After a busy fall full of football and trips into the pumpkin patch, many of us are ready to settle back into the comfort and coziness of winter. You can make that transition in style with a staycation close to home at the 5th Street Public Market. For a true getaway, make a reservation at the Gordon Hotel or the Inn at the 5th, equally wonderful boutique hotels. Between spa treatments and shopping, fine dining, yoga, regional wine and spirits, and luxury lodging, a weekend in town might just be the retreat you need.
“It is always abuzz with activity throughout the year, but winter is magical,” says Nicole Roselio, Obie Companies’ vice president of marketing and design. “Throughout most of the year the weather is perfect to enjoy a nice meal al fresco, and around the holidays you’ll find delicious seasonal food and drinks, beautiful photo-worthy decor, and a festive atmosphere for guests of all ages. It feels like a getaway but is conveniently close to home.”
Rise and Shine
Start your morning at a locally owned cafe. Serving breakfast all day, Magpie Coffeeshop in the Market Alley offers American classics ranging from traditional biscuits and gravy to breakfast bowls towering with braised greens, roasted vegetables, and a poached egg. If pastries and espresso are more your style, you’ll find a selection at Provisions Market Hall on the first floor of the historic 5th Street Public Market.
Go On a Shopping Spree
5th Street Public Market is fully open for business at 11 am, so you can shop on your lunch hour anytime. Head to Charles Beaudet Jewelry Design and find beauty and inspiration in gems and precious metals. With a large variety of stones and years of bench work experience, the Beaudet family has been designing custom-made, one-of-a-kind jewelry for the Eugene community since 1976. Your Charles Beaudet purchase will be a family heirloom someday.
Also in the Market Alley are three uniquely Eugene businesses you’ll want to check out. Start at Marley’s Monsters, a Eugene-based, woman-owned business known locally and beyond for their trademark UNpaper Towels, cloth napkins, sandwich wraps, and other reusable items that offer sustainable solutions for every area of your life and home.
At the Mountain Rose Aroma Bar, choose up to five of your favorite fragrances from 24 essential oils on the Blending Menu to create a custom scent that commemorates the day. An extension of Mountain Rose Herbs Mercantile, the Aroma Bar is focused completely on scent and carries a house line of aroma sprays and pure, distilled hydrosols (a lightly scented water).
Indulge in a late-afternoon treat at Euphoria Chocolate Company, delighting local chocolate lovers with hand-dipped truffles, artisan chocolates, and other confections since 1980. Make a selection from the confectionery counter if you can manage to narrow your choice.
“Most of the businesses within 5th Street Public Market are locally owned and/or operated, many of which have been here for decades,” says Roselio, such as Steelhead Brewery & McKenzie Brewing, open since 1991 on the corner of 5th and Pearl, across from the market. “When our community shops locally, the money that they spend stays within the community and supports wonderful local businesses.”
Break For Lunch
Make your way to the collection of shops and restaurants in the Station Square building. Experience authentic traditional and modern style Japanese cuisine ranging from yakisoba and udon noodles to teriyaki hot plates, premium sushi rolls, bento boxes and poke at Sushi Station. Sushi Station is known for its excellent service, modern atmosphere, and high-quality fresh ingredients. Right across the street from the Market in the Granary Building is Sushi Pure, which is known for using prized black rice in its rolls.
If pairing wine flights with a carefully crafted menu of house-made salads, flatbreads, cheese, or desserts better suits your mood, try the J. Scott Cellars wine bar and tasting room located in the heart of the 5 Pearl building. The J. Scott Cellars brand features an extensive menu of extraordinary tasting wines of the Pacific Northwest. Join the wine club and receive exclusive perks and benefits.
The Inn at the 5th has also partnered with Provisions Market Hall for year-round picnic packages. “Guests can take the picnic on a bike ride to enjoy in the park, out to a winery for a fun day of wine tasting, or set down a blanket in front of the fireplace in their room for an in-room picnic,” says Roselio.
Be Pampered
Nestled below the Inn at the 5th, Gervais Salon & Day Spa offers elegant and pampering self care in the form of a massage, body treatment, facial, or natural nail manicure or pedicure. To guarantee an appointment, request the services of an esthetician or massage therapist with an online booking in advance of your trip.
The Inn at the 5th and the Gordon Hotel provide different experiences, yet guests at both still have access to all the market activities. “The Gordon Hotel is enjoyed by locals for the active, social experience of dining at the Gordon Tavern or Carlita’s Rooftop, or wandering through the Market Alley to shop the boutiques and enjoying a beverage under the open-air cover,” says Roselio. “For those looking for a more intimate escape, the Inn at the 5th guest rooms are designed so that you can settle in and enjoy a luxurious bed and delicious room service, or easily head into Gervais for a relaxing treatment then retreat to your room.”
Dine In Style
Make a dining reservation at Marché and taste why it regularly appears in readers’ choice Top 10 lists of the most beloved fine dining establishments in Eugene. A flagship restaurant at the market, Marché serves gourmet dishes made in the French tradition; popular items on the menu include smoked trout hash, boudin blanc, croque madame, and country ham paired with gruyère cheese.
At the Gordon Hotel, the Gordon Tavern features American comfort food with Pacific Northwest flavors. The tavern serves delicious appetizers (fried calamari with green goddess) and staples (fried chicken, burgers), all paired with an extensive list of craft beer and cocktails. Housed on the hotel’s seventh floor, Carlita’s Rooftop features Mexican small plates with locally sourced ingredients and margaritas, all with a stunning view of downtown.
“Guests at the Inn love dining at Marché, sleeping in, and then venturing to Provisions for a cappuccino and croissant,” says Roselio. “Both hotels offer robust amenities like a welcome glass of local wine or beer, Italian linens, valet parking, and complimentary cruiser bikes, so regardless of the experience you choose, you will be well taken care of.”
Save Time For a Nightcap
If you’re staying overnight, you’ll want a nightcap all the more knowing you’re just steps away from “home.” Adjacent to Marché, Lé Bar is a more casual French-inspired spot. Stay in theme with a Café Paris mixed with Henri Bardouin pastis, Giffard orgeat, and a brandied cherry. The wine list and traditional cocktail menu are both robust and loyal to the Pacific Northwest. Jazzy Ladies is also right nearby, where you can enjoy flavored mimosas, classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, or the Midnight Plane to Georgia, with house-smoked peach syrup. (Jazzy Ladies puts their smoker to use on a lot of menu items!)
For a more clandestine experience, make a reservation at the 86 Speakeasy hidden in plain sight in the lobby of the Gordon Hotel. A throwback to Prohibition-era establishments, you’ll need both an advance reservation and a password for admittance. The expertly crafted drinks and premium spirits on the cocktail menu — complete with clever names like Flapper’s Folly and the Billdipper — are the perfect way to end the day.
“A stay at the 5th Street Public Market almost seems like you are transported somewhere else, perhaps a European town, but you are just a short drive from home,” says Roselio. Sounds perfect to us!
The Ed Ragozzino Ballroom
In case your stay at one of the 5th Street Market’s hotels coincides with a special event, you may get to experience the Gordon Hotel’s 1,650-square-foot Ed Ragozzino Ballroom, which hosts up to 100 guests. Ed Ragozzino taught theater at South Eugene High School for 12 years and later was the founder and head of the performing arts department at Lane Community College for 18 years and founder, director, and producer of the Eugene Festival of Musical Theater. He also worked on movies, national television, and radio voice-overs. He was a gem of Eugene and is honored by having his name on both this ballroom and the Ragozzino Performance Hall at Lane Community College.
