Shopping in Greece
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To Pantopoleion
From Santorini capers to boutique olive oils and rusks from Crete, this excellent store has traditional food products from around Greece. There are jars of sweets, a large selection of Greek wines and spirits, and a fresh deli if you can’t wait until you get home.
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Koukos
A great collection of Italian pewter picture frames, platters, jugs, replicas of Greek monk’s hip flasks and other items. Koukos also stocks a range of antique ceramics and original silver handcrafted jewellery.
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Rihardos
Who knew there were so many different kinds of bouzouki? Rihardos, one of Greece's biggest purveyors of traditional instruments, has a huge array of Greek instruments, as well as Western brand-name guitars and Chinese knock-offs that sound just as sweet for half the price. The friendly old owner, Rihardos, and his English-speaking son, Joseph, explain everything about the hundreds of unusual instruments. To get there, take Bus 31 from Egnatia east to the Faliro stop (five to 10 minutes).
Continue across the intersection with Paraskeopoulos, turn left and Rihardos is facing you.
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Maximos (Panagiotis Fanariotis)
Not to be missed is the walled cliff-top village of Kastro, 3km from Apollonia. A pleasant path circumnavigates Kastro and is especially scenic on its northern side - midway round the northern side, above the glittering sea, is the wonderful little art workshop of Maximos (Panagiotis Fanariotis) , whose speciality is handmade jewellery in original gold and silver motifs.
Prices for these lovely pieces start at about around €6 and are far below the usual price charged for work of this high quality. There is also accommodation here.
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Monastiraki Flea Market
Wandering through Athens’ flea market is an eclectic shopping experience. This is the place to stumble on anything from that rare vinyl record, military boots, old books, antiques, to furniture and collectables. It’s in its element on Sundays, when vendors line up along Adrianou, the cafés and restaurants reach bursting point and the area takes on a festive atmosphere. Having outgrown its capacity, more mainstream traders have moved to the big Sunday flea market in Thisio.
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Athens Central Market
The hectic, colourful Athens agora (market; also referred to as the Varvakios Agora) is the highlight of the vibrant Athinas market district. It’s a sensory and gastronomic delight, with an amazing range of olives, spices, cheeses and deli treats. The historic meat market, with hanging carcasses illuminated by swinging light bulbs, is a surreal highlight. The tavernas in and around the market are worth seeking out.
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Myrsini
The shop that brings Soufli's famous handmade silk products to you, Myrsini is a family-run business with items running the gamut from silk table runners and ornate raw silk scarves to enormous silk spreads embellished with a Byzantine double-headed eagle and floral motifs. Owner Dimitrios Kyriazis gladly explains Soufli's tradition of silk production and the secrets of how it's done.
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Oikotexnia
You'll find top-quality merchandise here, and your money goes to a good cause - the preservation and promotion of traditional Greek handicrafts (the gallery is run by the Institute of Social Protection). There are knotted carpets in authentic Greek designs, kilims, flokatis, needlepoint rugs, tableclothes and embroidered cushion covers.
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Mat
A hobby that turned into an obsession for the late national chess champion Athanasios Diamantopoulos has put this tiny shop on the world map for chess enthusiasts. His wife continues to sell a large range of his original chess piece designs (from around €60 to around €1000), including the popular 'Athenians'.
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Miden Agan
Foodies and wine lovers will be delighted with the range at this excellent shop, which stocks over 800 Greek wines, as well as its own wine and liquors. There's a variety of beautifully packaged local traditional gourmet deli foods, including oil and honey and their own line of spoon sweets (try the white pumpkin).
reviewed
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Trigones Elenidis
A veritable institution since 1960, Elenidis is a very rare thing in today's world: a shop that sells only one product. Its sweet, flaky triangular cones filled with cool and unbelievably tasty cream are legendary; locals come out with two-kilo boxes, but one large triangle will certainly fill you up.
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Sunday Flea Market
The big Sunday Flea Market takes place at the end of Ermou, towards Gazi, where traders peddle their stuff from the crack of dawn and you can find some bargains, interesting collectables and kitsch delights among the junk. This is the place to test your haggling skills. It winds up around 14:00.
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Paraoro
Stamatis Fasoularis' distinctive series of metal boats are functional as well as decorative, like his nifty steamship oil burner. The workshop also has unique ceramics by artist Yiorgos Vavatsis, including his trademark skewed drink ware. Their bigger gallery pieces are exhibited upstairs.
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Women's Cooperative
The Women's Cooperative, on the main square, sells a few rare pieces of kapaneli (lacework) made by local women. You can normally see women hard at work on this painstakingly long process. Prices for quality lacework range from around €15 to around €1500, depending on the size.
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Vinyl Microstore
A drop-in centre for serious music fans who can sample the eclectic indie, alternative and dance vinyl releases and CDs over a coffee. An online radio station broadcasts live from the mezzanine. The owners organise party tours, art exhibitions in the basement and an indie music festival.
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Mastiha Shop
Mastic, the medicinal resin from rare mastic trees produced only on the island of Chios, is the key ingredient in everything in this store, including smartly packaged natural skin products, essential oils, food products, pharmaceuticals and a liqueur that’s divine when served chilled.
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Lesvos Shop
As well as a large selection of ouzo (29 kinds at last count), this store sells traditional products made by local women’s cooperatives on the islands of Lesvos and Limnos, including biscuits and sweet fruit preserves. There’s also a great range of cheese, honey and other goodies.
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Agora
Hania's magnificent covered Agora has some excellent eateries and is a worth a visit even if you don't want to shop. Sadly, the central bastion of the city wall was demolished to make way for this fine 1911 cruciform creation, modelled after the market in Marseilles.
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Mesogaia
Foodies will love the range of traditional products from all over Greece, including cheeses, yoghurts and biscuits for immediate consumption or take-home jars of thyme honey with walnuts, olive oil, pasteli (honey and sesame sweets) and other edible treats.
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Christos Veloudakis
This boutique is all about drama and impact, from the long red velvet curtains to the designer garments on display. If you're after fashion with a twist, come on in. Men's and women's clothing for day and night are all there and ready to sweet-talk your credit card.
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Roka Carpets
This is one of the few places in Crete where you can buy genuine, hand-woven goods. You can watch the charming Mihalis Manousakis and his wife weave his wondrous rugs on a 400-year-old loom, using methods that have remained essentially unchanged since Minoan times.
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Melissinos Art
Athens’ famous sandal-maker and poet, septuagenarian Stavros Melissinos, has pretty much handed the reins to artist son Pantelis, who continues making classic leather sandals modelled on ancient styles, and adds his own touch to more than 32 designs.
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Goutis
Packed into this tiny treasure trove of a store you’ll find an eclectic collection of antiques and collectables, mostly from Greece and France, including jewellery worn with traditional dress, prints, silverware, royal crockery and embroideries.
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Antiqua
Serious Greek and European antiques dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries are on sale here, along with a good selection of silverware, clocks, paintings, icons and first edition prints of 19th century Athens. Expect to pay accordingly.
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Paleopoleio Antique Shop
One of the few surviving antique stores in a city obsessed with the latest brand names, this old store has a small assortment antiques and collectables, icons and old books, the showpiece being an old diver's costume hanging in the window.
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