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130 SHOPPING
Eter is a boutique that finds the perfect balance between
the classic and the avant-garde, while at the same time is a
place that will not scare you away with high prices dictated
by the world-renowned designers. This little shop hidden
from casual passersby in the far end of "Crooked House"
surprises with quality that cannot be found anywhere else in
Sopot and has quickly become a place where elegant local
women get dressed.
ul. Jana Jerzego Haffnera 6, 81-717 Sopot
tel. +48 502 692 996
info@butiketer.pl, www. butiketer.pl
Amber & Jewellery
Baltic Gold, as it is often referred to, has been gathered and
worked in the Gdansk area for over 6,000 years and is one of
the major contributors to the city’s wealth over the centuries.
The sight of locals (both amateur and professional) combing
the beaches looking for pieces which have been washed up,
particularly after a heavy storm, is still common. There are
countless workshops in the area which produce not just wonderful
jewellery but all sorts of ornaments and souvenirs from
this ancient stone. The heart of the Gdansk amber market is
the picturesque Mariacka Street in the shadow of St. Mary’s
Basilica in Gdansk which is lined with numerous stores and
workshops. Keep an eye for the International Amber Association’s
certificate that guarantees the seller has been checked
and deemed trustworthy. Another option is to take a tour of
an amber workshop where you will see both how the stone is
worked to turn it into the beautiful pieces you see mounted in
finished jewellery and also learn how to spot a genuine and
fake piece of amber. The S&A company offer tours of their
workshop in Gdynia and you should contact them in advance
to organise a place (+ 48 695 990 073, tour@s-a.pltel).
S&A Gallery C-4, ul. Mariacka 36, Gdańsk, tel. +48 58
305 22 80, www.s-a.pl. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00.
Studio Amber C-4, ul. Mariacka 2/3, Gdańsk, tel. (+48)
58 301 10 55, www.studioamber.istore.pl. Amber pieces,
many of which being the work of budding graduates from the
Gdansk Academy of Fine Arts. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Y
W. Kruk N-6, Al. Zwycięstwa 256 (Klif), Gdynia, tel.
(+48) 661 98 05 53, www.wkruk.pl. QOpen 09:00 -
21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.
W. Kruk F-4, Al. Grunwaldzka 141 (Galeria Bałtycka),
Gdańsk, tel. (+48) 66 198 07 27, www.wkruk.pl. QOpen
09:00 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.
Books, Music & Films
Gdansk and Poland have a tumultuous history and the city is
much changed to the way it looked 100 years ago. A combination
of huge WWII bombing, post-war Socialist planning and
social and cultural change have changed the look completely
of the people and the city. There are two series of photo album
style books which capture this wonderfully with pictures of
before, during and after the events of WWII.
The first entitled ‘Byl Sobie Gdansk’ (Gdansk was itself) is
a series of books which were published by current Prime
Minister Donald Tusk (a Gdanskian and Kashubian) in the
years before he became a full-time politician. You’ll recognise
many of the old Gdansk, Wrzeszcz and Sopot streets and
see how once people lived. Contrasting dramatically is a
series published by photographer Maciej Kosycarz entitled
Niezwykle Zwykle Zdjecia (Unusually Ordinary Photos) which
presents the work of both himself and his father during the
period 1945-2007 and which demonstrate the destruction
of the city in 1945 and both the painstaking rebuilding and
life in the People’s Republic in the years after.
Gdansk is also the former home of Nobel prize winning author
Gunter Grass. His stories are often set against the backdrop
of inter-war Danzig and none capture the time better than The
Tin Drum, the work for which he was awarded the Literature
prize. While these books will generally be available in major
Tri-city bookshops, you’ll have to go online to pick up another
recommended book - Sean Lester, Poland and the Nazi
takeover of Danzig - which recounts the story of the Irishman
and League of Nations High Commissioner Sean Lester who
governed here between 1934 and 1937.
Gdańsk In Your Pocket gdansk.inyourpocket.com
EMPiK B-2, ul. Podwale Grodzkie 8, Gdańsk, tel. (+48)
58 301 62 88, www.empik.com. Also at ul. Kołobrzeska
41c (Przymorze), ul. Grunwaldzka 141 (F-4), ul. Złota Karczma
26 (Matarnia); in Gdynia, ul. Świętojańska 68 (N-2); in Sopot,
ul. Bohaterów Monte Cassino 63 (M-4). QOpen 09:00 -
21:00, Sun 11:00 - 20:00.
Fashion & Accessories
Eastend ul. Galaktyczna 37, Gdańsk (Osowa),
tel. (+48) 660 00 02 22, www.sklep.eastend.pl.
A huge range of famous brand shoes available under
one roof just off the Tri-city ring road one junction
before the airport turning on the Gdynia side. QOpen
10:00 - 20:00.
Eter Boutique (M-4), ul. Haffnera 6 (Crooked
House), Sopot, tel. (+48) 502 69 29 96. Tucked away
towards the rear of Sopot’s ‘Crooked House’ is this little
boutique selling the work of a local designer. While this
writer is no fashionista, our shopping expert thinks that
this is a highly recommendable place based on what
she describes as ‘original designs at affordable prices.’
Creating a style somewhere between elegant, classic
and avant-garde, this is definitely worth a look for those
interested in local fashion.QOpen 11:00 - 19:00, Sat,
Sun 11:00 - 18:00.
Komis Rzeczy Wyjątkowych & Vintage Inn L-4, ul.
Bohaterów Monte Cassino 21d, Sopot, tel. (+48) 501
25 08 44, www.vintageinn.pl. Classic second hand, retro
and vintage clothes for men and women inside an eclectic
space frequented by the fashion minded. QOpen 11:00 -
19:00, Sat 11:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun.
gdansk.inyourpocket.com
SHOPPING
GDAŃSK SOUVENIRS CENTER
ART GLASS CRYSTAL
AMBER SILVER
ALL MADE IN POLAND
SOUVENIRS
29 Długa St., tel. 58 305 11 50
Food & Sweets
Poles love their food and in particular their pickles
and their sweets. One company called Krakowski
Kredens (Krakow Dresser) offers a range of pickles,
sweets and the like in attractive packaging
which you’ll find in their points in most Alma supermarkets.
A particular regional favourite though is
gingerbread which famously is produced in Torun
by the Kopernik company. You will find a whole
range of beautifully presented sweets and biscuits
in the small shop under Gdansk’s oldest house at
C-4,ul. Mariacka 1.
Kopernik Sweets
C-4, ul. Mariacka
1 (Kamienica Gotyk),
Gdańsk, tel.
(+48) 58 301 85 67,
www.gotykhouse.eu.
Sweets are something
that Poles love and
some of the best examples of Polish sweets
can be found in the sweets and gingerbread that
come from Torun. Torun gingerbread is famous
in Poland and supposedly the original and best.
You’ll find a small exhibition dedicated to Nicolaus
Copernicus (Kopernik in Polish) in this sweet
emporium in the cellar of Gdansk’s oldest house.
A range of gingerbreads, sweets and gift sets
make this a recommended spot for those with a
sweet tooth who are looking for a regional gift.
QOpen 10:00 - 17:30.
May - July 2012
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