Aarikka
Wooden jewelry, silver, and gifts are for sale here.
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From large, well-organized malls to closet-size boutiques, Helsinki has shopping for every taste. Most sales staff in the main shopping areas speak English and are helpful. Smaller stores are generally open weekdays 9–6 and Saturday 9–1. Small grocery stores are often open on Sunday year-round; other stores are often open on Sunday from June through August and December. The Forum and Kamppi complexes and Stockmann's department store are open weekdays 9–9, Saturday 9–6, and (in summer and Christmastime) Sunday noon–6. An ever-expanding network of pedestrian tunnels connects the Forum, Stockmann's, and the train-station tunnel.
The area south and west of Mannerheimintie has been branded Design District Helsinki. It includes roughly 170 venues, most of them smaller boutiques and designer-run shops selling handmade everything from jewelry to clothing to housewares. The majority are located on Fredrikinkatu and Annankatu; look for a black Design District Helsinki sticker in the window. You can pick up a map detailing the shops in the district at most participating stores. Kiosks remain open late and on weekends; they sell such basics as milk, juice, camera film, and tissues. Stores in Asematunneli, the train-station tunnel, are open weekdays 10–10 and weekends noon–10.
Wooden jewelry, silver, and gifts are for sale here.
Anna Heino uses stones in her cleverly designed women's necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets, an example being a silver bracelet with removable links. She also does custom designs.
Antiikkiliike Karl Fredrik stocks high-class 19th-century antiques, including furniture, chandeliers and other light fixtures, glass, and paintings, as well as a good selection of Russian objects.
A local favorite, Helsinki 10 sells high-end clothing, shoes, and accessories for the young-and-stylish by a bevy of designers worldwide—a good place for parents hoping to buy teenagers and twentysomethings clothes they might actually wear.
At the outdoor flea market (open weekdays 8–7, Saturday 8–4) that's held here, you can get an ever-changing assortment of used items; the indoor market brims with food, flowers, fish, and more.
The Iittala Concept Store sells the crisp, functional glass and tableware designs of Iittala and Arabia.
IVANAhelsinki has earned international recognition for its women's sweaters and dresses, done in either solid colors or bold and bright patterns.
Visit Kauppatori, Helsinki's Market Square, to browse among the colorful stalls or just relax with a coffee.
Next to Senaatintori is the Kiseleff Bazaar Hall, an attractive shopping gallery.
Combining "Nordic" and "Suomi" (meaning "Finnish"), NORSU is both an exhibition space and a high-end shop with contemporary crafts, including jewelry and glassware.
Nounou sells beautiful colored glassware by designer Anu Penttinen.
At the Old Market Hall, almost adjacent to Kauppatori, you can browse and shop for flowers, vegetables, meat, and fish.
North Esplanade Street packs in most of Helsinki's trademark design stores.
Head here for genuine Finnish sauna supplies, such as wooden buckets, bath brushes, and birch-scented soap.
A great source for cool, inexpensive gifts, this company turns found materials into "treasures of wasteland": purses made from tire rubber, messenger bags from old seat belts, and bowls from vinyl records.
Displaying top-notch talent in Finnish design, Union Design is a workshop of goldsmiths, silversmiths, and jewelers that emphasize limited series and unique pieces.