It’s Shopping Time!

Amsterdam is the city of antiques, diamonds, art and sex shops. A city sprinkled with specialist shops that sell anything from hand-made candles to mosquito nets. Amsterdam’s best shops are in charming canal houses and in pedestrianized streets.

Quirky-named shops beg your custom.
Eva Damave, 2e Lauriersdwarsstraat 51c,   funky zip jackets and woollen jumpers

Yoi, Jacob van Campenstraat 27 ,   fashion produced from organic cotton, hemp, recycled parachutes and prison blankets

Santa Jet, Prinsenstraat 7,  love potions, prayer candles and hemp products

The problem is not what to buy but where to start. These are the main shopping areas

• Negen straatjes area (nine Streets area): funky boutiques, fashion, homeware
  Haarlemmerstraat: culinary street, delis, Asian supermarkets
  Leidsestraat: designer shoes and fashion, souvenirs, fast food outlets
  Kalverstraat and Nieuwendijk: mainstream chain stores, global brands, mobile phone stores
  P.C. Hooftstraat: luxury brands, jewellery, fashion houses, Gucci, Armani, Cartier etc
• Nieuwe Spiegelstraat: antiques, collectibles, bric-a-brac

If you have just won the lottery you might like to shop at Amsterdam’s smallest Art Gallery and buy a black satin kimono with long flowing sleeves. It can be be yours for €4,000.

• related articles:
• Shopping Amsterdam style
• Spotted by Locals: De Kaaskamer

photo credit: personal collection