amsterdam
Shopping
& Klevering Zuid
Home and gift items that are affordable—even given the brutish strength of the euro—make this corner shop worth seeking out (there is a second location on Haarlemmerstraat).
Shopping
luuks
The homespun interior at this lofty footwear store provides the perfect complement to the comfortable-yet-stylish offerings: Shelves cobbled together from patinated wood scraps display low-heel Scorah Pattullo pumps and rubber-sole Costume National flats; antique flip-down velveteen theater seats add a touch of old-fashioned glamour to the surroundings.
Shopping
vlerk and vlerk ii
These inventive sister shops sell a complementary selection of understated clothing-gunmetal silk tanks, nude linen camisoles, tissue-thin pastel-hued jersey dresses—all by obscure French and Italian designers that owner Henriette Van Vlerken, a onetime fashion model and truck driver (we're serious), has come across in her extensive travels.
Shopping
albert heijn
ALbert Heijn for the lowest prices on gift-worthy Dutch edibles—Gouda wheels, salted licorice, hot chocolate, and stroop wafles (saucer-size wafers sandwiched with caramel).
Shopping
etos
We made multiple trips to drugstore Etos and kept unearthing things we couldn't live without, like anise-flavored toothpaste and ingenious little gadgets that zap the itch out of mosquito bites.
Shopping
hema
At discount giant Hema, head straight for the high-quality yet bargain-priced paper goods, pens, and journals.
Shopping
The Nine Streets
This grid of super short streets resembles a tic-tac-toe board, and makes up Amsterdam's most eclectic, boutique-laden shopping district.
Shopping
2r
There's nothing formulaic about the inside of this über-cool store (picture a slick black-and-white space accented by fluorescent counters), or the clothing (crisp, angular pieces from avant-garde labels including Drykorn and Dice Kayek).
Shopping
alfons de letter
One of the signatures of Amsterdam is its antique-looking enamel street signs and house numbers; for the past century, this family-owned concern has been custom-making them for both the city and the general public.
Shopping
dr wonen
Cardboard candelabras, pendant lamps wrapped with images of birch forests, and earthenware cups printed with tongue-in-cheek delft-style windmills are just some of the strikingly unusual-—yet remarkably practical—pieces at this home accessories store.
