The Dollar Scholar

My nephew always demanded to come to the store when he was in town. I’m afraid to tell him it’s not longer at a fixed location. :(
But they have web presence!
And I’ll be watching for the booth, every chance I get. Must. Get. More. Eggs.

We’ve heard the sad news that the Dollar Scholar, as a physical brick’n’mortar store, has CLOSED. Scott, Lydia, and that crazy Dollar Dog no longer hang out at the corner of 34^th and Hawthorne … this happened on May 31^st. Apparently the stress of being open 7 days/​week, and the pressure of doing business while Lydia battles breast cancer (they say she’ll pull through) just got to be too much. Instead of having a physical location, they’ll be having a mobile booth/​truck and be showing up at special events or can be asked to do specific events. For more, I’d suggest you dial up Dollar Scholar at

First sign that I like this place: I came back twice in one day. First time, I was hanging out with my friend on Hawthorne and we stopped in because she’d heard good things about them. The staff were super friendly, always smiling, and eager to show off their newest items. I was drawn to their big collection of interesting/​vintage postcards; many are from Portland/​the Northwest, but there are postcards from around the world, and sorted into categories so they are easy to peruse. Also, they are very dog friendly; the first time I was there, two dogs (one was the official store dog, Dollar) were playing with each other in the front room.
Later that day I met up with my boyfriend and his friends and we ended up going here because several of us were thirsty, they have cold sodas (they’re less than a dollar), and we didn’t want to support Starbucks. I don’t think anyone actually got any sodas when we went back; we were too distracted by the great room full of ($ 1) books. There were many old cookbooks (very lard-​based recipes) and amusing romance novels, but there were some gems, too, like a (original?) hardback copy of In Cold Blood, which I bought, along with more postcards. The only bad thing I can say about this place is that since everything is $ 1, it seems like you’re not spending much, until you decide you want everything in the store (which is a very possible danger).

I love everything about the Dollar Scholar. When I first moved to Portland, this was one of the first places we visited (the old location, anyway). I love the people who run the shop (always friendly and always helpful), I love the new products they’re always getting, I love Dollar the dog. On my most recent trip, I scored a new Melissa and Doug wooden puzzle for a few bucks (parents reading this know how expensive these things usually are!). I like the new location and how every room holds new surprises.
Dollar Scholar 4 Life!

This place is like an awesome/​scary gags & thrift store at which one would probably be able to find an enchanted book/​charm/​article of clothing, if one were an imaginative loner twelve year old boy in an 80s movie…
I am not, and this is not an 80s adventure flick, so I am kind of in awe of this place. When you enter, the proprietor makes you throw sticky-​toys at a mirror. Kind of neat, yet gross!
This is the first place I would think of If I needed eight cases of finger-​traps for a music video. Or if I needed a sweet gift in a pinch for my best friend’s birthday, only it turned out to be a haunted pair of bookends that transported you to 1879, to be Thomas Edison’s assistant…

Take 1 part grandma’s basement, 1 part toy store, 1 part random rummage sale you’ve stumbled upon, and 1 part elementary school teacher supply store and you’ve got The Dollar Scholar. There’s crip-​crap, tchotchkes, old books, used lamps, stickers, stuffed animals, things you’d find in my dad’s garage, and a lot of fun to be had by all who visit.
Employee (owner?) who greeted us was super friendly at first and then let us do our wandering thing, which was awesome.
In a word: neat-​o.

«What an odd shop.» That’s what I thought upon walking into Dollar Scholar. I thought it’s just another type of independent «dollar store». It turned out to be it’s a fun and wacky «dollar store».
If you loved random stuff, you will dig this place. I heart random in every form, random people, random words, and of course random stuff. I found my gift bags, odd greeting cards, eyebrows brush and tweezer. I held myself back not to purchase all the fun stuff such as fake poo, fart gadget, glow in the dark decorations, and stickers.
The guy who helped me whom I think might be the owner of this place was so nice and the service itself worth more than a dollah. I will come back when I need wacky items to add to my collection. :).

Fun little shop that you should definitely stop in if you want some very friendly service, fun, and some giggles.
They have all sorts of fun gag gifts such as pogs, snake eggs, whoopie cushions, and even art and party supplies. As we came in, the woman behind the counter greeted us immediately, was very friendly, and gave us these ooze filled sticky balls to throw at the door that formed funny shapes or had stuff inside of them. It was really fun. My friends and I threw a whole bunch and laughed a lot.
If you are in the area, check this place out if you need a smile/​laugh or want to get someone something silly!

I mean, it’s a junk shop. Everything may cost a dollar, but I’d say 80% of the goods are still a rip-​off.
That said, it is fun to browse. The store is filled with random little trinkets, and there’s a room for clothing as well as a room for books. The book selection is pretty bleak, as most of the books are beyond beaten up. Hilariously, though, when we stopped by there were several hardcovers by Dean Koontz and James Patterson.
We dropped in to buy an umbrella to stave off a sudden rain. As advertised outside, the umbrella cost $ 3. It was a child’s umbrella, red with dancing elephants. I adore it. The owner of Dollar Scholar was really friendly and we could tell she was proud of her shop. I liked her and I really hope she’s making a killing on this place, $ 1 at a time.

what a fun store. and very deserving of the reviews I have read here.
We stopped in there not know what to expect. I learned what slap mice are and we had fun throwing those things against the wall.
I walked out with a bubble gun, body glitter, a lighter and fake teeth… what an assortment and I am sure I’ll go back and rummage through for more.

After the initial excitement of throwing gooey eggs at the glass door, it became apparent that a lot of the stuff there are of sub-​par quality (What you would expect from a place where everything is $ 1)
You’d definitely find some gems in here if you looked around though. The gooey eggs are fun and I also bought a pair of gardening gloves that I put in my car. The gloves are thick and were really useful for when I had to put on snow chains on my tires.
It’s also fun to walk around the store because it seems to have a «play now, clean up later» policy so the atmosphere is much more relaxed and fun.

When you enter the store, one of the owners hands you a gooey hand-​sized pile of poop. Or he’ll give you a cute, round pig. Then he’ll order you to hurtle either of those at the glass door or window. And you will, because when someone tells you to throw the crap out of an object, how can you not oblige?
The pig and the poop are plastic, in case you’re worried. They’re made out of that elastic material that’s kind of half a liquid and half a solid and all sorts of awesome to watch as they gloop from their points of impact to the handy bins strategically placed below to catch them. No doubt about it, a lot of the toys at the Dollar Scholar are definitely on the cheap and corny side. Fake skid-​marked diapers for your next party favor, anyone? But since when is cheap and corny a problem? You’re playing, for Pete’s sake. Don’t make me toss the poop at you.

I just returned from a short trip to Portland, my 3^rd so far this year (with the 4^th scheduled). After our school conference, my son and I had a few hours to kill before flying back to Oakland. His Mom suggested that we hang out on Hawthorne Avenue, while she headed over to Peets to get some work done. This was my first serious foray into the East side and previously my stepdaughter was apparently disappointed when her Mom decided to «sell out» and buy her home on the West side of town (instead of out here amongst the Reed hipsters).
My first impression of Hawthorne Avenue was that with notable exceptions, a better name this section of town would be the Tschotchke Trail. There’s Greg’s, Sorel’s, Presents of Mind, and other unique «stuff» places that I’m sure I somehow missed.
I had the most fun at Dollar (Loonie?) Scholar. It’s an interesting combination of a variety store, a rummage sale, and a used book shop, all wrapped up in the nooks and crannies of an old house. The biggest treat was the guy running the place and the enthusiastic and engaging way he showed off and demonstrated his cheap (and often useful) stuff. We also enjoyed visiting with Dollar the dog. My son left with an inexpensive little toy for his Mom and we both left with a smile on our face and an intention to come back.

This is such a fun place, don’t go there pissed off. Acually you shouldn’t go anywhere if you’re pissed off. But yeah what i love about going here is the people there encourage you to have fun and play with the stuff. The bad thing is there are too many toys and my friends and i get carried away with trying to hurt each other.
Now that i think about it, i don’t know what else is here we just go to the toy section only. dam it, i have to go back so i can write a better review now.

1. slap bracelets.
2. upon walking in the door the owners exclaimed «please come in, feel free to open things up and try them out! GO PLAY!!!».
3. ’nuff said.

There are some great places on Hawthorne to score gifts. Presents of Mind, Monkey King, Greg’s, ubiquitous Powells to mention just a few… But here’s the thing: not everyone on my gift list wants locally-​crafted jewelry and $ 5.00 cards. Where to go for er, more low-​brow goods?
Enter The Dollar Scholar, just down the street. As mentioned in earlier reviews, the squishy splat tomatoes and eggs are pretty neat, but they’ve got a newer better incarnation: squishy splat mice. Oh yes! Jarringly hilarious. I passed on the faux dirty diaper, but hey, it’s good to know it’s there if (when?) I need it.
I did however buy a pen shaped like poo for my father-in-law’s Christmas stocking. It’s gonna be a very special Christmas.

If Hawthorne ever needed a head of the tourism board, the owner of this place would get my vote. Can anyone get more excited about a newbie to the store & to Portland? I think not. He was slinky glasses clad & equipped with a magic egg tutorial & all.
This place is basically as eclectic on the inside as it is on the outside & that is pretty much what makes it awesome. From tools, sandwich bags, & random stuff that say «Portland» to mardi gras beads, pirate gear (he said they sold out), & princess playsets.
He told me that he is always taking suggestions so if there’s something in the store for $ 5 & less, he’ll try his best to get it in here.
This is the ultimate place to get things for your ADD inner kid. (See pics of «tourism board.»)

My friends and I had actually planned to visit the musty thrift shop next door to this place, but since my cheap ass almost always likes things that cost only a dollar, I took one look at the sign and had to go in!
The guy who was in the store was pretty awesome. He and I threw fake eggs at the glass door together.
They carry and extensive collection of dinosaur tattoos and I ended up buying 4 packs of ‘em! The velociraptor one will look great on my boob! woo hoo!

TOYS!!!
I really want those egg things…

I love running around the perimeter of the Dollar Scholar at night, completely trashed, reading the balloons and giggling at all the bad spelling.
Beer+Long Walk Home+Bad Spelling = Good Times at the Dollar Scholar!