusiasts, all anxiously awaiting the date that John Fluevog walks into town with great anticipation.