When people refer to Portland’s iconic craft beer scene, the words “west-side” and “Beaverton” don’t frequently come to mind. When Uptown Market first opened, their vision was to bring the hip culture of the East-side to the West-side of Portland. “This side of Portland is very franchised,” owner AJ Shepard said. “We want to change that perception- make it more fun and unique.” In 2011, Uptown Market opened as a bottle shop and homebrew supply store. Opening a brewery was always a goal for the future. In 2013, they added a brewery to the back of their store, making them the first brewery to open in Beaverton. After recently celebrating their third anniversary, and the first anniversary of becoming a brewery, Uptown Market announced the opening of a second location in Lake Oswego. The opening, expected to come March of 2015, is one of the many steps toward expansion and continual immersion into the Portland beer culture and industry.
Uptown Market is working with Taplister to enhance their marketing campaign as well as to promote their beer lists within the store and to the public. Taplsiter has recently added digital beer boards to Uptown’s walls to help feature their distinct beer selection. “The beer boards completely revamped our ability to display our beers,” AJ Shepard said. “The customers love it.”
Uptown Market employees focus on creating strong relationships with customers as well as providing a cool environment for local beer-lovers to come in, relax and have some fun while they shop for beer. Making the experience fun for customers is a priority. On a regular basis, Uptown hosts events such as cheap pint night, trivia night, ladies night, beer tastings and homebrew contests. For those looking to make their own beer, they offer classes for novices who want to improve their brewing skills. These sessions are meant to escalate customer interaction and to publicize their genuine passion for brewing craft beers. Uptown provides all equipment and supplies needed to brew at home. They also try to mirror Downtown Portland’s “First Thursday” by having new artists, activities and tastings to maintain a hip vibe and an enjoyable environment. Uptown helps promote other local breweries by serving their beer in a continuous effort to form strong relationships and to engrain themselves into the Portland beer scene.
What ultimately sets Uptown Market apart from other local stores is their quality assortment of beer. Employees taste all of the beer before it goes on the shelves or on tap to ensure that they are offering the best, most delicious beer. Making their own beer is an added benefit and attracts customers because no other place in the area can do that. Quality over quantity is what makes their selection premier. So, if you’re looking for the perfect place to drink beer while you shop, check out Uptown Market located at 6620 SW Scholls Ferry Road. Visit taplister.com to see their updated beer listings.
Sydney Rubin is a Portland native studying journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a current sports writer for The Daily Texan specializing in social media.